Ponmudi

A mere one and a half hour's road journey separates the beaches of Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) from the invigorating climate of Ponmudi Hills. The name Ponmudi, a hill station so close to the sea, in Malayalam means golden crown. On the way to Ponmudi, the thick tropical forest greets one at the foot of the Ponmudi hill range. The road passes under a canopy of thickly matted foliage. The forest recedes gradually giving way to neatly clipped tea bushes.


The salubrious hill station of Ponmudi is at a distance of 61 kms from Thiruvananthapuram. The enchanting bounty of nature can be witnessed here in the quiet surroundings.

Perched at an altitude of over 100 m above sea level on the Western Ghats, the shimmering green waters of the winding streams and verdant woods of Ponmudi do not spare anybody. Trekking is a passion with the visitors to Ponmudi, lying within easy driving distance from Thiruvananthapuram.

One will find oneself compulsively pausing every now and then to drink in deep the spectacular sweep of the hill ranges, tea-estates and the mist-covered valleys, peppered with little toy-like stone cottages painted a pretty violet, pink, or white with pointed and peaked roofs.

Speciality
It is a Pretty picnic spot, endowed with natural springs, a little further down the hill. Golden Valley is a little, scenic viewpoint

How To Get There - Ponmudi
It takes 2 hours by road, driving 65 kms northeast from Thiruvananthapuram, to get to Ponmudi. Bus services are frequent.

Places To Stay - Ponmudi
Accommodation can be availed at Government Tourist Complex. The Complex consists of a guesthouse with 24 rooms, and ten small stone cottages sitting on the hillside named after famous Himalayan peaks.