Pollachi (with Topslip)
Coconut country with a tiger reserve behind it
A Pollachi tour pairs a farming town with the Anamalai Tiger Reserve at Topslip, plus Aliyar Dam, Monkey Falls and the 40-bend Valparai road.
Overview
Pollachi is a market town in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, about 40 km south of Coimbatore city, and it is the usual last stop before the Anamalai hills. A Pollachi tour suits wildlife and countryside travellers who are happy with early starts and winding roads. Between about September and February the weather and forest access are most workable, while June to August brings the heaviest monsoon rain on the hills.
The town itself sits at roughly 293 m and runs on coconut, jaggery, vegetables and cattle trade. Its Mariamman and Subramanya temples are worth a short look, the latter for stone carvings that include a five-hooded serpent and a yali holding a chain in its mouth. Its scenery has also made it a favourite for Tamil film crews. About 24 km south-west of the town, on the Aliyar river, the Masani Amman temple is known for a goddess shown lying down, an image about 15 feet long.
The reserve is the main reason to come. Anamalai Tiger Reserve was declared in 2007 and spreads across Coimbatore and Tiruppur districts, with land rising from about 340 m to 2,513 m. Elephants, gaur, leopards, tigers and the lion-tailed macaque live there, and more than 250 bird species have been counted, among them the great Indian hornbill. About 4,600 people of six tribal communities live in 34 settlements inside it. Topslip, in the north-east corner, is the visitor base. The name recalls the old practice of sliding felled timber down the slopes, and the site has an elephant camp, forest lodging and trekking and van or elephant rides. Topslip is roughly 35 to 38 km from Pollachi, so allow a full morning for the drive alone.
Closer in, Aliyar Dam is an earthen dam about 24 km from Pollachi, 81 m high and built between 1959 and 1969, with a park beside it. Monkey Falls, about 5 km further on, is reached by a forest walk and needs permission from the forest authorities. Past them the road to Valparai, some 64 km from Pollachi, climbs through 40 hairpin bends, and Loam's Viewpoint at the ninth bend looks over the reservoir. Valparai itself is tea and coffee country with very high rainfall.
Pollachi's own weather is mild by comparison. It averages about 1,350 mm of rain a year, and the hottest stretch is April and May.
Known for
The reserve's main visitor base, with van and elephant rides
Quick facts
Pollachi gets about 1,350 mm of rain a year with its hottest weather in April and May, while the Anamalai hills range from about 500 mm in the south-west to 4,500 mm in the north-east.
Coimbatore International Airport (CJB), about 48 to 60 km from Pollachi
Pollachi Junction (POY), on Railway Station Road in the town, with lines to Coimbatore, Palakkad and Dindigul
Pollachi lies on National Highway 209, about 40 km from Coimbatore. Topslip is roughly 35 to 38 km beyond Pollachi, and Valparai about 64 km. Allow about 1 hour 40 minutes to Topslip and about 2 hours to Valparai.
Ask the Wildlife Warden's office in Pollachi about entry arrangements and any permit before you set out for Topslip, as an older travel guide says visitors need one
Reserve forest-department lodging at Topslip ahead of time, because that guide says the rooms are limited and cannot be taken on arrival
Allow a separate day for the Valparai road, since the 40 hairpin bends make the 64 km slow going
Plan a trip to Pollachi (with Topslip)
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