I still remember the first time I visited Ponmudi. I was overwhelmed from seeing the shadows of clouds. Ever since, this has been my favourite place on Earth. Good mood, bad mood the winding road up to Ponmudi hill top is where i want to be.
Ponmudi is a famous hill station around 5okms from Trivandrum. It is well connected to Trivandrum via road and there are regular buses plying from the city to Ponmudi and back. En-route ponmudi is the famous Meenmutty waterfall (topic for another post) and a slight detour will take you to Vazhvanthol. The entry to Ponmudi is open from 8:30 am everyday. The drive from the bottom passes through 22 hairpin bends and the road is wide enough and well maintained making it a good drive even for the less experienced.
There are multiple view points and rest spots along the way where you can catch views like this.
Keep going and you will soon reach the top. There is a KTDC cafeteria with a small shop selling locally sourced honey, tea etc and ample parking space at the top. You will have to park your vehicle and continue the climb on foot. The small climb to the top of the hill has been made easier by paving it with concrete.
What i like to do, whenever i go to Ponmudi, is climb up to one of the observation points and climb down and up again. Its nice to walk, breathing in the fresh air, also the exercise can’t hurt. And your can get amazing pictures.
(The pictures are taken over different years, different seasons and with different devices)
Mrinal Mohandas 
Absolutely loved the write-up and the pictures along with it… After reading this, and going through your pictures, I cannot wait to climb the ‘Golden hill’ with you, next week! š