Valparai Tea Country — Pollachi to Anaimalai TigerReserve.
Distance
140 km
Duration
1 day
Climb
1,400 m
Valparai Tea Country — Pollachi to Anaimalai Tiger Reserve.
A day climbing the famous 40-hairpin Anaimalai ascent from coconut-belt Pollachi to the high tea estates of Valparai — a hill town floating at 1,193m in a sea of tea, coffee and cardamom plantations planted by Scottish settlers in the 1890s. The road climbs through Anaimalai Tiger Reserve (one of South India's richest wildlife corridors) where lion-tailed macaques, sambar deer, and the occasional elephant cross the road. The Aliyar Reservoir at the base mirrors the entire Anaimalai range.
Quick facts
SurfacePaved
Distance140 km
Days1
Total climb1,400 m
DifficultyModerate
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The route.
PollachiStart · Coconut-trade town at the foothills of the Anaimalais. Famous for jaggery markets and the Subramania Siva temple. Fuel up here.
Aliyar ReservoirScenic Point · Mountain-mirror reservoir built across the Aliyar river in 1969. Boating, a small zoo, and the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary entry road.
Anaimalai Tiger Reserve EntryScenic Point · Start of the famous 40-hairpin ascent. Anaimalai Tiger Reserve gate — wildlife corridor. Slow down for lion-tailed macaques and gaur on the road.
Valparai Tea EstatesRestaurant · Hill town at 1,193m surrounded by rolling tea estates. Lunch at the Stanmore Bungalow for estate-grown tea and South Indian thali.
Valparai Plantation DrivePhoto Spot · Loop through the Iyerpadi and Stanmore tea estates. Listen for hornbills in the canopy and watch for elephant herds at dusk.
PollachiEnd · Return down the 40 hairpins. Sunset light through the tea ridges is spectacular. Watch for wildlife on the descent.
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