Paniyeli poru - Trekking and picnic spot

After Kodanad, the next stop was Paniyeli poru, which was touted as an idyllic picnic spot with a little bit of trekking thrown in. The drive from Kodanad to Paniyeli poru was through lush green rustic Kerala and not much of a traffic. The route is Kodanad - Kothamangalam route and there are signboards put up by YMCA along the route giving the directions. The distance is approximately 18 kms from Kodanad.

After the last signboard, the road leads to the wilderness and there is a forest guard at a barricade from where there is no further motorable road. There are passes to be taken here, Rs 5 per person and Rs.10 for the vehicle. You can drive further for a km on rough terrain till you reach the next barricade, where you can park your car. The trek starts from here and you could walk along the Periyar till you reach a small waterfall behind the rocks. There are not many people around (except for the local forest guides who keep patrolling the area) and the place is ideal for couples who prefer to trek in the privacy of the wilderness. There are no shops nearby, so it is advisable to carry drinking water and munchies on the way. The forest officials have thoughtfully constructed toilets on the way and this proved quite helpful. (surprisingly the toilets had water)

I would however recommend to visit the place during monsoons or immediately after the monsoons, when there is abundant water in the periyar. When we visited the place, there was only pools of water in some areas and the locals told us that this place would be like Athirampally when there is enough water.

The place is dangerous for bathing and the signboards displayed prominently all around indicate that lives have been lost in that area.