Rain lashes the windscreen as the car travels the winding roads of Thamarassery Churam (pass), traversing thick rainforests drowned in fog. It is one of the four ghat roads that connect the mountainous district of Wayanad to the rest of Kerala, and is a treat to travel through, especially during the monsoon.
The Churam offers gorgeous glimpses of the wild Wayanad monsoon, and the viewpoint on the road, just outside the gateway announcing entry into the district, is an unforgettable sight. Down below, from behind a curtain of cloud, you get a clear view of one of the nine hairpin bends.
Entry into Wayanad is through Lakkidi, a village blessed with rain all year round, and almost always veiled by fog during the monsoon. Further ahead, tea estates and coffee plantations carpet the surroundings of Vythiri town. The roads that snake through the estates of eastern Wayanad and the deep woods of western Wayanad make for pleasurable drives.
Wayanad is a land of plains and mountains. There are quite a few peaks that are over the 1,000-metre mark, and the view from the top is magical. The magnificent heart-shaped lake and the green that extends for miles are the bonuses of scaling Chembra, the highest peak in Wayanad. The path up the Ambukuthi Mala, to the mysterious Edakkal caves, offers another spectacular sight — the silver lining of the Karapuzha dam reservoir shadowed by dark clouds. The sun breaks through to light up a hill faraway.
Adventures too take a different shade during the rain. Trekking to Pakshipathalam near Thirunelli, crossing shola forests and the high-altitude grasslands of Brahmagiri hills during heavy showers, although arduous, is the ultimate monsoon experience. Zip-lining across a valley at Pozhuthana, bamboo-rafting on a river passing through forests, tribal settlements and tea estates, or boating on the foggy Pookode lake — all offer a different feel when done in an icy drizzle.
Best places to watch the monsoon in India
Vembanad Backwaters
Explore the countryside around the backwater network in a houseboat. Also, catch the snakeboat races.
Jog Falls
One of the highest waterfalls in India, created when the Sharavathi river runs full, it is a beautiful sight.
Valley of Flowers National Park
The alpine meadows of this secluded valley in Uttarakhand turn a wonderland as glaciers melt and flowers bloom.
Cherrapunjee
It is no longer the wettest place on earth, but there are still stunning waterfalls and caves spread across the forested hills.