Perched high above in the the Sholayar forest ranges on the fringes of Kerala's famed rain forests, the waterfalls provides a restful escape for those wanting to leave the hurried pace of city life behind. wild and beautiful, unspoilt by the passing of time.

Both this waterfalls are a part of the Chalakudy river and 5 km apart on the road to hill station (valparai) which has excellent tea estate and is one of India's highest elephant density habitats and is a crucial corridor between Parambikulam and Malayattur.

Perched high above in the the Sholayar forest ranges on the fringes of Kerala's famed rain forests, the Athirapalli waterfalls provides a restful escape for those wanting to leave the hurried pace of city life behind. The water plunges and joins to the Chalakudi River. The scenic attraction of Vazhachal, the other picnic spot is just a drive from Athirampally. These scintillating waterfalls in thick green forest are a part of the Chalakudy river stream.

The riparian forests of the Chalakudy River have revealed the existence of a thick riparian vegetation of more than 10 metres width for a distance of 10.5 km downstream from Peringalkuth, covering an area of 58.5 hectares. Out of this, 26.4 hectares lie within the Vazachal area, including three large islands densely covered by riparian forests.

The riparian forests of the area have been found to be characterised by the presence of typical riparian species of plants, in addition to evergreen and semi-evergreen species.Out of the 319 species of flowering plants identified from the study area, 24 are endemic species of the Western Ghats and 10 are rare and endangered.

Moreover, the Chalakudy River is known for its diversity, as it contains 85 species of fresh water fishes out of the 152 species known from Kerala. Among these, 35 are endemic species of the Western Ghats and nine are considered to be endangered.

VAZHACHAL WATERFALLS

The Vazhachal waterfall is a scenic and popular waterfall on the edge of the Sholayar forest range in Kerala. The Vazhachal is part of the Chalakkudy River. Its cool, misty waters cascading down with the backdrop of thick green forest and rocky terrain are a scintillating experience for visitors.

Kodanad lies on the southern bank of Periyar cradled amidst the scenic beauty of the high ranges. 45 km to the north east of the city of Cochin and 12 km to the east of Perumbavoor town, it was once one of the largest elephant-capturing centres of South India. In 1977 the elephant capturing was illegalized and hence came to an end, but the elephant kraal and training centre are still there intact. Now there are six elephants in the Kodanad elephant camp out of which three are available for riding by tourists.

These three elephants have been specially trained for safari and are provided with saddles that have been carefully designed to make the riding comfortable. Elders as well as kids can enjoy riding them without any discomfort. The regal experience is certainly one, which nobody would like to miss. A five-minute country boat ride across the Periyar can take one to the famous Malayattoor Church. There is also a mini zoo at Kodanad sheltering wild animals which have become unfit for survival in the forest.

Cherai Beach is a beach in the Cherai village of Ernakulam district of Kerala, south India. Cherai is a part of Vypin Island.

Cherai Beach is just 30 km from Kochi, the business capital of Kerala and 30 km from Cochin International Airport. The nearby towns are North Paravur(6 km)and Kodungallur (10 km) and nearest railway station is Aluva (20 km).

The 15 km of long golden beach is very clean, shallow, and attracts swimming and sunbathing. This is one of the few places where we can see the lagoon (poyil) and ocean separated only by a few hundreds of meters. One of the main events in this beach is the tourism fest during December.

Best season to visit is all throughout the year barring the rainy season(June - October). Tourists can find beach resorts and cottages nearby the beach.