The town of Marayoor in the Western Ghats is attributed to sandalwood trees and Marayoor sarkara, Malayalam for jaggery. The latter, only produced in the sugarcane farms of the region, is collected and packaged by townfolks at various units. Tourists are encouraged to take a stroll through the sugarcane fields in Marayoor or stop by a unit to sample its taste while the jaggery is still being boiled. Regarded as a village in a rain shadow because of its ideal location on the eastern side of the Western Ghats, Marayoor is also where you can see numerous dolmens or burial chambers, called muniyara.
A trek into the deep woods will show you the grandeur of the wild, be it a Shola forest or grasslands in the high-altitude montane evergreen. The untouched Shola woods, abundant in ferns, lichens and orchids, serve as a reminder of a time when nature was untainted. Keep your eyes open for Nilgiri langurs and enormous Malabar squirrels scrambling up trees. The number of birds and butterflies that call this place home will amaze you.
