Villages like these certainly reflect the beauty of Kerala and are major attractions because of their simple rural life, untouched by the modernity. Mamalakandam a tiny village blessed with abundance of natural beauty.  This place is no short of wildlife as a good number of wild elephants roam this area.

The drive from Kothamangalam to Mamalakandam takes more than an hour.  Specially from Kuttampuzha the route becomes challenging but more beautiful. It is a thick forest area that is still unknown to the world and the journey that you will never forget. In the beginning, you can see isolated tribal villages then the place is utterly desolate. Sights like the greenery on both sides of the road and streams soothes the eyes as well as mind.
Although at places people warned us to drive carefully as there were elephants standing close by but couldn’t see them. We were able to feel their presence  and fresh dungs were seen everywhere. The forest area near Mamalakandam, Kuttampuzha is well protected. Travelling to a place surrounded by nature gives you immense energy, one such place is this.
We reached the village, parked our vehicle near the river and looked for a jeep to do an off road ride. Our initial plan was to reach Anakulam through the forest route but it was closed for private vehicles. We hired a jeep and went to a hill top through villages crossing some rivers and rocky paths. View from hill top was amazing over looking the Kallady waterfall. This mountain is called as Munnipara Mala, you need a 4×4 to reach here. It is a real adventure guarantied kind of a drive.
Mamalakandam is a sleepy little village hence by late afternoon most of the places that serve lunch have already closed. The jeep driver suggested us a place which might have food, lucky one Appam each and curry were still available. Managed to have some eggs and chai along with it to finish of our lunch.
This is basically a homestay and has a small shop to sell eatables. It’s called Ponnu’s homestay/hotel. A night stay costs about Rs.500 per person. The whole place was built with bamboo collected from the near by forest and looked very cozy. It’s located right next to the river and surrounded by forest on all sides. Although not much of luxury, it is a great place to relax, unwind and connect with nature.
We spent time in the river and had good chat with locals (who brought their livestock to the river after grazing in the jungle). From what they told us it seemed they have a peaceful and slow paced life. All shops get closed little early in the evening as wild elephants enter the village after sunset. The river water here is crystal clear, non-polluted and drinkable
There are quite a few homestays and small eateries around but no luxury hotels or restaurants. The public transportation is also limited as only handful buses run on this route. If you are looking to experience a typical village life nestled along the forest then this should be in your must visit list. You can also take short hikes and also take a drive on the road to spot wild elephants which is a common sighting here.