When someone is panning for a vacation or weekend outing in Trivandrum definitely they will look for some of the famous tourist places in Trivandrum. Mostly they will hear the usual beaches and dams in Trivandrum for hangouts. Sometimes the native people of Trivandrum surprised me by saying that most of them doesn’t even visit some of the great places which I had traveled in Trivandrum.

Traveling never demands a long distance journey, you can even travel to nearby places also. Exploration is the real spirit of a nomad and this is the main reason why I thought of writing a post for the travelers who wants a different ambience rather than a much crowded destination. Trivandrum is really blessed with wonderful beaches and amazing hills stations unlike other tourist destinations in gods own country.

Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram) is one of the best destination for domestic and international tourists. There are many tourist destinations which have their signature in the word tourism map which includes Kovalam beach, Poovar, Varkala Cliffs and many more.

Napier museum and Zoo (Yann Martel wrote his book Life of Pi after studying a disabled lion, Simba, for months here), Kuthira Malika palace, Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple, Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary and Neyyar Dam, Agasthyarkoodam, Ponmudi and Poovar are some of the main attractions in Trivandrum for the domestic travelers.

Here you will never find 51 best places of Trivandrum or The must visit places of Trivandrum, but I can assure you some feel good places in Trivandrum.

Ponmudi Hills

Ponmudi hills are known as the golden peak of Trivandrum. Ponmudi hill station is situated at a height of 3600 ft in the amazing Western Ghats of Kerala.

Ponmudi shows its real magic only when you reach the upper sanatorium after crossing all the hairpin bends and the lower sanatorium. The panoramic view from the highest point in the upper sanatorium is the most mesmerizing of all.

View from Ponmudi hill station

If anyone thinks about best time to visit, the immediate answer that comes to my mind will be during the monsoon and winter. This is simply because although Kerala has a moderate climate throughout the year, the lowest of it would be in that period.

However, Ponmudi season cannot be described in a particular time. This is simply because, the beauty of Ponmudi hill station varies across seasons.

During the harsh rainy season of Kerala, a sunny day after the rains brings in the misty Ponmudi. This is a visual treat to watch.

Winters gives you the shivering cool winds while by the start summer, the whole hill station turns into a dry and yellowish look longing for the summer rains.

There are several view points in and around the upper sanatorium. The place also hosts the wireless station for the Kerala Police department.The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research has a beautiful campus as well near to the upper sanatorium.

The trekking possibilities from Ponmudi is the latest development in the tourism activities there. There are several nature clubs and travel groups which organizes trekking.

Agasthyarkoodam

Agasthyarkoodam (Agasthyakoodam) is the second highest peak in Kerala and one of the best trekking places in Kerala. The mountains are almost at a height of 6,129 ft. above sea level.

The splendor of nature, the stillness in the valleys, the astounding views of vegetation, the ardent display of Flora and fauna, the delight of tenderness in the air all will be a new experience for the traveler.

View from Agasthyarkoodam

The trek to the peak is almost 28 km from the Bonacaud and it will take 2 days to complete the trekking.This trek can offer an experience like never before. One will never disappointed in the trekking because it can offer such an amazing delight of spectacular views. Definitely this is an experience of exploration.

Unlike other trekking places, Agashyarkoodam trekking needs permission from the Kerala Forest Department and we have the provision to book the same online from their official website

As per the latest information it will cost 500 INR per head and maximum 100 people are allowed in one day. Agashyarkoodam is one of the top rated tourist places in Trivandrum among trekkers.

Meenmutty Waterfalls

The parts of Western Ghats in the most remote areas of the Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram) district is always known to be amazingly beautiful. Meenmutty is undoubtedly one among them. The beauty and the easiness to attain perfect refreshment make it a regular getaway place.

At a distance of only 45 KM from Trivandrum, Meenmutty will not take much time. Any vehicle can be used for Meenmutty with Bike or Car being the best among all.

You will find any type of restaurants in the route and we chose a budget Aryaas restaurant ( which is the most common vegetarian restaurant name you see in trivandrum) for the breakfast.

View from Meenmutty

The road to Meenmutty is quite good for its age. As the rainfall is quite high in hilly areas, at some places potholes are there. Still, the driving experience is an unforgettable one full of sharp turns, cool breeze and the fresh nature at its best.

From the starting point, it is a 2 KM trek to the highest point where you can see the Meenmutty waterfalls. Though the walk is little tiring, it gives you an exhilarating feeling.There are several places in the stream which flows from the waterfalls to the Kallar, where we can take bath.

Both Meenmutty and Ponmudi will be closed to visitors after 5 PM. The view from Ponmudi is at its best in the evenings. So it is always good to visit the Meenmutty waterfalls in the morning and Ponmudi in the afternoon.

Braemore estate

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.

View from Braemore estate

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.

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.

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.

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.

While Traveling from Trivandrum, at Palode Junction, one needs to take a right turn towards Peringammala, then on to Idinjar which will take you to Braemore Estate.

Hope I could contribute some feel good tourist places in trivandrum to my fellow travelers. These are some recommended places but not the final list. Share your comments and thoughts let’s make this list even big.