Alluring Vagamon

Vagamon or Wagamon, is a hill station located on the border of Kottayam and Idukki districts of Kerala. It is situated 1100 meters above sea level and has a very cool climate throughout the year. It’s a perfect tourist location surrounded by lush green tea plantations, small waterfalls, picturesque meadows and dazzling pine forests. Vagamon was initially found by the British for tea plantations, and later followed by Christian Missionaries to the give their adobe of service.

It is an ideal hangout place for tourists, where they can rejuvenate the mind and breathe some fresh air. The hill station is comprised of 3 attractive hills called Thangal hill , Murugan hill and Kurishumala , that gives  mesmerizing feelings to the visitors. These have religious places of worship and offers eternal bliss and clam mind. Moreover, Vagamon is a paradise of adventure seekers, which has the option of paragliding, rock climbing and trekking.


Vagamon on the way
On the way to Vagamon

Vagamon Meadows
Meadows

pine forest vagamon
Pine Forest

I had a yearend trip to Vagamon with my family in 2012. We started in the morning 6 O’ clock. It’s an extra ordinary experience to travel on the meandering road to Vagamon, once the green capped hills and adjacent plane lands are viewable. We reached there by around 8.30. After having the breakfast, we started to see the meadows, which is famous for its greenery. Sadly, the place was too dry and we could see that the grasses were brownish in color and only some trees looked greenish. As the annual rainfall for less for the region, it affected the beauty of this place. I took some snaps there and then we went to the murmuring pine forests. It’s a place where I felt cooler than being outside because of the thick dense trees.

Vagamon Kurishumala Hill View
A view from Kurishumala Hill

Vagamon Hills
Greenish Mountains

Our next target was Kurishumala Ashram (Monastery) of Cistercian monks. There was a restriction for private vehicles to enter 1 km far from the Ashram. We parked our car there and started to walk, but luckily we got an auto rickshaw. The Ashram has small chapel inside that provided me a divine feeling. Next to the Ashram, there is and Indo-Swiss farm project run by the monks of Ashram, where we could able to see large sized cows of variety breeds.  As Photography was not allowed in the Ashram premises, I had to just see and feel the environment. Kurishumala has another church called St. Sebastain Church, but we didn’t get in there as we thought of avoiding the trek in the sunny noon.  I took some more snaps of hillocks and got satisfied.

vagamon return
Bye Vagamon

While coming down from Kurishumala , we were trapped in a traffic block as a bus was punctured on the way.  Because of this, our lunch was delayed and some more plans were cut short. On the way back, I suggested another hillock location called ‘Ilaveezhapoonchira ’ (means the pond of flowers where the leaves do not fall). Even though we got into the zigzag road to there, we left that plan in the middle, as it would be too late to come back on the same day.  It’s an enchanting travel to cherish the memories.
Where to Stay in Vagamon
 As it was a one day trip , we didn't have to search for a place to stay. But  I believe there are a lot of hotels , cottages and home stays available there , as it's a major tourist spot. I suggest you to opt home stays , as it would be more comfortable.
How to Reach Vagamon
By Train
Board a train to get down at Kottayam. Vagamon is 44 km away from Kottayam railway station. Trains are running frequently to reach Kottayam from all the main cities of India. Once you reach Kottayam, board a taxi to reach Vagamon.

By Air
The nearest airport to reach is Cochin International airport that lies at a distance of 150 Km from Peermede. On reaching the Cochin International airport, one can hire a private taxi. The Kochi airport has frequent flights from major Indian cities and also has connectivity with some international cities.

By Road               
There are three major routes through which you can reach Vagamon.  Erattupetta is the closest town, situated at a distance of 25 km from Vagamon. If you are coming from Kochi, head towards Pala via Piravom or Ettumanoor. From Pala , drive to reach Erattupetta for another 12 kms. There is another route Angamaly-Thodupuzha-Kanjar and then Vagamon. (Those who come from Kochi can use this route after reaching Thodupuzha via Muvattupuzha) Most bikers prefer this adventurous route.

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2 comments

  1. Renjith. Couple of suggestions to your blog template. 1) if you can make the background to fill, the template will look better and less distracting. 2) make the theme light and the font non-italic for readability. I was struggling to read the beautiful content. So thought of suggesting.

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    1. Just made few changes.. Hope it looks good now.. :-)

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