UNESCO World Heritage Site Archives

This trip is the most memorable one for me as it provides an absolute treat to the eyes. You get a complete view of Western Ghats from two states—Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The highway is a remote hill station hardly visited in Tamil Nadu, is a perfect picnic spot, and offers excellent views. The whole journey from Valparai to Chalakudy-Athirapally in Kerala is simply astounding-simply remarkable, with a stream following all the way. The Athirapally is a hidden gem-the water flow will be wonderful to see if you come in September-I went there in November-still, great! This road takes us to Thrissur and Guruvayur, where you can get a darshan of Shree Krishna. Palghat is not far from Guruvayur, and Silent Valley is a few yards away. Silent Valley is a beautiful national park and cheap on a shared Jeep tour; your trip becomes complete when you see many mountains around you, green against dazzling blues, with a stream of happiness. Palghat has the Malampuzha dam and a majestic fort to witness.

Reasons why you must visit Valaparai, Highways, Silent Valley, Athirapally and Guruvayur:

Valparai is famous for its tea plantations; you see the green view everywhere. Because of that, it’s pretty remote yet well connected by buses- a sure-to-go picnic spot and a few days of vacation!

Highways is an amazing hill station near Madurai or Kumily

Valparai and Highways are cool hill stations with a moderate temperature throughout the year, very ideal spot to be, away from lots of tourist crowds that we find in Ooty or Kodaikanal.
Athirapally falls quite close to Valparai on the way to Thrissur. It’s tall and magnificent, with several falls at the bottom. At the top, you can relax along the riverside, and it feels soothing at sunset watching the crystal clear water transform into falls.

Highways are another hill station in Tamil Nadu for peace-lovers and nature-lovers too! The main highlight is the lake with greenery around it—the temperature is mild even in May, and June—that’s a sweet spot!
Located in the Palakkad district of Kerala, Silent Valley National park gives a panoramic view of Nilgiris and the Biosphere Reserve. An Old World Monkey, a small Indian civet, and dhole are a few fauna species unique to this area.

Location: Valparai, Highways, Silent Valley and Athirapally Falls are 500 km south of Bengaluru, and Gu

Valparai falls on opposite side of Highways through Munnar

Tourist Attraction on the spot:

Vazhachal Falls, Valparai Hill station, Guruvayur(near Thrissur), Highways hill station, Kanjirapuzha Dam, Virgin Valley, Top tower View, Malapuzha dam, Palakkad fort, Guruvayur temple

Tourist Attraction in Vicinity:

You can visit these places: Cochin, Munnar, Kodaikanal, Alappuzha, Ooty and Madurai.

Distance Charts:(Highways | Guruvayur)

Highways(0 | 270 km)
Silent Valley(120 | 180 km)
Mumbai(1490 | 1230 km)
Pune(1330 | 1080 km)
Hyderabad(1060 | 1030 km)
Ooty(340 | 190 km)
Munnar (130 | 180 km)
Cochin(210 | 95 km)
Mysuru(460 | 340 km)
Valparai(300 | 160 km)
Athirapally Falls (225 | 90 km)
Bangalore(510 | 500 km)
Kanyakumari(320 | 380 km)
Delhi(2600 | 2480 km)

How to Reach Valaparai, Highways,Silent Valley, Athirapally and Guruvayur:

Road Routes:

Bengaluru-Salem-Dindigul-Highways-Valaparai-Athirapally Falls-Guruvayur-Silent Valley National Park

The Silent Valley offers views of Western ghats

An important note from my experience:

1) To see caves and national parks, avoid the rainy season, come here after September month.

2)If forests, greenery, and waterfalls are what you prefer, drop in July to September. You’ll love the greenery of paddy fields and dense forests.

3)Carry snacks and water with you as shops on the roads are few, and it takes time to reach another city.

4)Carefully study the news and the situation before arriving here. Otherwise, you can be in real trouble. Watch the news for yourself, and you’ll get to know the region’s sensitivity. Not making you fear, though!

5)Araku Valley is something you can easily cover by adding a day extra, and it’s worth it-its the best hill station of Eastern ghats in India-fact!

6)Booking a car is way better than public transport, but come in a group; solo travel is not for the faint-hearted and, God’s sake, avoid venturing into forests; stay within city limits!

RAIL: Dindigul would be close to Highways and Valparai, whereas Palghat for Silent Valley and Guruvayur/Thrissur for Athirapally Falls.

AIR: Madurai/Cochin are the nearest airports.

ROAD: Mostly, the roads will be hilly from Dindigul onwards. AND TNSTC bus services with Kerala SRTC make the journey all pleasant! However, there are a few bad patches on the way to Palghat/ Valparai section.

Map:

Bengaluru-Highways-Valaparai-Athirapally Falls-Guruvayur-Silent Valley Road route map

Time to Visit:

September to March is a good time at these places.

Spend Time With:

Friends,Groups,Solo,Couple

Food and Lodging:

Except for Guruvayur, other places have pretty few hotels and lodging facilities. You can try using Goibibo, Makemytrip, or Yatra websites for more options. For Highways, you should reach there, spend a few hours and stay the night at Dindigul; the next day, you can start early, visit Valparaiso, Athirapally and Guruvayur on the same day and rest the night at Guruvayur and leave for Palakkad on next day early morning. Try reaching Silent Valley by 9-10 am and wrap it by the third day. For food, in most places, it’s good to have water and snacks at most places, but if you run out of them, your best can be Valparai or Guruvayur to refill the stock.

Expense:

A 3 day trip to these tourist places will cost:

Food: INR 100/person/day(3 times a day)X3

Transport: All places can easily be covered by state and private buses. And from Dindigul to Silent Valley, the charges will be around INR 1000.

Lodging: INR 700/day X2 (1 night at Dindigul and next night at Guruvayur/Palakkad)

Entry Fees: INR 400 for Silent Valley entry fees and gipsy shared tour. Rest places are accessible.

Another view of Valparai

Total: 3700 INR

Nearby Attractions(Highways | Guruvayur)

Highways(0 | 270 km)
Silent Valley(120 | 180 km)
Mysuru(430 | 350 km)
Murdeshwar(750 | 480 km)
Rameswaram(315 | 480 km)
Udupi(640 | 380 km)

Ooty(340 | 190 km)
Munnar (130 | 180 km)
Kodaikanal(140 | 250 km)
Cochin(210 | 95 km)
Mysuru(460 | 340 km)
Valparai(300 | 160 km)
Athirapally Falls (225 | 90 km)
Bangalore(510 | 500 km)
Kanyakumari(320 | 380 km)

Want a weekend gateway to forest areas from Bengaluru-Look no further -Wayanad in Kerala and the adjacent district of Karnataka that is Coorg is waiting for you. When the monsoon calls it quits leaving a trail of fresh air and green aura, that’s when you should be here, seeing overflowing Iruppu Falls, the gigantic Cauvery river at Talacauvery, the tea estates in Wayanad, and beautiful treks like Pakshipatalam or Brahmagiri trek.

15 Reasons why you must visit Ooty and Coonoor:

Ooty is one of India’s most visited year destinations and should be on your charts if you make it to south India.

You could go boating in the beautiful Ooty Lake or to Pykara lake to enjoy a boat ride in paddle boats, motorboats, or rowing ones with your friends or family. Cycling and horse riding around the lake is equally enjoyable.
The Nilgiri Toy Train, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a must rail journey in India, starting from Mettupalayam to Udagamandalam and crossing about 250 bridges and 16 tunnels. You can halt at places like Coonoor, Wellington, and Lovedale on the way to Ooty.
Four hundred feet Kalhatti Falls in Bellikal is known for lush greenery around the falls and birds unique to this region.

The Nilgiri railways dotting the plains of Ooty

Visit Doddapetta park, which houses the highest point, the Doddapetta peak offering beautiful views of Nilgiri hills and Chamundi hills and the sunset through telescopes and binoculars.
Coonoor, another hill station near Ooty, is famous for its tea plantations and is at a good height of about 2000 meters offering splendid views of the valleys and vast hilly regions.
Dolphin’s Nose is located about 1500 m above sea level and is one of the most frequented places by tourists in Coonoor. There are canyons and valleys with lush green hills, along with a clear view of the Catherine Falls.
Three kilometers from Coonoor, Highfield Tea Factory, is a place for tea lovers to learn how tea is processed, packaged, and shipped. You can also get some tea for your friends and family, chocolates, and eucalyptus oil.

Location: Ooty is 300 km south of Bengaluru via Mysuru and 600 southwest of Chennai via Erode.

The lake in Ooty boasts good boating facilities

Tourist Attraction on the spot:

Ooty: Ooty Boat House, Botanical Garden, Rose Garden, Doddabetta Peak Telescope house, Nilgiri Mountain Railway Line; Coonoor: Pykara waterfalls, Sim’s Park, Catherine Water Falls, Rangaswamy Peak

Tourist Attraction in Vicinity:

You can visit Wayanad, Coorg, Mysuru, Thrissur, and Kozhikode as excellent destinations.

Distance Charts:(Ooty)

Delhi(2510 km)
Mumbai(1260 km)
Hyderabad(900 km)
Coonoor(20 km)
Kodaikanal(260 km)
Munnar (240 km)
Cochin(270 km)
Mysuru(220 km)
Chennai(550 km)
Bangalore(330 km)
Rameswaram(450 km)
Kanyakumari(510 km)

How to Reach Ooty and Coonoor:

Road Routes:

Bengaluru/Chennai-Erode-Coimbatore-Coonoor-Ooty(rail route)/Bengaluru-Mysuru-Ooty.

Tea estates in Ooty is pretty common and pretty to look

IMPORTANT NOTE FROM MY EXPERIENCE:

1)Ooty and Coonoor are pleasant hill stations throughout the year-I was here in May, and the climate was just mindblowing. So hop in anytime monsoons from June to September are better avoided.

2)Hotels can get damn expensive and scarce in summers, which is the peak season, so get yourself a booking or hard luck. Off-season getting a hotel is no big deal, even with no booking.

3) Some tours are organized to see tourist spots at Coonoor and Ooty. Check them out on relevant sites and travel agents in and around Ooty.

4)Buses are an excellent way to travel to some tourist spots and in and out of big cities to and fro Ooty. They are economical and have a good frequency.

5)Food at restaurants can be damn costly. What can save you bucks is having idli-dosa on the streets or small hotels-They are tasty authentic, and cheap! However, North Indian hotels will be a lot more expensive.

RAIL: Nearest railway stations are Ooty as well as Coonoor. There’s a toy train plying between Mettupalayam and Ooty, and Mettupalayam is connected to Coimbatore by a broad gauge line.

ROAD: You can come from pretty much anywhere to Ooty. TNSTC and KSRTC have excellent bus services directly to Ooty.

Map:-

Chennai-Erode-Coimbatore-Coonoor-Ooty road route

Bengaluru-Mysuru-Ooty-road-route

Time to Visit:

Except for rains-June to August-anytime is fine.

Spend Time With:

Family, Friends, Solo, Couple, Groups

Food and Lodging:

Food isn’t an issue but is costly, especially if you ask for out-of-context north Indian cuisines. Grab idli dosas, and you’ll do fine. Talking about hotels-in peak seasons, it’s not easy to get cheap, and the best hotels-its full jammed. Better book in advance through Goibibo, Makemytrip, or the Yatra website; that will save hassle and bucks.

Expense:

A 2 day wholesome trip in Ooty and Coonoor will cost:

Food: INR 150/person/day(3 times a day)X2

Transport: There are shared tours happening-you. I need to do a bit of google search -take it as INR 1000. Else you can hop for bus services for main spots only which will cost INR 500.

Lodging: INR 800/day X2 (1 day in Ooty and other at Coonoor)

Entry Fees include various places (varies): Assume INR 300 as there are entry fees on several sites (including boating on sharing basis)

Total: 3300 INR(INR 3800 if a shared tour is taken, which is a better way to go)