Vayalada Viewpoint

Very scenic drive through Thamarassery Churam, glimpses of small villages on the narrow mini ghat roads of Vayalada and Manichery, refreshing trek amid of greenery to Vayalada viewpoint and the exhilarating view of Peruvannamuzhi Dam backwaters and the tiny islands summarizes this beautiful trip of ours.

Planning

Our plan for the first half of the day was to visit Chain tree & Lakkidi Viewpoint and later Manichery and Vayalada viewpoint by driving through Thamarassery ghat road. After breakfast, it didn’t take much time to check out Chain tree and Lakkidi viewpoint. After this visit we travelled down to Adivarama from Lakkidi.

Best route to Vayalada Viewpoint

From Lakkidi viewpoint one has to take Thamarassery ghat road to reach the town Adivaram. This ghat road is one of the beautiful yet busiest ghat road we have driven. This ghat road is about 14 kilometers in length, starting from Adivaram to Lakkidi View Point. It has nine hairpin bends.

Between 1700 and 1750, in search of a shorter route to transport the spices from Wayanad to Beypore Port, Kozhikode British found this route with the help of Karinthandan – a tribal chief from Wayanad. After seeking help, the British shot Karinthandan dead. It is also believed that Karinthandan’s ghost haunted the travelers for a while until it was nailed to a tree by a wizard.

Please be cautious of few unruly drivers who try hard to overtake at blind spots and put other traveler’s life at risk. Once you reach Adivaram, drive straight for 7.5 km on State highway 29 and take right diversion at Perumapally. From this place our first destination, Manichery viewpoint, is 18 km by away. Next destination ‘Vayalada Viewpoint’ is just 5 km from Manichery viewpoint.

Manichery viewpoint

Manichery View Point is 26 km from Adivaram and 45 km from Kozhikode (Calicut) Town. Route from Adivaram to Manichery View Point goes through a narrow road with lush greenery on both sides and small villages on the way.

Manichery View Point is 540 m from sea level. When we reached Manichery viewpoint parking, we saw the gate for the viewpoint is closed. Tried to search alternative path to the point and ventured around the area. Looking at our struggle, someone from the nearby home approached us and informed us that the viewpoint is closed for maintenance. We should have got the hint by no tourist vehicle present at that place. Amid of the disappointment, we were happy for the beautiful road we traveled to reach this place. After all, it is the journey that matters. Clicking a few shots of the valley beneath, we proceeded towards Vayalada viewpoint.

Vayalada Viewpoint

Our next destination, Vayalada viewpoint is just 5 kms from Manichery viewpoint and 38 km from Kozhikode (Calicut) Town. Vayalada has a very poor public transport facility. It is better to travel by own vehicle.

We suggest you to put the directions we mentioned above in your phone while visiting the place if you are new to the place. Route from Manichery to Vayalada goes through narrow village roads and few unpredictable turns. One thing consistent about the whole stretch we travelled from Lakkidi to Manichery to Vayalada was the greenery surrounding the route, which never lets you feel tired. When we visited the place, parking area was situated around 1.5 km before the actual viewpoint. There was very limited parking space available, but there was hardly any crowd or vehicle present.

Trek Path to Vayalada Viewpoint

1 km stretch of trek path is a real fun to walk with thick green bushes on either sides. With a good company it shouldn’t be difficult to reach the destination. Only the last part of this path poses a bit of challenge as the path gets more inclined and full of slippery rocks. Once we reached the final point, which is covered fully with the black monolithic rock, we were greeted by the fabulous view of the Peruvannamuzhi Dam backwaters.

Vayalada viewpoint is 600 m above sea level. Nothing can beat the feel of sitting on the edge of hills with cool breeze touching your face. We also noted tiny islands formed by the backwaters, and the heart shaped island was the best one. We didn’t notice how quickly time went by, and it was already 1:30 Pm. Furthermore, we had to travel back to Vythiri. Our plan for the second half was to visit Tea estates nearby Vythiri and Eagle’s flight zip line.

Vayalada Viewpoint Timings

Monday

Closed

Tuesday

6:00 am – 5:00 pm

Wednesday

6:00 am – 5:00 pm

Thursday

6:00 am – 5:00 pm

Friday

6:00 am – 5:00 pm

Saturday

6:00 am – 5:00 pm

Sunday

6:00 am – 5:00 pm

Tips For Travelers

• Please don’t throw any trash in the surrounding area. Carry a bag and bring back all the disposable items and dump them in the dedicated places.
• As limited parking is available at the place make sure you park your vehicle optimally leaving other enough space.
• Plan to fill fuel near the state highway 29 itself. We didn’t notice any petrol pumps near Vayalada
• Good food options are not available nearby. Plan to pack your food if you intend to spend long duration at the place.
• Moderate fitness level required for the trek, especially for the last tiny stretch. If you are travelling with elderly people, please plan accordingly.
• There was no entry fee / parking fee charged during our visit.

Places to Visit Nearby Vayalada Viewpoint

Food Options

• White House Restaurant : We had our lunch here, and it was the tastiest food we had in Kerala.

Live the Experience

We suggest you to watch our short informative video on this place before visiting.

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