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Braemore hills, connecting nature

When I heard of the name Braemore estate (Brimoor) for the first time I was wondering how this name came into existence from nowhere for a hill station near Trivandrum, Kerala. Did anyone notice that before? We found the answer to this question in the Journey to the less known Braemore estate which was full of surprises.

Braemore estate was never ever there in our list of places to visit in Kerala but gradually it is becoming one of the best tourist places in Kerala.

The estate was originally established by the Europeans in 1800s and planted with Tea, Rubber, Coffee and other spices. The British had realized the beauty of the landscape and have preserved the same for us.

Braemore Hills shimmers in the mystifying nature enriched by greenery and mist touched hills and valleys which provides shelter for a wide range of flora and fauna. The hills are blessed with numerous streams and water falls too.

It was completely an unplanned bike trip with a backpack from Trivandrum city to the estate which is around 55kms far from town. The first checkpoint is the Mankayam eco-tourism zone office in the Palode range.

We need to take the pass from the office for each person and camera, but which will not cost you more than 100 INR.

This is the entry of less traveled road leading to the estate not the entry pass of estate as such. From here on wards the restricted area is starting NO HORN, NO ALCOHOL, and NO PLASTIC zone.

Mankayam eco tourism office

Mankayam eco tourism office

The road will not test your patience and curiosity to find the entrance of the estate, soon you will find it. At the gate we need to sign in the visitor’s register along with vehicle details.

Once we are done with this, security person will show us the estate office from where we need to collect another entry pass for traveling inside the estate property.

An old man sitting on a wooden chair (who is in charge of the estate as of that time) was filling an application for us and finally we signed in that.

Surprisingly we couldn’t find any fan or air conditioner inside the room and we asked about the same to the old man who supposed to sit there for not less than 9 hours a day. Believe him, the secret is nothing but the colonial architecture of 12 feet tall buildings which can provide surplus airflow into it.

Later he told the secret story behind the name of this place which I mentioned in the beginning. This amazing hills were having the same climate nature of Braemore village in England and that’s why British have named it as Braemore.

Braemore Tea factory

Braemore Tea factory

We continued our journey through the estate roads to cover our view points and waterfalls. Before leaving the office, the old man has given a drawing of the route map and marked the unsafe places in it with a pen.

That piece of paper helped us a lot till the end of our journey, great thanks to the old fellow!

Viewpoints of Braemore estate

Viewpoints in Braemore are amazingly beautiful and real feast for the eyes. The estate is comprised of about 765 acres rising from about 900 feet above sea level at the entrance to about 2200 feet above MSL.

Along with viewpoints we can see the colonial British bungalow and European tennis court.

View point from the braemore hills

View point from the braemore hills

The Helipad

When we say helipad, it is not something like a modern helipad but a spacious ground which is capable of accommodating a helicopter. The employees in the estate use this area mainly for drying the spices on sunlight.

Spices kept for drying

Spices kept for drying

The waterfalls

Beautiful waterfalls are the main attraction of the estate. Madam waterfalls, lower kurisadi waterfalls and Anatheri waterfalls are some of them in the top list.

The potential of the streams to generate power was also recognized by British and the remnants of a Pelton wheel used for generating power to run the factory can be seen even today at Anatheri water falls.

It is always best to choose the lower points to refresh yourself in the cool waters. The waters has the ability to soothen your body and mind. It is the perfect way to re-energize yourselves.

Waterfall inside Braemore estate

Waterfalls inside Braemore estate

Trekking

The adventure travelers will love this place because of the richness in the number of trekking paths. The main trekking routes are towards Ponmudi hills and towards Kallar river, both will take around 1.5 hours to complete.

The shortest trekking path will be the Marigold valley peak of 1 hour. The challenging one will be towards the Sree Sarma Golden peak which will take around 4 hours to complete.

Jeep safari is also available on rent from 8AM to 6 PM for visiting various tourist spots. The jeep safari will cost 1500 INR for 5 persons.

The perfect offroad

The perfect offroad

How to reach Braemore

While Traveling from Trivandrum, at Palode Junction, one needs to take a right turn towards Peringammala, then on to Idinjar and finally one reaches Braemore Estate.

Nearest railway station will be Trivandrum central railway station and for the air travel option, travelers can mark the Trivandrum International Airport. Braemore trip can be a last minute travel plan for the Trivandrum people.

Accommodation

Various accommodation facilities are already available inside the estate. Please have a look into the following link http://www.braemorehills.com/Rooms.aspx for room and tariff details and make sure you had contacted the right people well in advance to make sure the availability & latest tariffs.

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