Swargam Medu Ride

We usually go for a ride when we want to make ourselves happy and charged. On June 25th Saturday, 2022 we went for a ride to Swargam medu, situated in Senapathy, Idukki. I was in a must-travel situation because I felt low due to some tensions. Swargam medu was on my list for many years now.

We planned to prepare Biriyani and take it as lunch. We also made Iddili and packed it as our breakfast. Friday evening we prepared all this stuff and fixed the mini luggage box on the bike’s carrier. As we did an excellent service for our motorcycle a week before, it was in good condition too. Everything was set, and we made an idea about a few places we could see on the way.

The Start

Our plan was to start at 4 AM from our home in Vypin, Ernakulam. However, it was almost 6 AM when we finally started from our home. We took the Vytilla, Thrippunithura route instead of the Aluva, Perumbavoor route. By 9 we passed Neriamangalam bridge and had breakfast soon after. It was raining slightly, but the climate was really nice.

After Adimali, we traveled through the Adimali-Rajakkad road for over 25 KMs. This route was so beautiful with the full stretch was good roads, mountain views, forest-like sideways, and small waterfalls found in Monsoon times. We also saw a few power projects of KSEB en route, and also a few dams. After reaching Senapathy, we enquired about the path to Swargam medu a few times. Luckily, locals gave us good insight about the right path to follow as not all paths will allow us to take the motorcycle uphill. By 11 AM we reached the bottom part of the hill. Climbing to the top was a unique experience. There are not many houses after that point.

The Climb

As we had enough food, and water, and our motorcycle was in good condition, we had nothing to fear going to such a place. After spending some time witnessing the surroundings clearly we reached a place that looked like the base of this place. There was a homestay/ten service available at the base where there was also an off-road vehicle parked.

We tried to go with the pillion as much as possible but there were muddy areas in-between that made it difficult. I have decided to go up solo at that point. Rajna, my wife decided to walk the rest of the path. I had to take my bike through a rocky, uphill path to reach the hilltop. We can see a cross placed at the top from here.

After a point, I found it really adventurous to ride the bike to the top even without a pillion. Somehow I managed to cover the difficult patch of the rocky way. Looking back from that position made me so excited as the path was too steep and it asks for some courage to ride a bike in that terrain. Considering that my motorcycle is a Hero Honda Hunk 2011 model, it was quite an achievement. Thanks to the not-so-innocent 150 CC engine of my ADV Hunk.

Here are some photos we took from the hill:

The Offroad riding Experience

We rode this bike in 900 Kandi, Wayanad, and also in Mankulam (during our ride in 2023 New Year time) which was also a very adventurous off-road track. However, that wasn’t so steep I should say. We took some photos half the way to the top and reached the top in the next 30 minutes. It was so windy when we reached the cross at the peak of the hill. We can have a 360-degree view of the nearby places and there were a lot of mountains surrounding the hill. There were also a few windmills seen at a distance.

One of the locals told us that there is a temple situated on a hill nearby, which you can see in the opposite direction from Swargam Medu. I searched for that temple and finally spotted the same on one side of the hill. That was a very unique sight.

Lunch at the Top

We had lunch by taking cover of the cross and took photos and videos for some time. By 2 PM we decided to return as the climate started to look like it is going to rain very soon. If it rains, it will be very difficult to ride the bike down the hill. Riding down that off-road path was most challenging, as breaking cannot be done as we do usually. The rear wheel locks if we apply the brake completely and we lose control of the bike while coming down. I depended on engine braking to make it safer when coming down. Thanks all the off-roading videos I have seen before, helped me a lot.

The Return from Swargam Medu

On our way back we had tea near a temporary waterfall on the Rajakkad-Adimali road. We didn’t stop anywhere else as we wanted to reach home before 10. Luckily, we reached back by 8 PM. Today, the climate, roads, food, wind, everything was aligned with our plan expected. We loved the place, and as always the rainy Idukki once again filled our hearts.

We did a freedom ride to Trivandrum on the occasion of India’s 75th Independence Day that year. Check out the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav journey to witness the Independence day parade on TVM as well.