Idukki
Hill View
Located just about a kilometre from the Idukki city centre, the Hill View Park is set up approximately 350 feet from the Idukki dam. As the name suggests, Hill View Park is one such places in Idukki that offers spectacular views of the Cheruthoni and Idukki Dams.
Besides being a famous tourist destination of Idukki, this park is also a great place to spot diverse wildlife in its belt natural habitat. Hill View Park also has a couple of recent adventure additions including ziplining.
A sloping path up to Hill View Park opens visitors to a serene green atmosphere with a few eating options and toilet facilities as well. There is also a children's play area with slides and swings within this park. One of the top buys here is the famous spiced chocolate. Hill View Park is a great photo op for the Idukki dam, as it is not allowed to click pictures at the dam.
Hill View Park, one of the Idukki tourist places, located at a distance of 2 km from Idukki Bus stand, is a magnificent and well-managed park. The park, stretching over 8 acres enthralls the visitors with hundreds of varieties of crotons, flowers, medicinal plants, and other woods.
The Hill View Park houses a natural water body, where visitors can enjoy boat rides. The view from the watchtower of both the dams, Idukki and Cheruthoni, the surrounding hills on all four sides and the lush greenery takes the breath away.
The Park remains open throughout the year and can be accessed through gentle slopes, though it is stationed at 350 ft above the level of Dam water. The herbal garden and children’s play area add appeal to the Hill View Park.
Wildlife Sanctuary
Away from the hustle and bustle of the cities, the Idukki Wildlife is located in the Thodupuzha and Udumpanchola taluks of Idukki at an altitude of 450 – 750 ft above the sea level.
The sanctuary, flanked on 3 sides by the tranquil waters of Idukki Lake, is housed amidst picturesque settings of tropical evergreen & semi-evergreen forests, meadows, and deciduous trees.The Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the places to visit in Idukki, houses hordes of wild elephants.
The other species from the animal kingdom include bison, sambar, deer, wild dogs, jungle cats, Malabar Giant Squirrel, wild boars, and tigers. Reptilians such as Cobra, viper, krait, etc will bewilder the visitor, while avian species Malabar grey hornbill, Purple Sunbird, Golden Oriole, and Black bulbul enchant him.
double curvature Arch dam
The Idukki Dam is a double curvature Arch dam constructed across the Periyar River in a narrow gorge between two granite hills locally known as Kuravan and Kurathi in Mariyapuram village in Idukki District in Kerala, India. At 168.91 metres (554.2 ft),[1] it is one of the highest arch dams in Asia. It is constructed and owned by the Kerala State Electricity Board. It supports a 780 MW hydroelectric power station in Moolamattom, which started generating power on 4 October 1975. The dam type is a concrete, double curvature parabolic, thin arc dam. The Indo-Canadian project was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on February 17, 1976.
This dam was constructed along with two other dams at Cheruthoni and Kulamavu. Together, the three dams and Two saddle dams, Kulamavu Saddle Dam (Near Junction) and Kulamavu Saddle Dam (Right Bank) have created an artificial lake that is 60 km2 (23 sq mi) in area. The stored water is used to produce electricity at the Moolamattom Power house, which is located inside nearby rocky caves.
Narakakkanam, Azhutha, Vazhikkadavu, Vadakkepuzha and Kuttiar diversion schemes were later added to augment the Idukki reservoir .
malankara dam
Malankara dam is a gravity dam constructed across Thodupuzha river for irrigation purposes. The dam is constructed to make use of the tail water from the Moolamattom power house. The project is run under the Muvattupuzha Valley Irrigation Project and KSEB. The artificial lake covers an area of around 11 square km.
Constructed across the Thodupuzha river which is tributary to the Muvattupuzha river, for the purpose of irrigation, this reservoir is also a tourism spot.[1][2] This artificial lake is located near to the Thodupuzha – Moolamattom Road (State Highway 33)[3] covering an area of around 11 square km. The reservoir is ideal for boating and fishing. [4] Unlike the Idukki and Cheruthoni dams, the Malankara dam is open to tourists round the year. Also a park is under construction nearby to the reservoir covering an adjacent 15 acre island.[5]
The Hydro electric Projectr utilizes the tail race water from the Moolamattom Power house which is stored by the dam. Three generators are installed with 3.5 Megawatt capacity each and a total of 10.5 Megawatt. The prime movers are Kaplan type turbines. The project was carried out by Public limited companies like SILK and TELK. Water at 25 Cubic meter/Second flows through a penstock which is 17.5 meter long and 3 meter in diameter to the power house. 44 miliion units of electricity is produced annually.
lush greenery
Pothamedu Plantations, one of the places to visit in Idukki, bedazzles the tourists with its lush greenery. The lush green beds of coffee, the groomed tea gardens, and the wood-shaded cardamom plantations imprint an unforgettable picture in the minds of the visitors.
The nature lovers lose track of the time gazing at the beautiful environs of the cloud covered mountains and ravines soaked in a blanket of greenery. The trekkers, hikers, and walkers feel soothed and refreshed by the panoramic beauty of the surroundings.
The Muthirapuzha River and Idukki arch dam can be viewed by the tourists from the Pothamedu viewpoint if the atmosphere is clear and devoid of mist. It is a great getaway for photo fanatics to capture captivating pictures of this dreamland.
