A Beautiful Travelogue of Meenmutty and Kombaikani Waterfalls

Introduction

These two waterfalls are located about 60 kilometres away from the Thiruvananthapuram city, the capital of Kerala. The Meenmutty and Kombaikani waterfalls are seen on the upper reaches of the Neyyar Reservoir. They can be accessed by trekking from the Kallar side. This place falls en route to the Ponmudi hill station. A visit to this place offers a truly invigorating experience to both body and mind. The way to these waterfalls offers a steep gradient. Hence, the tourists have to move slowly.

Magnificent Waterfalls

Near Kallar in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala, one can find two glittering waterfalls that act as two diamond necklaces to the mighty Western Ghats mountain ranges in that region.  They are Meenmutty and Kombaikani. Both these waterfalls can be found en route to the destination Agasthyakoodam. They are part of a trekking route connecting Kallar and Agasthyakoodam. People who wanted to trek this terrain need to get prior permission from the Kerala Forest Department. These two waterfalls are found on the upper reaches of the Neyyar Reservoir in the capital district of the state. While climbing along the trekking path from Kallar, the first waterfall Meenmutty comes after walking a distance of 2 kilometres. After spending a while at the first waterfall, one would come across the Kombaikani after covering a distance of another 2 kilometres. While trekking through the path, one would come across a large number of bird species and butterflies. The forest cover in this area is tropical in nature. Trekkers usually come across leeches during the rainy seasons. Hence, they should come completely prepared to ward off any issues relating to leech bite during that time of the year.  Another attraction is the clean, cool and crystal clear water coming through waterfalls. While taking bath, people would feel their body and mind totally charged up for the tasks ahead. People climbing towards Agasthyakoodam can take rest in Kerala Forest Department-owned guest house near Kombaikani waterfalls and recoup their resources before resuming their journey towards the zenith.

Kallar

The base point in the trekking route is Kallar. This place is famous for round-shaped boulders and pebbles. It falls on Thiruvananthapuram-Ponmudi bus route. The name of this place is derived from a river that bears the same name. In English language, “Kallu” means stone and “Aar” means river. In short, the name of this place is derived from the Kallar River that flows through that area. This place also has a small waterfall by which people stop for a while before they resume their journey to the hill station. It is also a favourite haunting place for picnickers from the city. The other people who frequent this place include those who are interested in trekking, bird watching and angling. This is the middle point of the route to the hill station from Thiruvananthapuram city. Another attraction of this place is Golden Valley. This attraction can be easily approached by road. The trekkers use this place as a base camp for preparation to reach the zenith point in the Western Ghats – Agasthyakoodam. In the Golden Valley, people can cool themselves off by dipping in a crystal clear stream of water from Kallar River.  People who are interested in angling can find many rapids and small pools in this river. The bird watchers also climb along this trek route to reach the points from where they can see birds in close angles. Due to the frequenting of people in this place, some tourist facilities are available there. After Kallar, one may not find much of people and their habitat till one reaches Ponmudi. Hence, the people say after Kallar starts the high range begins.