Been to God's own Country while back with friends.
After spending leisure time in Alleppey, Ernakulam, Cherai Beach,Soochipara Falls
We headed towards Waynad located in North east of Kerala.
Waynad is a place with lots of hills, greenery, tea plantations.
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| Tea Plantations, Wayanad |
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| Tea Plantations, Wayanad |
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| Tea Plantations, Wayanad |
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| Tea Plantations, Wayanad |
Then we started to Peak Chembra, highest peak in Wayanad at 2100meter above sea level.
Peak Chembra is a part of Wayanad Hill ranges in Western Ghats.
Trekking.
One needs to acquire a pass to trek the mountain.
Also servies of a guide can be availed, which would be very useful.
The trek path goes through very scenic tea estates of Wayanad.
The trek takes 3+ hours, depending on your pace and stamina.
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| A view from top |
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| En-route to Peak Chembra |
Trek to peak Chembra is not easy if you are a novice trekker.
We, 12 people started to trek, Only 6 were able to reach the top.
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| A cute kerala girl |
The trek is mostly on grass covered open lands.
No fear of getting lost, trails can be easily figured out.
We started early 9AM, there were few New Zealand people starting at same time.
But in no time they pulled away from us, I was wondering if I can ever make to speed of theirs.
The trek has few water sources, offering crystal clear and cool water.
Water should not be a problem, at least till summer.
In about an hour we reached 2nd hill, which hosted beautiful lake "Hriday Saras" (Heart Shaped Lake)
The Heart shaped lake while en-route to Peak Chembra is a real visual treat.
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| Hriday Saras, Heart shaped lake en-route |
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| Hriday Saras, Heart shaped lake en-route |
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| Hriday Saras, Heart shaped lake en-route |
Everyone spent a good amount of time nearby by lake, the green grass, blue skies were really refreshing.
A boy in mid twenties was about to throw plastic bottle as he found difficult to carry empty.
I said, give that bottle to me i would dispose in waste bins downhill.
He reluctantly gave and took it back saying " i myself will dispose after the trek", all smiles.
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| Distant view of Peak Chembra |
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| Our tour guide. |
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| A view of nearby tea plantations |
By the time we reached top by around 1:00PM, we are dead tired, had some fruits which we carried.
We met the foreign guys who were resting on top, the same day we had a cricket match between India and New Zealand.
Had chat with those guys, they asked us for cricket scores, etc.
We started descent at around 2 PM, after such a long trek even the descent seems to be tough.
Reached watch tower, which has toilets, neat and clean.
Reached parking, headed towards Hotel.
Totally awesome trek I must say.
