The hill behind our village
Urumbikkara rises directly behind Yendayar, where Kottayam and Idukki districts meet — a 3,500 foot hill station sitting between Kuttikanam and Vagamon. Kerala Tourism calls the climb one of the most challenging trails in the state. We call it the road home. The off-road route begins from our village, which means when you do this trip with Fetraco, the trail starts at our doorstep — not after a long transfer from somewhere else. The mountain has been drawing a quiet stream of adventure travelers in recent years, mostly through word of mouth and Instagram reels. What most of them never hear is the story underneath it. Also there is a new yendayar via Elamkadu vagamon State highway is under construction as well, which once when opened will cut short the distance from nearest town Mundakayam to less than 45 Minutes.
Murphy's mountain
In the early 1900s, an Irish planter named John Joseph Murphy — "Murphy saipu" to the locals — built tea and rubber plantations across these hills, along with estates and factories whose bones still stand. Yendayar itself grew around his plantations. High on the Urumbikkara route you'll pass Madamkkulam, a natural pool that carries his legacy in its name: it was known as the bathing pool of Murphy's wife, the "Madam." Driving this trail is driving through a century of plantation history, and our guides grew up with these stories.
The trail
This is a genuine off-road drive — rocky forest path, steep pitches, stream crossings in season — and it needs a proper 4x4 with a driver who knows the line. We run our own jeeps with our own drivers, on routes we've driven for years.
The climb rewards you twice before the top. First comes Vellappara waterfalls, a tall ribbon of water dropping three to four hundred feet down a rock face — one of the tallest falls in the Kottayam region. A short distance further is Pappani waterfalls, cascading into a natural pool where you can actually get in: cold, clean, and exactly what you want mid-climb. Hornbills, kingfishers and woodpeckers work the forest around both falls, so keep one eye on the canopy.
Then the trees open, and the summit delivers what the whole climb promised: an unbroken 360-degree sweep of the lowlands — dark rock, green pasture, and mist moving through the valleys like slow water.
When to go
October to March is the sweet spot: the waterfalls are still full from the monsoon and the trail is dry enough to be fun rather than fearsome. The monsoon months are spectacular — the falls at maximum power, the hills impossibly green — but the trail demands more respect, and we plan those runs around the weather. Summer is drier and clearer, better for the summit view than the waterfalls.
What to bring
Shoes that grip wet rock, swimwear and a towel for Pappanitodu (in short pappani) waterfalls, a light rain layer in any season, and water — there are no shops on the mountain. Phones charged: between the falls and the summit, you'll use them.
Doing it right
Urumbikkara is still largely unspoiled, and everyone who loves it wants it to stay that way. Carry your litter down, keep noise low near the falls, and treat the plantation lands with respect — people live and work here. Travelling with a local operator isn't just easier; it keeps the benefit of tourism inside the village the trail passes through.
How we run it
Our Urumbikkara off-road experience departs from The Riverside Bliss Stays in Yendayar — most guests pair the drive with a night at the homestay, waterfall bathing + packed Home Cooked Food on day one and the mountain on day two. It also slots naturally into longer itineraries through Vagamon, Thekkady or the backwaters. One WhatsApp message and we'll build it around your dates.
