Vagamon
Pine-lined ridges where paragliders launch above the tea
A Vagamon tour covers pine forests, grassy hills, three hilltop shrines and paragliding at Kolahalamedu, on the Idukki and Kottayam border at about 1,100 m.
Overview
Vagamon is a hill station in the Western Ghats at roughly 1,100 to 1,200 m, on the border of Idukki and Kottayam districts, Kerala. Tourism pages usually list it under Idukki. The cool months from October to March suit a Vagamon tour best, and the town fits walkers, paragliders and anyone who wants a quiet stay among tea gardens and pines.
What the eye picks up first is the ground itself: bare, grassy hillocks, narrow green valleys and roads that wind between old pine trees. British planters found the slopes suited to tea, and a company called Walter Duncan began its estates in 1926. The Kurisumala Ashram, a Trappist monastery, followed in 1955; ask locally about visiting it. Tea and coffee plantations remain a main source of work in the area, alongside tourism.
Three small hills carry three faiths. Murugan Hill is Hindu, Thangal Hill is Muslim and holds the tomb of Sheikh Fariduddin, and Kurisumala, the Mountain of the Cross, is Christian. Together they explain why the town draws pilgrims as well as holidaymakers.
Adventure is the newer layer. The open slopes at Kolahalamedu, a few kilometres out, have wind patterns that suit take-off and landing for paragliding, and the Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society has run an international paragliding festival there, held in March in recent editions. Rock climbing, trekking and cycling are also offered. A cantilever glass bridge about 40 m long, opened in September 2023 at the adventure park in town, adds a short thrill. For something gentler, Vagamon Lake has boating and fishing, and the falls drop about 30 feet.
Kottayam, with the nearest railway station, is roughly 63 to 75 km away, and the nearest airport is Cochin International. The town lies about 25 km east of Erattupetta, and a bus stand serves it. The hairpin roads leave little room for hurry, and the temperature, which stays between about 10 and 23 degrees Celsius in summer, makes a light jacket worth carrying at any time of year.
Known for
Open slopes and old pines along the winding hill roads
Happening soon
Updated Oct 7, 2026Coming up, dates to be confirmed
International Paragliding Festival at Kolahalamedu, Vagamon
sportsA paragliding competition and display at Kolahalamedu hills run by Kerala's adventure tourism society. The latest edition found was in March 2025.
Usually in March. Editions found ran 14 to 17 March (an article published on 11 March 2024 gives no year) and 19 to 23 March 2025. No 2026 or 2027 dates found.
Reach out to us for the confirmed datesQuick facts
Cool for Kerala, with summer temperatures of about 10 C to 23 C at the hill's elevation.
Cochin International Airport (distance to be supplied; two Kerala sources give about 94 km and about 150 km)
Kottayam, about 63 to 75 km depending on the page
Reached by winding hill roads from Kottayam (about 65 km), with a bus stand in Vagamon; Erattupetta is about 25 km west. Drive times (to be supplied).
Carry a light jacket at any time of year, as summer temperatures run only to about 23 C
Ask the Idukki DTPC for current ticketing and timings at the adventure park, since no official timings were found
Paragliding at Kolahalamedu depends on wind and weather, so keep a spare day if it is the main reason for the trip
Location
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