Valparai on Anamalai mountain range _ green and pristine is the  right place for someone looking for a quick  energy booster . Nourishing and revitalizing _the place with its quietness and beauty helps you revive !

We started off from Coimbatore   and drove  via Pollachi leaving behind coconut and vegetable farms  as we sped by.  Valparai is about 64 km from Pollachi and soon we drove past Aliyar dam and park which  lies enroute at the foothills  in a  scenic setting .

Approaching Aliyaar dam

Aliyar Dam

From here, the terrain changes – paving way for the ghat section  with its 40 sharp hairpin bends.   .On way is  a waterfall named Monkey falls- but being summer , it hardly had any water – the place however  looked quite  enchanting  with water trickling down the  rocks, tall trees ,  and snaky vines  which  were tempting enough to swing !

Monkey Falls

The first sight of tea plantations was that of Waterfall estate ,  where  we stopped for a quick sip of  hot tea ,that was being sold at the roadside hut. The surroundings had  a serene ambience with  a tiny bridge , green tea plantations, and  purple flowers in full bloom on trees as well as scattered all around on the rocks. – eye candy view!

Quaint

Further uphill, we  spotted   lion tailed macaques and one was bold enough  to even  perch on top of our car !

lion Tailed Macaque

Soon amidst all the excitement of the prospects of spotting more wild life,    we reached Valparai.

The vast stretch of undulating  green hills   occasionally punctuated with purple  and pink blooms was  a welcome  treat .

It was hardly crowded and all one could feast their eyes on was the picturesque green landscape which made it the perfect getaway.

Our first destination once having checked in to one of the tea estate  guest houses  was to Nirar dam which  slowly uncovered from a thicket .

We could hardly hide our excitement on spotting a lone bison among the vast expanse of tea plantations.

Solitary bison

The water level was quite low and the grass hills could be viewed from the dam. The sounds of the jungle  pervaded all through.

Picturesque Nirar

Nirar Dam

Tiny colorful birds flitted across and there were quite a few varieties –simply put  it’s a  bird watchers paradise.

Upper Nirar Weir, near Chinnakallar was the next stop. A manmade tunnel  through the rocks  carried the water to vellamalai  and sholayar reservoir. .Chinnakallar  supposedly recorded the highest rainfall two years ago and is called  Chirapunji of the south.

Man Made Tunnel

We called it a day after our final destination to Balaji temple. The climb to the top of the hill through the tea estates was  inspiriting.

Next day morning, well rested, we  woke up to the cries of jungle fowls. After a quick morning walk to soak in the  fresh nip mountain air, we headed for  a tea factory visit and then to  “Seen God “ view point. This involved a trek and hike up  through the tea gardens .We spotted a couple of wild rabbits on the way and the view that awaited us at the top  was stunningly  breathless !

View from Seen God

After having basked in the view, we drove around the winding roads  through the tea and coffee plantations to Sholayar dam . Though it hardly had any water,  the drive through  the jungles was quite refreshing .

Sholayar Dam

Soon it was time to get back .

Despite the fact that it  was summer  with the  rains evading , there was no doubt that  24 hrs in Valparai , had a  therapeutic and calming effect to the tired mind and body.

In the wild

But who will watch my lilies, When their blossoms open white? By day the sun shall be sentry, And the moon and the stars by night!”