Weekend tours are one of the best ways in which most working people reveal their stress and
tension. Even I am one among such weekend travellers who trip to a peaceful destination
mostly with natural beauty in order to relax from the daily busy schedules. These weekend
trips are one way in which we finally live like normal humans for 2 days which is entirely
different from the robotic life we live from Monday to Friday. Last weekend I planned a trip
to some of the best tourist destinations in Palakkad, a small yet very beautiful city in Kerala.
Even though I lived in Chennai and there were a number of tour operators like Dream
Kerala offering different attractive and Cheap Kerala travel packages I choose not to opt any. This
was not because I didn't like the packages but because of this weekend trip was something
that I could organise by myself. I started my trip on Friday the 3rd of November via flight so
that I would reach the Kochi international airports by Saturday morning the 4th of November
and then start my trip without any delay. After coming from the office I started my tripe on
the 3rd of November by night around 10 pm and reached the Kochi international airport by 6
am the next day. As soon as I reached the airport I collected my luggage and then set off to
the taxi stand so that I can get the cab to drive me from the airport to Palakkad. It was finally
by 7.30 that I got the cab, I was really hungry by the time I reached the airport and so I voted
to have food from one of the finest restaurants which I would eventually find on the way to
Palakkad. After getting suggestions from the driver about the hotels nearby I finally settled
with one not so famous hotel which was not too far from the airport. After having the
breakfast I continued with my trip and reached Palakkad by 10 am.
The only confusion I had after reaching the city was about the hotel, as I didn't avail any
packages it was my responsibility to find an accommodation. Just because finding a place to
stay was the most tiring part of travelling I decided to keep it for later. After reaching the city
according to my plan the 1st destination of the day was Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary.
Not too far from the city, this sanctuary was said to be one of the best destination where
travellers could enjoy the true colour of nature and the wild. Travelling for around 30 min
from the city I finally reached my 1st destination of the day, Parambikulam Wildlife
Sanctuary by 10.45am. The Sanctuary in Palakkad is known for preserving tiger is one of the
most popular tourist destinations in the district. Travellers who love nature and wild to
explore its wilderness could choose from a wide verity of budget packages which is provided
exclusively by the Kerala government to promote tourism in the place. This well known
budget tourist destination is not just home to animals and birds but also home to 4 different
tribes namely the Mala Malasar, Kadar, Muduvar and the Malasar. One of the primary factors
that fascinated me while exploring the Sanctuary was the safari offered by the forest
department which was a breathtaking experience. Apart from the safari, I enjoyed trekking
which was the best part of the tour. This tiger reserve is one of the most protected terrains of
the Western Ghats. With minimal human interference, this reserve is completely surrounded
with evergreen hills, rivers, and vegetation making the place one of the best destinations for a
weekend escapes to the lap of nature.
After exploring the place I headed to my second and last destination of the day, the Silent
Valley National Park which is located at about 30 min drives from the sanctuary. After a
long drive from the sanctuary, I reached the national park by 3 pm. The silent valley national
park is one of the best and most beautiful destinations in Palakkad with rich green forest and
fascinating view of lush green flora and fauna. The park is one of the cheapest and affordable
tourist destinations in the state which is included in most nature-friendly tour packages to
Kerala. One of the main attractions of the park is the jeep safari offered and the trekking trails
which is spread widely across the park. Even though the park is smaller as compared to the
other national parks of the country, the one feature that makes the park unique and different is
its Sylvan environment and the high altitude peaks with a number of freshwater rivers which
run along the length of the hills. The park houses a very strong population of fauna with a
collection a wide verity of endangered species. Some of the commonly seen animals in the
park are elephants, lion-tailed macaque, Sambar, gaur, panther, tiger and wild pig. One of the
striking features of the park is its vegetation which is a mix of the tropical evergreen forest
with rainforest. By the time I finished the tour of the place it was about 6 pm.
I was completely tired from the trip and it was then that I realised that I have not yet arranged
an accommodation. Do you know, what is one of the best parts of availing a tour package?
Yes, you will not have to worry about your stay and breakfast. after searching for a while for
the best and budget hotel, I finally started regretting not choosing a tour package to Kerala
that too when I had a number of travel operators providing me with a number of Kerala tour
packages with a price range that was affordable by me. The driver who was accompanying
me from the airport informed me that most of the hotels would be filled because it was the
peak time for travellers to visit the land and it would be difficult to find budget hotels with
almost every hotel booked. After searching for almost an hour I finally checked into a hotel
which was located a bit far from the city but was cheap and affordable. I checked into the
hotel by 9.30pm, after having the dinner and refreshing I slept of even without noticing the
room in which I was sleeping because I was dead tired from trekking and other adventures
which I enjoyed that day.
I woke up the next day by 9 am and after refreshing and having my complimentary breakfast
I decided to check out of the room as it was my last day in the city and I had my flight
scheduled for the evening that day from the Kochi international airport. Starting from the
hotel by 10.30 am I headed to my last destination of the tour the Dhoni. This beautiful village
was located at about 15km from the city. After travelling for around an hour I finally reached
the place by 11.30am. The place is a small village on the border of the Western Ghats. Dhoni
is a village which is famous for the travellers and nature lovers for its majestic Dhoni
Waterfalls. Travellers visiting this beautiful village could experience the best hospitality and
stay in most affordable rates. One of the other main attractions of the place is its rich green
forest filled with a wide verity of flora and fauna. One of the main attractions of the place is
its trekking trails which I explored. Trekking is one of the main adventures of Dhoni as the
hill station of the place has a number of trekking trails which takes you to a complete tour of
the village. After enjoying the tour of the village I finally decided to get a ride back to Kochi
international airport.
After a long ride of about 3 hrs, I finally reached the international airport at 5.30 pm and
boarded the flight by 7 to reach back to Chennai in time. It was my 1st-weekend tour to
Kerala which I explored and enjoyed the most. One of the main attractions of the state is that
it has a number of conserved vegetation which acts as the famous tourist destinations in the
state. For travellers who love nature and wish to explore true vegetation and wild, Kerala is
the apt destination.
