Nelliyampathy
Orange-and-tea hills above Palakkad with the Seetharkundu drop
Best time to visit Nelliyampathy
- Jan, peak season
- Feb, peak season
- Mar, shoulder season
- Apr, shoulder season
- May, off-season
- Jun, best avoided
- Jul, best avoided
- Aug, best avoided
- Sep, off-season
- Oct, shoulder season
- Nov, peak season
- Dec, peak season
peak shoulder off-season avoid
- Go: November to February
- Shoulder: March to April and October, quieter, and the weather is less of a sure thing
- Skip: June to August
Nelliyampathy season by season
Winter December to February Prime time
Dec-Feb is the sweet spot at 12-25°C, with orange groves in fruit and clear views out over the Palakkad plains from Seetharkundu.
Summer March to May Shoulder
Mar-May stays in the twenties up here while Palakkad below hits 40°C, which makes this the region's obvious hot-weather escape.
Monsoon June to September Mixed, read the detail
June-Aug is landslide season on the ten-hairpin ghat road: buses get cancelled for days and the viewpoints show only cloud.
Autumn October to November Prime time
Oct clears slowly with north-east showers; November is green, cold after dark and almost empty of other visitors.
What Nelliyampathy is actually like
Estate bungalows and a couple of homestays, no market and no nightlife; you come for cold mornings and nothing else
Getting to Nelliyampathy
Bus from Palakkad to Nenmara, then a limited ghat bus 22 km up; Palakkad Junction 60 km, last bus down early
Practical ways in: trainroad
Trip facts
- How long to stay
- 2 days
- Budget
- Mid-range
- How busy
- Quiet at its peak
- Solo travel
- Doable solo with some planning
- Altitude
- 995 m
- State
- Kerala
- Coordinates
- 10.5349, 76.6933
Common questions
When is the best time to visit Nelliyampathy?
November to February is peak season in Nelliyampathy. March to April and October is shoulder season: thinner crowds, a bit more risk in the weather. Avoid June to August. Oct clears slowly with north-east showers; November is green, cold after dark and almost empty of other visitors.
How many days do you need in Nelliyampathy?
2 days is the usual stay. Estate bungalows and a couple of homestays, no market and no nightlife; you come for cold mornings and nothing else.
How do you get to Nelliyampathy?
Bus from Palakkad to Nenmara, then a limited ghat bus 22 km up; Palakkad Junction 60 km, last bus down early. Practical ways in: train and road.
Is Nelliyampathy expensive, and does it get crowded?
Mid-range by Indian travel standards, and it runs quiet at the busiest time of year. Doable solo with some planning.
Nearby, and where to go next
-
Parambikulam Tiger Reserve
Kerala
Teak-and-tiger reserve reached through Tamil Nadu, shut in monsoon
20 km from Nelliyampathy, roughly under an hour by road
-
Athirappilly Falls
Kerala
An 80ft waterfall curtain at its thundering best in monsoon
40 km from Nelliyampathy, roughly under an hour by road
-
Valparai
Tamil Nadu
Remote Anamalai plateau of tea estates and wildlife
60 km from Nelliyampathy, roughly about 2 h by road
-
Thattekad (Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary)
Kerala
Salim Ali's richest peninsular birding forest on the Periyar
60 km from Nelliyampathy, roughly about 1 h by road
-
Thrissur
Kerala
Kerala's percussion capital and the ground zero of Pooram
70 km from Nelliyampathy, roughly about 1 h by road
-
Silent Valley National Park (Mukkali)
Kerala
Untouched rainforest saved from a dam, entered only by permit
80 km from Nelliyampathy, roughly about 2 h by road
-
Munnar
Kerala
Tea-carpeted hill station, Kerala's iconic highland escape
100 km from Nelliyampathy, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Muziris Heritage (Kodungallur)
Kerala
Lost Roman spice port with the Cheraman mosque and synagogues
80 km from Nelliyampathy, roughly about 2 h by road
More places to visit in Kerala
- Alleppey (Alappuzha) Backwaters Kerala
- Aranmula Kerala
- Athirappilly Falls Kerala
- Bekal Kerala
- Fort Kochi Kerala
- Gavi Kerala
- Guruvayur Kerala
- Kakkayam Kerala
- Kannur Kerala
- Kanthalloor Kerala
- Kovalam Kerala
- Kumarakom Kerala
- Marari Beach (Mararikulam) Kerala
- Munnar Kerala
- Munroe Island (Munroe Thuruthu) Kerala
- Muziris Heritage (Kodungallur) Kerala
- Nilambur Kerala
- Paithalmala Kerala
- Parambikulam Tiger Reserve Kerala
- Ponmudi Kerala
- Silent Valley National Park (Mukkali) Kerala
- Thalassery (Tellicherry) Kerala
- Thattekad (Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary) Kerala
- Thekkady (Periyar) Kerala
- Thenmala Kerala
- Thrissur Kerala
- Vagamon Kerala
- Valiyaparamba (Nileshwar backwaters) Kerala
- Varkala Kerala
- Wayanad Kerala