Coimbatore is blessed abundantly with many places that one can visit to take their time off, relax, enjoy the natural beauty, or "just be there".
One such place that not many people from Coimbatore know of is Mulli river. A river that gets its waters seasonally from the hills of Western Ghats but when it is full, it is a sight to behold. The water is fresh. It's natural and it flows at a very steady pace. And the best time to visit it would be now before it fills up completely and runs a little wild.
The road to reach there is quite an experience as well. It's better in a bike than in a car. And I don't mean that the roads are bad. The roads leading right up to the river are very good. Long, winding roads covered with lush greenery, the chance of elephants crossing at any time, fresh air of the Ghats all make it a brilliant experience just to drive to this place. It's a bikers dream, though driving through a car is not far back either. Forget the ACs for sometime. Enjoy the atmosphere.
The route from Coimbatore is via Thadagam Road going past Edayarpalayam, Kanuvai, and Chinna Thadagam. Just basically keep the Thadagam Road all the way up to Anaikatti and then keep continuing to Kottathara or Kottathurai (as they call it).
Anaikatti is the hustling Village at the end of the long, winding Ghat roads that start after the Mangarai check post. The roads from Mangarai to Anaikatti are lovely, broad double roads and well laid out. As I said earlier, they charm the biker in you.
After reaching Anaikatti the roads are still good but they narrow down a tad entering into the Kerala state. The way is sprinkled with great landscapes, road side villages and Ayyanar Temples - it takes you back to an era where things were more laid back. All the way up to Kottathurai, the landscapes will make you wonder - be careful with the memory in your phone, it just might get filled up with photos.
And right after a small bridge over a stream comes the innocuous little village, Kottathurai. There is every chance you might miss it as there are no boards to indicate the place. It's about 11-12 kms from Anaikatti. And from here, one has to take a right on to a small road that goes right up to the Mulli river bridge.
Again, you will encounter a very tight road, but a good one at that, very small villages, children playing on the road, tribal ladies grazing their live stock and if you encounter a drizzle, don't forget to enjoy it for a moment for its very pristine.
After a 20 minute drive in this road, you will come to a big bridge that goes above the Mulli river. You will not miss it as just before reaching there, you will encounter the river and its sounds. Park your vehicle, at the side of the bridge and you can walk down to the river
Note: Please always ask the locals if there is any warning about the waters opened up from a dam or a flood warning. Please always do this when you visit rivers around the Coimbatore area.
Once you reach down ... Well we will let you describe that part :)
Go ahead. Get off the couch after lunch and enjoy this perfect getaway.