Athirapally & Vazhachal

Athirapally & Vazhachal falls are situated in Thrissur District, in the state of Kerala. Situated on the border of Sholayar forests of the Western Ghats, which are the rain forests of Kerala, Athirapally & Vazhachal are famous mostly for its 42 meter high waterfalls. These waterfalls are perennial, and fall from an average height of 300 meters above sea level. These waterfalls consist of 14850 hectares of tropical wet, evergreen, semi-evergreen and moist deciduous riparian forest ranges. Athirapally & Vazhachal forests is one among the five main territorial ranges of Vazhachal Forest Division, the others being Charpa, Vazhachal, Kollathirumedu and Sholayar. The protected forestland of Athirapally & Vazhachal is one among the world’s top biodiversity hotspots, as it serves as a home to endangered, as well as some threatened species of flora and fauna. Athirapally & Vazhachal also draw attention of biologists because its forest ranges are situated at a low altitude of just 300mts, which in itself a unique phenomenon in the whole of Western Ghats.

The strikingly magnificent waterfalls of Athirapally & Vazhachal are situated at River Chalakudy, which originates at the upper ranges of the Western Ghats called Anamudi Mountains. River Chalakudy is the main river which flows down through the Vazhachal Forest Division till it reaches Athirapally & Vazhachal. The rocky river-bed at Athirapally & Vazhachal makes the river water turbulent and it gushes forward around big rocks to form segmented water cascades. The Athirapally & Vazhachal waterfalls consist of three waterfalls, the biggest of which is 42 meters high and 220 meters wide. This place supports the natural riparian ecosystem and this ecosystem consists of about 319 species of flowers out of which 24 are endemic to the Western Ghats and 10 are rare and endangered. Out of 85 species of fresh water fish found in River Chalakudy, 35 are endemic and 9 are endangered species.

The Athirapally & Vazhachal Forest Ranges is also the natural habitat of species like the great hornbill, Malabar pied hornbill, Malabar grey hornbill, Indian grey hornbill, Asiatic elephant, tiger, leopard, bison, sambar and lion-tailed macaque. Athirapally & Vazhachal also offers adventure activities like river rafting, trekking, etc. September to February is the best time to visit Athirapally & Vazhachal. These waterfalls are the main reason why wildlife thrives at this place.