Promise of solitude

Valparai is only now being unravelled by tourism. There is still a lot there that you can claim to discover on your own.

Riding the highway from Coimbatore to Pollachi in Tamil Nadu, you cannot miss an awesome grandstand sight of geology. The towering Western Ghats suddenly vanish for the narrow strip of the Palghat Gap and re-emerge taller to traverse down to the tip of the subcontinent.

This southern range is home to names such as Kodaikanal and Munnar, but tucked away into the folds of the mountains, Valparai is begging to be discovered.

The board points 60 km to Valparai from Pollachi. It is a fast trip through lush irrigated paddy fields to the base of the mountains. Past the massive Aliyar irrigation dam, which is a favourite backdrop for shooting elaborate Kollywood song and dance sequences, begins the winding grade upwards.

The next 45 km definitely belongs on any list of the best roads to drive in India. The Valparai range was eyed by the British in 1851 for its rich timber wealth and soil ideal for tea plantations. Soon it was a top revenue generator for the Raj and as a consequence got an excellent road network, which even today is of the same high quality.

The road winds up above the Aliyar dam, giving spectacular views of the Anaimalai range on one side and the deciduous forests of the Chinnar range below. Monkey Falls at the beginning is a refreshing stop, if you are brave enough to take a dip in its cold mountain waters.

The bends on the road are an excellent challenge for motorcyclists. With traffic mostly sparse, you can often have the road to yourself. But a stop at hairpin number 19 is a must. This bend sits in a valley that is frequented by the Nilgiri tahr, a kind of ibex, as they cross from one mountain to another.

It is a very normal sight to see herds of tahr at sundown, elegantly walking the parapet wall. Farther along, you enter the dense bamboo thickets that could very easily hide a herd of bison or elephant around a bend.

It is something really worth watching out for, especially after sundown. As the altitude increases, the air gets noticeably cooler and mostly you will find yourself enveloped by mist. This range receives the highest rainfall in Tamil Nadu.

The first tea plantation that you will encounter is Waterfall Estates. It is an estate that dates back to the Raj and is today owned by a Sri Lankan conglomerate.

The estate lives up to its name, with one waterfall each in its east and west divisions. It is one of the three large estates that dominate the region, and has its own bungalows, staff quarters, places of worship, hospitals and schools.

Past the estate, the road enters dense tropical forests and winds down to the valley where the small town of Valparai is located. This is a town that is just opening up to tourism and thus has just a single hotel that passes "occupational standards". It is aptly named Green Hills.

Life at Valparai revolves around tea. For a tour of the production cycle just walk into Waterfall Estates. A short drive will take you to Sholayar Dam, which is ringed by tea estates owned by the Tatas.

This road is known for elephant sightings at dawn. It is common for herds to traverse the plantations as they cross from one patch of shola forest to another.

For the adventurous there is a trek through the Grasshills Wildlife Sanctuary. A permit from the Range Forest Office at Valparai is necessary for that. But it's worth it, as you can walk a part of the old timber trail that stretches from the Anaimalais to Thekkady along the vast shola grasslands.

What makes Valparai really tick is the fact that it is among the few remaining destinations that promise solitude. There is nothing better than sitting alone on any of the bends of the winding roads and just listening to the various calls of the jungle.