പ്രകൃതി സുന്ദരമായ വട്ടവട | Vattavada is a Village in Idukki | Part 2

Hello everyone, namaskaram.

Welcome to a new episode of Vattavada.

We are at a villa called Castillo de Woods where we stayed last night.

It's past six-thirty in the morning.

We are going to see a place called Palkkallu.

It's an amazing place.

The sun has already risen.

See the view here.

This is the view early in the morning.

Look, the sun is shining on that area.

Yes, Vattavada villages, farmlands, and the main buildings of Vattavada are all located in that area.

At 6:30 AM, a jeep has arrived for our morning trip.

It's the same driver from yesterday.

I stayed here last night.

You probably saw the rooms and facilities yesterday.

It's an amazing stay.

There are many rooms, including some upstairs.

It can accommodate 10 to 30 people at once.

However, they only allow one group reservation at a time, whether it's a couple, 10 people, or 5 people.

Alternatively, 30 to 35 people can stay here at one time.

This is all super, you know.
It's glass, so there will be a great view in the morning itself.

See, these are the sights.

So, let's go straight to a place called Paalkkallu.

-Let's go, chetta...
-Yes, let's go!

So, we're heading out early in the morning.

We went this way the other day.

This is Kottakkumbur, in Vattavada itself.

Right, brother, Kottakkumbur.

It's a village like that.

There's a temple and all here.

See, there's a waterfall and stuff.

Not a waterfall, it's just water flowing, right?

-Where did the water come from?
-It's from the mountain, from the mountain.

This water is used here for drinking and everything else.

There's an auto stand and small shops.

Houses where the local people live.

The village life slowly beigins.

It's 7:00 am.

It's cold.

I'm the only one walking without a jacket.

I forgot to take it.

Oh, look at this terrace farming.

We've changed routes from where we went yesterday.

We've reached a different area.

The view is great here.

Look at this, it's awesome.

The vehicle is climbing uphill.

This is called Thattappara.

Are we going this way?

Oh no!

Go on

[music]

go on, oh no, thorny plants!

Oh no!

This area is called Thattappara.

It's a place where 10 to 20 families reside.

Beyond that, we're going further uphill.

The road is a steep climb.

This also has thorny bushes.

Has there been a fire here?

A fire broke out…

Awesome!

Place with an amazing view.

They say there's an excellent view at the top.

Let's wait and see.

We're going through eucalyptus trees, friends.

So, we've parked the jeep here.

Now, we have to walk a bit to the viewpoint.

So, we need about half an hour through this path we see, right?

It takes about half an hour to walk.

The jeep can actually go, but once it goes up, it won't be able to turn around.

That's why we left the jeep there and are walking.

Look at the sights you see while walking.

Look at this, there's an awesome view.

We walked and walked, look at this, we reached a place with such a view.

We still have to walk.

We have to go a little further.

Earlier the path was two-lane.

Now it's a single path.

Also, there's a possibility of seeing blood-sucking leeches here.

After it rains, it gets damp.

That's when they come out more.

It's only a problem if it's wet.

If it's not damp, there won't be any.

So, there isn't much dampness, so maybe they won't be there.

Still, we've brought some salt.

In case they're there, we'll put salt on them.

Walking was easy until now.

Now there's a bit of an uphill climb.

Let's climb a bit.

We're almost there.

Not there yet!

Aren't we there?

No, not there...

I thought we had arrived.

We haven't arrived.

I'm tired, panting.

Yes, so this is the view we see from the place we've reached now.

Look, it's a really awesome view.

So, we've passed that area.

We are going through this area you see.

These are all the views here.

They said there's only about another 10 minutes left.

The place is amazing.

Look at the view, it's incredible.

Look at the nice greenery.

There was only that one small climb we saw first.

After that, it's all flat ground like this.

There aren't any big climbs, it's easy to walk.

It's a small path.

As we walked a bit, we reached this area.

Now, it looks like it's all grass.

Trees are gone now.

This is an awesome spot.

Look at this!

Wow, it's already past seven-thirty since we left our stay.

We started towards here around six forty-five.

Came by jeep, then walked.

This is the view from here.

Oh my, look at what an amazing view!

This is the last point.

This is Palikkal.

Oh, look at this, it's really something.

Let's walk a bit more.

See my shadow?

Since it's past seven-thirty, the sun has risen quite a bit.

If you come a bit earlier in the morning, you can see a good sunrise.

That would be awesome.

If you come around 6:00 am, it would be great.

At that time, it will also be very cold.

Vattavada village is on that side.

These are very high mountains.

You can see a village from here.

Look at this!

Oh my, it's an amazing place.

An awesome spot.

I didn't expect such an amazing view.

[music]

[music]

There's a gap here.

Oh my, it was so deep.

But these are not loose rocks.

These won't move, right?

Is it okay?

Brother, isn't this called Palikkal?

Palikkal.

Palikkal, is it?

Yes, coming to this point, you can take a great photo here.

Even if you come at sunset, it will be amazing.

The view is great.

Everywhere you look, there's a view.

Look at this, it's a 360-degree view.

Everyone can come here, no problem at all.

If you don't mind walking, it's fine.

There's not much walking either, a maximum of half an hour.

There's no heavy climb.

There's only a small incline in one small section.

But, we can quickly reach such sights.

When we look from here, we can see a waterfall below.

Does it have a name?

They call it Chelanthiyar Waterfall.

Chelanthiyar Waterfall, right?

Oh, okay.

Didn't we go to a place where they built a check dam yesterday?

We are on top of the hill.

The cave is below this hill.

Oh, that's right, the place where the cave we visited the other day is located.

Oh, that's the waterfall you see.

If we go to the top of this hill, we can see Udumalpettai, Pollachi, and even Palani Malai.

If we go to the top of it?

Yes, if you go to the top of this hill.

Oh, can we see Palani too?

Yes, you can.

And then, this gap leads to Kundiklavara, which goes to Kodaikanal.

These two hills are the border.

The Tamil Nadu-Kerala border.

Beyond that is Tamil Nadu.

Those are all parts of the Chinnar and Udumalpettai regions.

Then, what places are in this area?

The backside of this is the Marayoor and Kanthalloor region.

The backside is Marayoor, right?

Kanthalloor also.

And then, the tribal colony you see opposite.

They are all parts of the Chinnar Forest.

After visiting Palikkal, we returned to our stay.

Now, we're going for breakfast.

They've prepared a lot of different items.

This is idli with carrots on top.

There's also sambar, chutney, and tea.

And there's another type of idli too.

Look at this, it has mint leaves and shallots inside.

It's really good.

This is regular idli.

Then, there's roasted bread.

And boiled eggs with salt and pepper.

Yes, so this is our breakfast today.

If you want dosa, there's dosa.

And if you want chapati, that's also available.

Our chef is here to make anything you like.

His name is...

Sanjay Chetan, our chef.

He's here, so he'll make anything you ask for.

Okay, let me have my breakfast with sambar and chutney.

After that, see that mountain over there?

The view behind me is amazing, isn't it?

What's the name of that mountain?

I forgot.

We're going for a nature walk.

First, we'll go by jeep, reach that area, and then walk the rest of the way.

It's Pazhamthottam, right?

The place is called Pazhamthottam.

Yes, we can see a great view from there to here.

After this, we're going for a nature walk.

So, after breakfast, we're heading straight to Pazhamthottam.

We're heading to that mountain you see.

Suthichettan has arrived with the jeep.

Let's go straight there.

It's 10 o'clock now.

I feel it would have been better if we had gone a bit earlier in the morning.

It's sunny now, but we only have two days.

So, let's go now itself.

Otherwise, we'll have to go in the evening.

We have some other plans for the evening.

Did you see a horse cart here?

There's a horse setup here.

I'll show you the horse stuff after I go and come back.

Yes, so this is our campfire area.

See, we'll light the fire in the middle.

We can sit around it.

If you come with your friends or family, it will be an amazing place.

If there are a lot of people, it will be very cold at night.

It's so nice to enjoy sitting around a fire in the middle.

So, we have all the arrangements for that.

Yes, this is our mud house.

I'll show you the horse-related stuff later.

Our Sudhi Chetan has arrived with our Commander jeep.

Okay, let's go now.

Are we all set?

You might have seen this in the last episode.

This is the brother's new vehicle: a Mahindra Commander.

And also, see this road here?

There's a road going along the front of our property.

This is actually a route that the local people here use to walk to Kodaikanal.

It's about 10 to 12 kilometers.

If you walk straight through the forest for an hour or two, you can reach Kodaikanal.

Isn't that amazing?

Kodaikanal is nearby.

It's actually a walkable distance.

People here walk to work and other places using this route.

Our vehicle has arrived.

Now, straight to that mountain...

This is the vehicle we went in the other day.

The one we took in the morning was a different one.

See, that one is a four-wheel drive.

This one is not.

Yes, so our journey begins here.

What you're seeing is the Vattavada Gram Panchayat office.

See, we're going alongside it.

So, we are now traveling through Vattavada village.

You can see the houses where the people here live.

There are small, narrow roads.

If we brought a vehicle like this, it would cause a blockage.

It's a very narrow road, you see.

It's better to leave the vehicle somewhere and explore on foot.

Or, you can take a jeep like ours; no problem with that, it can go anywhere.

Family Health Center.

Oh, is this a temple?

There are some small shops too.

This is the town, well, not a town, a village.

I just keep saying town.

This is Vattavada village.

There’s a chicken center and all.

See the mountain up there?

The only issue here is that the road is not good.

The road was tarred but has broken apart.

There’s a temple here.

See this?

So this is the main town of Vattavada.

The last bus stop is in this area.

Here, you can get jeeps, auto-rickshaws, everything is available.

If KSRTC buses come, this is the last stop.

This is Vattavada town.

From the town, we are going straight to climb that mountain you see directly ahead.

When we come from Ernakulam, the route from Munnar is at the top.

Now, we are descending the hill.

It's a concrete road.

Look here, you can see full cultivation there.

There's corn, and look here, there are strawberries.

There's some sort of farming happening here.

Is there corn farming down below?

Yes, there is a bit of corn farming.

What an awesome view.

Views everywhere you look.

Look at this, a horse on the road.

Its legs are tied so it won't run away, right?

Oh, look at this, we've reached this part and there are some amazing views.

You can see Vattavada village below.

See, we are heading up that mountain.

We were on the same path we took yesterday for a while.

Now we've left the main road and are going up a small concrete road.

We came to see a lot of views yesterday, didn't we?

That was the route we were coming by.

We've turned off from there onto another path.

Although there's some concrete for a bit, further ahead it's completely a dirt road.

We're going along a narrow path.

This is another dirt road we have to climb uphill.

There's a very steep climb.

Oh my goodness, heavy curves and a heavy ascent.

When we came up, there was an awesome view.

There's lodging here, is it for the forest department?

It's not lodging, it's for the forest department.

It is lodging, there's forest department lodging here.

There are bikes parked.

Look at the view here.

It looks like this is the forest's vehicle.

It says "Urgent Work".

It's an NH 85 vehicle.

Yes, so this is the view here.

Wow, this is amazing!

It looks like they have cut the grass here.

I don't know if they are going to do farming.

So, this area where we have come is the forest.

These are all places that come under the Forest Department.

This is their stay.

And also, this is not for the farming you see.

But they are cutting and keeping the grass.

That is, wild buffaloes come here.

So, they say that they keep the grass like this for the wild buffaloes, that is, for them to graze.

Yes, if we're lucky, we can see wild buffaloes.

It is also a place where elephants come.

It is said that packs of wolves have been seen here.

There are also deer.

Look here, this is the path we came.

And also, you can see some workers here doing the grass-related work.

Look, it's likely these are the local people here.

Also, there's full fencing here.

See, there's fencing all around.

So, this is definitely an area where animals frequently come.

All you see is fencing.

See?

Yes, if we're lucky, we might see the wild buffalo, but I doubt it.

It's already past 11:00 AM.

We came in this vehicle, by the way.

It's a really nice place.

Anyway, there's a board here.

See this?

It says 'Shola Grassland' - 'Montane Shola Grassland Ecosystem Restoration Program, Pazhathottam.'

It says there are about 50 hectares of land.

"Extend" and such is written.

"India High Range Mountain Landscape Project."

Look at the view you see after coming up a bit further; that's where we started trekking.

Our jeep.

Isn't the view amazing?

Look at this fencing.

There's a tree here like this.

The brother says it's only found here and in Maharashtra, right?

Yes, its name is Rhododendron.

In Malayalam, it's called "poovarasu maram."

So it's said that this is only found in Vattavada and Maharashtra.

See, it comes in white and colored varieties.

Only here.

Oh really?

Maharashtra doesn't have the white one.

It's only here.

Only here is the white one.

Will it have any fruits inside?

No fruits.

It's a flower tree.

It's a flower, right?

Do you see that tree here?

It has a special feature.

It's called Rhododendron.

In Malayalam, it's called Poovarasu tree.

It has a special feature.

He says that this is only found in Vattavada and Maharashtra, and that it only exists in these two places in the world.

There are two varieties.

It has a flower.

There will be a red flower and a white flower.

But the white flower is not in Maharashtra.

It is only in Vattavada in the world.

This tree that has the white flower is called Rhododendron, or Poovarasu tree.

Isn't it amazing?

So many new things to learn.

See this tree?

This is the white one.

I understand it as, there might not be another one like this, right?

There isn't another one here.

There's only one.

The brother said there's only one.

So, this is the white one.

It's rare, very rare.

It's not even in Maharashtra.

It seems this is a tree that's only found in this small part of Kerala, Vattavada, in India.

But they call it Alanji or something like that locally.

Alanji flower, right?

They call it Alanji flower or something like that locally.

There are many other names too.

This is very rare.

It has white flowers.

Can't you see the white flowers?

Ah, there they are.

See the white flower.

It looks just like a passion fruit.

That's nice.

It's not ripe yet.

It has a slight sourness and a slight sweetness.

Will it ripen?

Once it ripens, it will be sweet.

What is the name of this fruit?

I don't know the name myself.

We eat it with a spoon.

Also, I don't know if that tree is only in Vattavada.

There's no internet to check.

They say it's also found in the Kolukkumalai area.

But it seems the white variety is only here.

It might also be seen in the high-range areas.

Whoever knows about it, please don't forget to comment.

It will be new information for everyone.

So, we have come to see a waterfall.

It is written that it is private property.

See, there is a private property waterfall with visiting times and all.

Yes, let's go down.

There is a small shop near the waterfall.

See, this is how you go down.

There are toilets here.

You can use the toilet for 10 rupees.

I don't know if this is the water coming from the waterfall.

A small canal flows.

A wooden bridge.

Water flows along it.

So, we are walking along this.

Also, there is another thing.

In the area where we just went, where the forest stay is, if we pay 300 rupees per person, we have the option to trek to the top.

We won't go for now.

We came here.

Now, after this, we will go to the stay and eat food.

It can be seen from here.

Right opposite is the stay where we are staying.

We are standing on the mountain opposite it.

Oh, it's just a short walk, about 100 meters, and then the waterfall will be right in front of you.

They said the water is low, let's see.

Anyway, the water coming through this canal is indeed from the waterfall.

Oh, there are a lot of people here.

It's a place where families come too.

It would have been awesome if there was a bit more water.

Still, it's good.

So, this is the waterfall here.

I don't know its name.

Let's call it the Vattavada Waterfall.

It's located on a private property.

Anyway, it's good, it's a very nice waterfall.

Looks like you might be able to swim here.

See, this is a small waterfall here.

The water level is low; otherwise, this waterfall would have been much wider.

The water coming here also flows along this and goes a different way.

But it can be closed.

See this?

There's something here to block it with a plank.

See?

So, if the water level is low, I think they might block the flow and divert it.

It's also possible that this is the water that the people here drink.

Let's see if there's a path this way.

I'll go and take a look.

So, I climbed up a little bit.

And here, this is the view when you look from here.

Look at the view of the waterfall.

It would be really beautiful if there was a little more water.

It's not bad now, it's a small waterfall.

So, let me show you a view from here.

It's an amazing view, look at this.

Oh my goodness, you can see a super view of Vattavada from here.

See all the houses?

They are all colorful.

There are farmlands, terrace farming, and everything.

You can see many types of farming here.

This is Vattavada.

There's another interesting thing.

See that mobile tower over there?

That's where our stay is, Castillo de Woods.

That's where we're staying.

We can see it from here.

We came to the mountain directly opposite it.

So, a slight foggy effect is coming in.

See, it seems evening fog will come.

So, there are two things if you come here.

You can see this view and also the waterfall.

So, we've seen the sightseeing.

Now, let's have lunch.
There's a lot of stuff.

This is rice, this is sambar, aviyal.

This is called madhurakari, that is pineapple curry.

Oh, a big leg piece chicken fry.

And this is fish fry.

And here's something different, this is Russian salad.

See, it's specially made for us: Russian salad.

So, this is today's lunch.

Anyway, the food here is amazing, no doubt.

And look at the view here.

See this, it's awesome.

Isn't it a great view?

So, we are eating while enjoying this view.

Similarly, whether it's lunch, dinner, or breakfast, we can sit here and enjoy the food while watching these sights.

One interesting thing is that the atmosphere here changes suddenly.

A little while ago, there was some sunshine.

Now, that has changed and there's a foggy effect.

That is, fog is coming.

Fog is coming from over there.

Anyway, it's a very pleasant time.

It's quite cold from the evening onwards.

We have come in the month of May.

Evenings are quite cold, you need a jacket.

During the afternoon, we can walk around like this, no problem.

Okay, let me have my food.

Okay, after eating, let me take some rest.

The weather has turned out really nice.

Isn't it great?

You might have seen the room details in the last episode.

There are many rooms here.

The biggest highlight is that they only give reservations to one team at a time, whether it's two people, five people, or ten.

30 to 35 people can stay here.

So this is a place where you can come and stay with your family and friends.

You will be the only ones here.

It's currently 3:30 PM.

We've finished eating.

There are a lot of eucalyptus trees right next to us.

Also, look!

Look at the view here.

Isn't it amazing?

Let's just go up there for a bit.

There are quite a few things there.

Do you know what this is?

I thought it was a lemon.

It's an orange, it's called a juice orange.

See, there's one.

An orange tree.

are so many setups, see?

[Music]

There's something here, they call it "marathakkali" (tree tomato).

I thought it was "valli thenga" (creeper coconut).

No, it's "marathakkali".

Do you know what this is?

It's like our pomegranate.

This is small, there might be bigger ones.

There was a guava tree here, but there are no fruits on it.

Then there's some plant here that bears some fruit.

So, this is the view from here.

A swimming pool is currently under construction on this property.

So, this is the view from the swimming pool.

But it won't be ready now.

It will take another year, around 2026, for the swimming pool construction to be completed.

Then we can relax in the swimming pool with this view.

Also, see this place here.

It's part of the same property.

The work is still in progress.

There's horseback riding here.

This is the area designated for it.

Horses will arrive soon.

There's a viewpoint at the top.

See the horse stables below?

This is the place, isn't it nice?

The construction is still going on.

In a while, the swimming pool and the horse riding setup will be ready.

We can ride horses here then.

This person is in charge of the horses.

The horses are yet to arrive.

The work is in progress.

This will be where the horses are kept.

See, the work is going on.

Just showing you around.

We've just come to the back part of this property.

Look here, there's a project called Jalanidhi.

It was inaugurated a while ago by Mr Suresh Gopi.

They have a vegetable garden here.

Let's just take a look.

So, this area is the farmland.

There are banana plants and they said the rest are still being cultivated.

What you see beyond is all forest, a true forest area.

See this, this is a public path.

We can walk along this if we want and go over there.

I think there are some other houses or something there.

That's a different place.

This is all forest area.

Look at the view from here.

It's a nice view.

When the horseback riding starts here, they will likely go through this way.

There are said to be waterfalls in that area.

After seeing those, we can ride horses along this path.

Riding a horse would be really fun with all these sights around.

Also, what we see here are Grandis trees, which are a type of eucalyptus.

They are used to make paper.

See this path?

This is where we're staying.

So, this is the other horse place.

That's the way we went.

Now we're going that way along this path.

So, we are now at the front of the property.

We walked around and reached here.

After exiting through the back and seeing the place, we will enter again through the front.

Once the sun sets, the ambiance here completely changes.

It's incredibly beautiful.

I was just thinking about how we always look for places to get together with friends, or with families... for everyone to gather and cousins too.

We all plan different places for vacations and go.

This is the perfect place for a group.

We have rooms here for so many people, facilities to sleep.

And this ambiance is just amazing, absolutely fantastic.

We have food here.

Also, many activities are included.

As you have seen in this episode and the previous one, we went to visit a strawberry farm, went off-roading, and went on a jeep safari.

So we have all these things.

And there are many trekking viewpoints here.

We can visit all viewpoints.

There are many activities.

Next, after eating, we'll go for a night safari.

We might see some animals, maybe even an elephant if we're lucky.

We'll see.

We'll go in a little while and see what we can find.

Yes, those are the main activities here.

Once you come to Vattavada, there are many things to do.
You need two or three days to stay here and see the sights.

There are many viewpoints; you won't be done with them all in one go.

And then there are waterfalls.

Remember when we went to the caves the other day?

So, once you come to Vattavada, we can stay here.

We can enjoy the ambiance here with our friends and family.

In addition, we can also go for these activities.

You don't need to go elsewhere to book them; they will arrange everything for you.

Yes, and in the evenings, there's a campfire.

Let's gather around the campfire, sing songs, and enjoy.

We can dance when everyone is together.

There's everything set up here; we have a music system, we can play music and dance.

We can set up a campfire.

We have barbecue too.

Besides that, we can have dinner by 9 o'clock.

So, today's plan: I'll go for a night safari after dinner.

Let's see if everyone can see anything.

It's 9:00 PM now.

It's time for dinner.

Everything is ready.

See this, this is mashed potato.

This is veg fried rice, chapati.

Isn't this 65?

Yes, chicken 65.

This is chilli chicken, this is vegetable curry.

This is beans, good.

There's also mango chutney.

There's rice porridge.

When I asked for rice porridge, the brother arranged it for me.

Thank you, thank you.

This is all our food for today.

It's 10 PM now, we're going for an event: a night safari.

Let's see what we can see.

Get in, let's go.

Shall we get in?

Our jeep has arrived.

Let's go see some animals.

Not sure what we'll see, but let's go check it out.

Do you have a torch in there?

Didn't take it?

Okay, if we see anything, we can shine the torch.

Okay, so now we're heading into the forest.

This night safari will be about a two to two and a half hour trip.

By the time we get back, it'll be around 12:30 PM.

It'll be midnight.

Oh, the roads are deserted.

Remember when we saw the porcupine on our way here?

This is the same route.

That is the same route we take from Vattavada to Munnar.

There was a small check post, we passed that.

Look, it's really foggy.

See, thick fog.

Oh, awesome.

Oh, I can't even see.

[Music]

Full fog.

Look, this is our Vattavada forest check post.

Oh, are we going past this too?

Yes, the check post opened as soon as our vehicle arrived.

That's because we're going out.

But if we were coming back in now, this would be closed.

Then we would only be allowed to enter after informing them.

If it's late at night,

if you have a stay booking and show the details,

they might let you through.

Otherwise,

they won't let you pass.

You need to cross this check post and reach Vattavada before 7 PM.

We are currently traveling through Tamil Nadu.

The route from Vattavada to Munnar is a national highway.

On this route,

about one kilometer towards the Top Station is in the Tamil Nadu area.

See,

that is Top Station.

The road going there.

Do you see a light here?

That's Kolukkumalai,

by the way.

Look,

when we got here,

there's fog again.

Really thick fog is coming.

Are we still in Tamil Nadu?

This is Tamil Nadu.

Yes,

we haven't entered Kerala yet,

this is still Tamil Nadu.

Just look at the road,

you can tell by looking at the road.

Look,

there's a board saying "Welcome to Devikulam" here.

First,

this is Munnar Police Station.

So,

we have entered Kerala.

From Tamil Nadu to Kerala.

That is,

Vattavada is in Kerala.

From Kerala,

we entered Tamil Nadu and then we will re-enter Kerala.

When we travel from Munnar to Vattavada,

about one to one and a half kilometers of the Top Station area is part of Tamil Nadu.

So we reach Vattavada by traveling on that road.

Look,

when we come to the Kerala part,

the road is very good.

There are no potholes.

The Tamil Nadu part is full of potholes.

Look at the night view on the Munnar-Vattavada route.

It's completely foggy.

We turned right from a main road and entered a small road,

it's completely foggy here.

We are actually going through a tea plantation right now.

This is the area with Ripple Tea Factory.

Have you heard of Ripple Tea?

So,

after traveling through that area,

we will reach Vattavada.

We will reach the area of the fruit orchard in Vattavada that we visited earlier.

This is that route.

I don't know if we will be able to see any animals on the way.

How will we see anything with this fog?

I don't think we will be able to see anything with this much fog.

Can't even see the road,

let alone an animal!

We drove quite a bit through the tea estate.

This is Ripple Tea Factory,

see?

There’s a check post here.

It is closed.

Look,

it might open.

Let’s ask.

See this,

Chittavurai Factory.

It’s Ripple Tea Factory.

You have to pay to go through this tea factory.

There’s a fee,

right?

150 rupees per person,

right?

150 rupees fee for a jeep.

Then our gate opened,

and we continued our journey.

My God!

The watchman sitting here said they had seen a leopard the other day,

so we should be careful.

If we are lucky,

we might see a leopard.

Here,

someone stopped the vehicle saying they needed to urinate,

and was sitting in the back.

Perfect spot.

Also,

we can see wild buffaloes in this area.

And there are plenty of deer,

everything is there,

but because of the fog,

we don't know.

Let's see how it goes.

Shine the torch a bit,

that is,

it's not that they saw a leopard earlier,

they said they saw a leopard a little while ago.

Oh my god!

Let's see anyway.

Wild buffalo,

right?

Or is it a bull?

Trying to scare people!

It's quite big.

On the way, there's a small chapel here.

See, some people live here.

We could see their houses.

Our brother says that the leopard was spotted in this area ahead.

They said it was seen a while ago.

Let's look around this area.

Anyway, is there a chance of seeing it again in the same place it was already seen?

I don't know.

It's dark, even though we can't see anything, we are shining torches.

We are checking if eyes are gleaming.

There are many fireflies.

Lots of fireflies.

After driving for a long distance, we see a check post here.

It's kept open, and there's no one here.

Do you know what time it is?

It's 11:30 PM, dead of night.

We are going along the tea estate road.

It's quite a long distance, you know.

It's an awesome road.

This goes straight into Vattavada.

Should we get out?

Yes, let's get out here.

Yes, we are in the tea estate at midnight, and also in a place where there are leopards.

There are some small rocks in this area.

Let's just stop here.

See, it's the middle of the night, so we can't see anything.

It's completely dark.

The night view from here can't be captured on a phone.

You have to see it with your own eyes.

There are so many stars.

What you're seeing now is the moon, but all around it, it's full of stars.

It's incredibly beautiful, silent.

There's only the sound of my voice.

And then, the sound of the forest, amazing ambiance.

What's your name, brother?

Boss.

Boss: Wow, what a great name.

Yes, so where is your house in Vattavada, brother?

Kadavari, Kadavari, where is that?

Near the Tamil Nadu border.

Ah, okay, okay.

So the brother said this route is usually where many deer are seen.

But we are not lucky.

So far, we haven't seen anything.

Just next to where we are traveling, a little further away, is the Munnar Reserve Forest.

We are traveling along its side through the tea estate.

Since it's a reserve forest, we should be seeing animals, we were expecting to.

It's still early.

We might see more after 12:00 AM.

Did this come in front of your vehicle, brother?

Oh my goodness!

A wild buffalo came.

It came when the brother was returning home.

He has the video of it on his phone.

Oh, Kadavari is a different route, right?

Yes.

Oh, okay.

See this?

He's showing another video.

Oh my, huge wild buffaloes!

Look at them surrounded by so many wild buffaloes.

It's an amazing route, look at the place!

Look at this!

Oh my, a festival of wild buffaloes!

A state conference.

This is the route from Vattavada to Kodaikanal.

We won't get permission to go there.

They can go.

That's the route.

We continue our journey, the road is very bad.

See this, it's completely off-road.

There's no road at all.

Only four-wheel jeeps can go here.

Light, light, light, shine the torch.

There's a wild hare.

Hare, hare!

Finally, we saw something.

Lucky.

The first thing we saw was a wild hare right there, at least we saw something.

Look, we saw another hare here.

It's standing there.

There it goes, hare, hare.

Ah, see that!

It's not moving.

It's scared.

Don't be scared, hare.

Go on.

Look, there's a check post over there.

We're not going that way, are we?

The path is very rough.

I'm taking this video the next day.

Yesterday, we went on a night safari.

It was an awesome experience, absolutely fantastic.

But we couldn't see anything.

It all depends on luck.

It's a route where many deer are usually seen.

We couldn't see any of them.

We only saw a hare.

But it was an experience in itself.

The route was really amazing.

It was full of fog, but it was still fun.

Yes, so now we are checking out from here.

We had a blast for two days here.

I was able to do many activities.

Went trekking, went hiking, off-road safari, jeep safari, I saw all the activities that were there.

Then there's the waterfall here, the natural beauty, and the viewpoints are amazing.

There's so much set up here.

Yes, so we stayed at a place called Castillo de Woods.

Anyway, there are many sights here, I showed the views and details of the rooms in the last episode.

And you saw this episode as well.

So, the biggest advantage of staying here is that we will be the only ones here.

Up to 30 to 35 people can stay here.

They don't give it to different groups at the same time.

They only give it to one team at a time.

That's the policy here.

I liked that because we get good privacy.

Just us.

That one day, the whole property is ours.

It would be amazing.

I have given the contact number in the description to contact them.

Those who are interested can call.

Come here and enjoy.

It's almost always full here.

It's usually full most days.

So, you need to call and book in advance to get a slot here.

It will be very difficult because it's a place that always gets bookings.

It's the place where first bookings get full.

Therefore, it's better to contact and book in advance and reserve it.

We've come to a strawberry farm in Vattavada in the morning.

We went there the other day, but here, we've come inside this farm.

Look, I'm picking strawberries.

I picked all of these.

Nice, red, ripe strawberries.

They are very sweet, you know.

I tasted one.

One problem I feel with strawberries is that they spoil very quickly.

So I'm only picking for today and tomorrow.

Seeing them here, I feel like picking them all.

Because there are so many strawberries.

Look at this, look at how they are growing.

These are all small, small ones.

But even though they look small, they are very sweet, these things.

See this?

Tiny, tiny strawberries.

A sheet has been placed like this.

I think it's to retain water.

Or perhaps it's to prevent evaporation due to the heat and sun?

Maybe, I don't know.

The farmer brother is over there, I'll ask him.

Yes, so I picked these.

This is for me to take home.

Look, it's hot in Ernakulam.

It's cold here.

I don't know if they will get spoiled when they reach Ernakulam.

That's the problem.

Yes, look at the awesome view.

Isn't it nice?

It's past 10 o'clock now.

I'm slowly packing and leaving.

I'll have to come again.

I will come again.

Next time, I wish to come with my family and some friends to have a blast.

Details are given in the description, contact them, make a booking.

It's an amazing place.

Also, as I mentioned, the swimming pool construction is yet to happen, the work is in progress.

Anyway, we'll see more amazing sights.

See you on the next travels.

So, signing off from Vattavada.

Bye bye

So, signing off from Vattavada.

Bye bye