The plan into the greenery is always on the go every time we want to head out to the cool, green and beautiful Valparai. Good Friday is a holiday and the 2nd last weekend and holiday for the next 6 months. The urge to go out remains more than usual on this situation.This time, since the summer was heading in, we were looking for a place with lower temperature.
We drove till the Azhiyar Reservoir and took a break. We clicked a few photographs and planned to close on our lunch over fresh fish fry being sold in the shacks nearby. We completely drowned in the freshly cooked hot food in the shops. Post lunch, we started for Valparai which is climbing 3500 ft above sea level. Located in the Annamalai ranges of the Western Ghats this beautiful place is most famous for its 40 hairpin bends and the amazing roads that taking everyone through. This road is a Bikers destination and Drivers Dream. It has been mentioned in the list of 10 best roads in the world that one should travel. Extremely well maintained, well planned, completed modulated with adequate reflector and caution signs, this road is a wonder. Added are the greenery and the view of the water bodies and the misty Blue Nilgiris. It was a wonderful weather. There was an official checking done at the ATR Check Post by the forest department and then we started our 65.5kms journey hairpin by hairpin. We stopped at several view points and finally reached at 2PM, completely mesmerized by the beauty around. The total distance covered was 438 kms from Bangalore.
We had booked our stay in a homestay called MistyCreek. As the name suggests, it is situated at the end of the town, on the edge of the tea plantation overlooking a small stream and the Nilgiris behind. That is the view we got from the French windows of the rooms. The price of the stay was pocket friendly and the owner, Frank Benjamin is a well-known face there. He is known as Benny and is an activist of the forest conservation in Valparai. The food is out of the world, the caretaker who we call Perianna( meaning grandfather, I guess served us home cooked food from one of the local kitchens in hot packs.
We reached there around 2 PM and freshened up, tired as we were. We took a stroll around the town and drove around the misty and cold tea estates. Around 7 PM, we came back to have an early dinner and retired early to bed by 10PM. In the meantime, Benny came by to tell us about the highlights of Valparai.
Next day was as early as 5AM. Geared with our camera and jackets, we headed straight to see hornbills feeding their new born little ones as told by Benny. We waited for about 20mins when the huge Hornbills came flapping their wide wings and fed their chicks. It was a treat to the eye, one of the best experiences that our naked eye could capture, leave along the camera.
Post the hornbills, we headed straight through the misty mountains towards the grassland and watering holes to see the bison. We saw a few and on the way to and fro we spotted and clicked multiple birds and colorful ones. Some of them were beautiful and unimaginable. We headed back around 10AM with a breakfast in one of the local stalls and tea to die for. Once back, we freshened up and had a quick lunch post which we headed back to our afternoon sleep. We had a long evening to go and Benny had chalked a good plan for us. We woke up fresh from a 2 hrs sleep and sat in the balcony overlooking the valley for an hour with our tea/coffee. What an amazing holiday we were having indeed. We once again drove out around the twinning roads, to click photos of a few birds we saw, sip tea in the tea stall outside a Tea estate, talk to people about their life among the wilderness and hear listen to stories about the village by the Annamalai Tiger Reserve Forest. We visited the Solaiyar Dam which hardly had any water since this was summer and we are waiting for the rain. We visited the famous Balaji Temple and experience a village fair around the Murugan Temple.
Post the hornbills, we headed straight through the misty mountains towards the grassland and watering holes to see the bison. We saw a few and on the way to and fro we spotted and clicked multiple birds and colorful ones. Some of them were beautiful and unimaginable. We headed back around 10AM with a breakfast in one of the local stalls and tea to die for. Once back, we freshened up and had a quick lunch post which we headed back to our afternoon sleep. We had a long evening to go and Benny had chalked a good plan for us. We woke up fresh from a 2 hrs sleep and sat in the balcony overlooking the valley for an hour with our tea/coffee. What an amazing holiday we were having indeed. We once again drove out around the twinning roads, to click photos of a few birds we saw, sip tea in the tea stall outside a Tea estate, talk to people about their life among the wilderness and hear listen to stories about the village by the Annamalai Tiger Reserve Forest. We visited the Solaiyar Dam which hardly had any water since this was summer and we are waiting for the rain. We visited the famous Balaji Temple and experience a village fair around the Murugan Temple.
We went back to our homestay at 9PM to freshen up, have dinner and wait for the Jeep arranged by Benny to come and pick us up for the night safari. We boarded the Jeep and went around the forest area to spot Wild Dogs, Porcupine, Lion Tailed Macaque, Flying mongoose, species of Owls, Wild Boars and Sambaar – a species of deer. In a distance we also saw a leopard perched on a tree with it tail hanging down and 2 bison grazing below. The view so out of the world and so typically out of the Nat Geo TV Channels. We enjoyed the view and did not click photographs as flashing would disturb their peace and privacy. In the later part of the safari, we finally saw a leopard majestically crossing the road. It stopped, turned around to look at us and then glided into the forest, stopping by once again to turn back look at us and slowly vanish into the forest. We sat their spellbound completely numb with its beauty and powerful looks.
We continued to roam around for another hour saw a few more of animals except for an elephant and the Nilgiri Tahr. At one place we slowed down and 2 men in cycle had billboards in their hand saying “Go slow, Macaque crossing zone”. We stopped and spoke to them. Animal conservation seems to be an important part of the life of people in Valparai. We were amazed and wished we could contribute a little to add to this initiative. When we returned , we were tired but contented and amazed with the beauty of the stary nights in the forest, illuminated by millions of fireflies and the full moon. Once back to the homestay, we retired in our rooms and called it a day.
Next day, we were all packed by for another visit to the Hornbills. We waited for sometimes and pushed off as we were getting delayed. Once back to the homestay, we packed and headed towards home. On our way down, we stopped in several places and clicked photographs. The 9th Hairpin bend of the 40 total has the most amazing view of the water body, dam and valley from the top. At the 4th or 5th turning we found a family of Nilgiri Tahr. Our trip felt completed and we took umpteen numbers of photographs.
On the way back, we decided to continue the same route we came through. Once we reached Pollachi, we were already starving, hence headed to Kamaraja Road and to the amazing place for Lunch called The Slaves. There we have 2 options, either have in The Slaves or head to Dindigul Venu Biriyani at the next junction. We headed to The Slaves as we were extremely tempted with the reviews on Tripadvisor.
Once done with lunch, we headed out straight to Bangalore. The travel Time remained the same completed with a number of breaks and a dinner in a roadside joint.
It must be noted that stay option in Valparai is very limited and it is either a homestay in the town or at the edge of the town or there are the tea estates which definitely pinches your pocket but offers you the experience. Food is bit of a challenge in the Valley. They are hardly any place to eat and even the small eateries do not look edible. If you stay in homestays, they would provide great food. Hence, do keep that as an option.
I did not find Valparai in Lonely Planet, I did not hear about Valparai from anyone except a handful of crazy friends. However, I am happy not many knows about the place and it still remains beautiful and wilderness is in complete peace till now. We would be going back to the misty patch of life to Valparai soon.
