If you haven't done so, I suggest you read the introduction and the spoiler alert in Four Hikes in High Mountains before reading further.
There are no hiking trails in the Eravikulam National Park (ENP), at least none that were open during my visit in November 2023. Rather, there’s a well-maintained paved path that visitors can walk up about half a mile and get great views of the valley and the mountains. A trail to hike to the Anamudi, the tallest peak in South India, supposedly exists but it was closed during my trip.
The visit begins at the ENP ticket counter just off the Munnar-Udumalpet road (Hwy 17). It was a Sunday and the place was swarming with tourists. Waiting in the snaking ticket line would have cost me at least an hour. But my affable and resourceful driver Mr. Jayan Varghese intervened and within moments, I was in the front seat of the park bus that wound its way up through tea plantations taking ticket holders to the visitor center and the entrance gate to the walkway. The visitor center offered displays explaining the park's history and biology, including a poignant letter from the former Indian Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi to her son Rajeev.
From the visitor center, I walked up the curving pathway. To one side were spectacular views of the valley and the tea plantations enveloping the hills. On the opposite side, towering rock-capped mountains. About halfway up, I stopped to watch herds of the endangered mountain goats, Nilgiri Thar, grazing on the lush meadows on the mountainside. There is a water fountain along the path offering spring water straight from the mountaintop—I opted not to try. There’s also a short boardwalk through a Shola forest stand. Even on that partly cloudy day, the views in every direction I looked were nothing short of spectacular.
Visitor access on the pathway ends at a guard station with a boom gate. A group of mustachioed middle-aged Malayali men were badgering the guard to let them past the gate into the restricted area. The guard would have none of it and waved them away, his byonetted rifle perhaps proving more persuasive than his physical frame.
ENP is a beautiful place and worth the stop for a short visit. On the way out, the driver obligingly stopped the bus to watch a troop of Nilgiri langur monkeys with their distinguishing black fur foraging in the woods by the roadside.
Back on the road, the drive through the valley offers stunning views of the mountains set against the flat farmland of paddy fields and areca palms. Waterfalls abound including the Lakkom Waterfall about 17KM north of ENP. The fall is just a short walk from the roadside, so I hopped out to take a look, paying a small entrance fee at the gate. The pool is wadable and was filled with frolicking families. I took off my shoes, rolled up my pants, and walked across to the other side of the stream and got a nice frontal view of the falls.
Past Lakkom, the road passes through a sandalwood forest and then through Marayoor, a town known for a special form of jaggery. I stopped for lunch at a roadside restaurant and ordered chapati with curry. Innocuous on the surface, but a bad call. Back at the hotel after the hike, I fell miserably ill and it would haunt me for the rest of my trip. I had packed some medications and with their aid, I was able to salvage the trip.
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Further north on Highway 17, the trailhead to the Thoovanam Waterfall starts from the roadside opposite the Forest Department office. I paid the entrance fee and the FD assigned a guide to trek with me—each trekking party is assigned one. The trail terrain is flat but enlivened by many beautiful stream crossings. Depending on the flow, at least a few may involve getting your feet wet, unless you want to jump rock to rock risking a fall. Otherwise, this is an easy trek of 3.72 miles roundtrip. The trail winds through lush shady forest with occasional views of the mountains to one side. On that mild mid-November Sunday afternoon, the trail was surprisingly empty with no one besides me and the guide.
About three-fourths the way, the trail begins to run parallel to the Pambar (river). Large jagged rocks strewn the river bed and the air is filled with the sound of rushing rapids and mini falls. Signs posted warn the trekkers against entering the water. I suppose the forest officials were leaving nothing to chance by assigning a watchful guide, since it's quite tempting to take a dip in one of the large pools filled with clear flowing water along this empty trail.
The distant sound of the Thoovanam waterfall turns into a thunderous roar as the stunning fall becomes visible through the trees. It’s a breathtaking sight and a high reward for such an easy trek. Large spreading rock surfaces give ample space to get a closer look. A uniformed cop sat on a shady rock with his back to the fall, absorbed in his phone. I spent about half an hour taking in the view undisturbed. My guide took a few pictures, an easy job since I was the lone hiker present.
Returning to the hotel, despite an active day, I wasn’t feeling hungry. I skipped dinner and went to bed but woke up just after midnight with a fever and terrible discomfort. The rest of the night was miserable. The lunch at the wayside restaurant had done me in. I took medicine and stayed awake wondering how I would make it to my next day’s hiking destination—Meesapulimala.
