Valparai

Tamil Nadu

As you drive and navigate the 40 hairpin bends from Azhiyar to Valparai, you can feel the gathering freshness in the air. Roll down your vehicle’s windows and breathe it in as you enjoy this panoramic drive through the plantations to the hill station of Valparai. Valparai is a mid-elevation hill station located 3,500 feet above sea level on the Anamalai Hills range of the Western Ghats. The name Anamalai translates to Elephant Hill after the elephants that still roam in large herds in the Protected Areas that dot the region. According to some of the earliest records found on the region, in 1846 a man named Ramasamy Mudaliyar started a coffee plantation here. Then in 1890, Britishers Wintil and Nordan bought land from the Madras State Government and planted tea and coffee. Carwer Marsh who had experience in tea and coffee farming assisted them in their endeavour. Carwer Marsh interacted and built a close relationship with the local people and was later known as The Father of Ana...mallais. His statue was erected on the Kavarkal Estate to honour his devotion to the people of the region. Valparai remains pleasant throughout the year with an average temperature of 30 degrees Celsius in the day but can go as low as 18 degrees in the winter months of December through March. June until August is the monsoon season when the hills are covered in all shades of green. The summer months of March through May could get hot with temperatures going up to 36 degrees in the daytime, but surrounded by lush forests, the cool breeze helps to cool you down Read more