[arun_josie]

It has been two years since we took a family vacation. Most of our drives during these two years has been on purpose and mostly to our hometown. Of course, I had gone on some trips with friends but no family trips in these two years. Even this summer had been hectic and I couldn’t plan any trip in April. So, when we got a small window in May, we decided to do at least a short 3-day trip.

As usual we didn’t want to go to any well-known tourist spots as we wanted to avoid crowds and traffic jams. So the usual suspects like Ooty and Kodaikanal were out. Since this was a last-minute plan, I didn’t have much time to research on locations that fit our wishes. So, I discussed with hvkumar and he suggested Valparai and Vagamon as options. Thankfully he was able to find a good farm stay in Valparai for the dates we wanted and I confirmed the booking immediately.

[arun_josie]

Battery Issue before the trip:

The day before the Valparai trip, I was doing the routine checks and decided to get the refueling done. When I cranked the engine, I observed some hint of a battery issue. It took two attempts to start, but I was not very sure as the voltage on the MID showed 14V. I thought of checking with the service center, but it was already 8:00 PM by then. So, after refueling I parked the car for 3 hours and before going to sleep, I checked the battery voltage in the MID. By then it had come down to 10V. I tried starting and I was able to start, and the voltage went up to 14 immediately. I did a short drive and parked it. The plan for next day was to start at 4am but with this issue I was prepared for a late start.

When I checked at 4:20 AM, the voltage was around 9.7 but I was able to start. Before starting it showed some random errors on the MID which is a symptom of battery issue. Since I had done the service only two days before this incident, I decided to get this checked at the Jeep service center in Coimbatore which is on the way to Valparai.



We started by 4:30 AM and straightaway hit bad traffic on the NICE road. This traffic was due to the long trailers carrying windmill blades. They got stuck at the diversions on the NICE road. It took more than 15 minutes to clear.





From here on it was a non-stop drive till Coimbatore. We stopped for breakfast at Sre Saravana Bavan just before Coimbatore. The food was quick to arrive and we finished breakfast in no time.

SRT Jeep Service Center:

As soon as we entered this place, a service advisor approached us. I explained the issue to him, and he immediately assigned two technicians to check the battery issue. They did a battery health check and said that this is a battery issue and advised me to check with Amaron as the battery is still under warranty. This was strange because just 2 days before, the battery report came as good at PPS, Bangalore.



So, I googled to find the nearest Amaron service center and called one Amaron shop, but that guy was not interested to check as this battery was bought in Kanyakumari. Meanwhile the Jeep guys suggested me another place which was just 3Kms away, Sri Guruvayurappan Auto Ltd – Amaron Pitstop. These guys did a thorough check and concluded that the gravity of the battery is down and this will require a full charge to fix the issue. They said this could be because of water level which was above the permissible limit. The extra water was drained.

I asked if they have a spare battery in the same model so that I can give this to them for charging and I will be able to continue the trip. But they didn’t have one. The technician felt that it was unlikely that this issue will reoccur since they drained the excess water. They also gave me the contact details of their store branch in Pollachi which is closer to Valparai and also agreed to help me if the issue reoccurs in Valparai. I felt better after their reassurance and proceeded towards Valparai.

[arun_josie]

Lunch stop at Hotel Ashok, Pollachi:
This hotel was suggested by one of my friends. A very old hotel that serves delicious non-veg food. It’s a very old school type hotel with very limited seating. It was crowded but since we were one of the first ones to arrive for lunch, we got seated as soon as they opened for service. The food was delish and we had a sumptuous meal finished with some goli-soda and paan.









Some scenic roads while approaching the ghat


Trees all around


Mountain ranges in the backdrop


The checkpost just before the ghat


The ghat roads towards Valparai:

• Total 40 hairpin bends
• The roads were good through out
• At some places it was narrow due to protruding rocks and only one vehicle can pass through comfortably. Or 2 cars can pass together very cautiously.
• The traffic was not much, and I was able to cruise through without any difficulties.
• Some stretches are very scenic, esp at the start of the climb where one can see the Aliyar dam
• Once you reach Valparai, its green and more green everywhere.

The roads snaking though the mountain range


Aliyar dam water at the backdrop




Nice roads


As you get closer to Valparai, you start seeing the Tea estates


Less traffic on curvy roads is always fun :-)

[arun_josie]

At the Farm Stay/Tea Estate (Star Tea Estate Bungalow):

We reached around 3:30 PM. This place is around 18Kms from Valparai and located very close to the Sholayar dam. One can see the dam from the hilltop of the tea plantation. The rooms were spacious, neat and clean. This estate itself is huge and borders the Reserve Forest at one end. We were told that we are free to drive around and explore the estate. The climate was neither hot enough to be sweaty nor cold enough to warrant sweaters. Just perfect.

We were served evening tea and then we just walked around a bit to explore the place and called it a day. The cellphone reception in the farm stay was very spotty and we could barely let our families know that we’ve reached safe and sound. The food here was simple and tasty with a homely feel. We were served non-veg dishes after they heard our preferences.













The Sholayar dam view from the tea estate


The dinner - Its a simple buffet but was very tasty




Morning drive around the estate:

On the second day morning, after the breakfast we decided to explore the estate with Scarlett. It was a fun drive and we took the road that bordered the Reserve Forest . We spotted three wild bison on the road and decided not to challenge the right of way. Here are few pics,

The road inside the tea estate, at places it is just the gravel







Scarlett in middle of the tea estate :-)




This is on the other side, a different property


We spotted these bisons
















In the grass lands

[arun_josie]

Sholayar dam

Since the Sholayar dam was just opposite to this property, we went there and walked around for a few minutes. The water level was very low, and the dam looked very dry.



After spending few minutes here, we decided to visit the Nallamudi view point which was suggested to us at the farm stay.From the Sholayar dam, the route to Nallamudi view point is via Pannimedu, but there is a checkpost which is at the entry of this route. The police in-charge of the checkpost asked us to take the Valparai route as this route is very narrow and one way in few stretches. Since I had to refuel in Valparai, we decided to take the Valparai route which is a big detour and return via the Pannimedu route. This also meant that we can finish our lunch at Valparai before reaching the Nallamudi view point.

Valparai Town:

• It’s a very small town.
• Narrow roads and congested
• Only one fuel station is there (BPCL). They accept only cash.
• Almost no parking space, luckily there is a government school nearby and we could park there.
• We had lunch at Sri Lakshmi mess which was good.
• We also bought some yummy snacks from a nearby bakery.

Yummy snacks, they tasted good too


Narrow roads towards Nallamudi view point:

Once you exit Valparai towards the Nallamudi view point, the road narrows down. At many places, it is difficult for two vehicles to pass each other. Thankfully the traffic was not much to cause any major traffic jams. However, whenever there was a bus at the narrowest part of this stretch, it took a lot of time to find enough space to cross safely. There were few occasions when it took around 10 minutes for the traffic to clear.



Traffic with a scenic view :-)


Nallamudi viewpoint:

It took some time to get parking spot here as a mini-bus had blocked the road at a turn. Once we parked, we started walking towards the viewpoint. It’s around a Km walk/trek to this view point. This is a refreshing trek as the trail is via a tea-estate. It was hot but the breeze kept us cool. This place reminded me of the Bisle ghat viewpoint.

Traffic at the entry towards the parking


This is the parking space


Walk towards the view point


And the view from the top




Return from Nallamudi view point via Pannimedu

During the return we took the route via Pannimedu. it’s the same road towards Valparai at the start and then it deviates to the left. This road was newly laid and butter smooth. It was a narrow stretch but the traffic was almost non-existent. It was very scenic too. The last Km before joining the main road was in a bad state but very much manageable.

During this return we got stuck behind a bus and it took ages till the bus took a different route at a crossing.



This Baleno struggled a lot to give space


Opposite traffic was asked to enter a side road to make space for this bus


Lovely butter smooth tarmac


Nice scenic and curvy roads as well










This was a short bad stretch full of stones

[arun_josie]

Evening Drive around the Tea Estate:
We reached the farm stay right on time for evening tea. We drove around the estate once again as it was misty and cold. The evening fog was coming in and we wanted to experience it out in the open.

























Yours truly


Thalanar Snow point:

We visited this place during the return. It a small detour from the Valparai – Pollachi route. Once we take the deviation from the Valparai – Pollachi road, there is a check post. They charged 100/- per head for adults and 100/- for car. The viewpoint is about 3kms from this checkpost. Nice narrow ghat road. No traffic on this route and it was only us at the viewpoint, probably because it was a Monday. We spent some time here and resumed the return journey towards Bangalore.

There is also a Waterfalls which is 6Kms from this viewpoint, but we skipped as the guy at the check post told that there is no water now.









Some nice very narrow roads

[arun_josie]

Return Drive:

The traffic on the ghat roads were less as it was a Monday. As soon as we got down from the hill, we started feeling the heat. So, we stopped for some sarbath to cool us down.





The lunch stop was at Junior Kuppanna located on the Coimbatore – Salem stretch. We had some nice Mutton Biryani here.







The traffic was not much till Krishnagiri, after that it went up. Thankfully both Krishnagiri and Attibele were not crowded.

The usual traffic at the Thoppur ghat


Overall, it was a fantastic trip. When compared to Ooty and Kodaikanal, this place is less crowded and more pristine. However, some of the roads are very narrow and the traffic can build up in no time.

At the farm stay, we had issues with airtel coverage, jio was good.

There are few more places to visit around Valparai but we didn't want to pack the days with activities. We were content to kick back in the farm stay with some board games and masala chai.

One more observation I had was there weren’t many KA cars here. Most are KL and TN cars. Maybe the 8hr journey from Bangalore deters many to make the trip to this hidden gem.

Total distance covered was 1,020 Kms. Due to battery reset, I lost the overall trip details.

Thanks for GeneralJazz for the below thread, it helped me with the latest updates.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...th-heaven.html (My Travel Diary: Weekend drive to Valparai, the 7th Heaven)

And thanks for hvkumar for helping me with a wonderful stay option

[Sheel]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[AKSO]

Enjoyed reading your travelogue. I have been to

Valparai

a couple of times on my bike and loved it. The only problem in Valparai are the hotel options and request if you could give some more details of the farm stay you stayed at.

[NPV]

Nice travelogue, @arun, thanks for sharing

Brings back memories of our trip (Dizzy Drive® : Wonderful Valparai (enchanted by Sinnadorai's Bungalow) and more!) way back in 2012.

Valparai is definitely a better place than Ooty, Kodaikanal, etc, more so because it lacks the crowds seen there.

[ampere]

You folks nailed it! The last two logs on Valparai (yours and Gen Jazz) has captured the true essence of a road trip. Roads, hills, greenery, water bodies, food and of course the car!

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by AKSO

request if you could give some more details of the farm stay you stayed at.

Its Star Tea Estate Bungalow.

Originally Posted by NPV

Valparai is definitely a better place than Ooty, Kodaikanal, etc, more so because it lacks the crowds seen there.

Yes, I hope it stays this way!

Originally Posted by ampere

You folks nailed it! The last two logs on Valparai (yours and Gen Jazz) has captured the true essence of a road trip. Roads, hills, greenery, water bodies, food and of course the car!

Thank You

[Siddy_1998]

Those roads look absolutely spectacular. Amazing pictures. You must really have enjoyed driving on the ghat section.

The Compass is a great looking machine and it looks even better in that Red colour.

I enjoyed reading this. I felt like I was a part of the journey. Thank you very much for sharing.

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by Siddy_1998

Those roads look absolutely spectacular. Amazing pictures. You must really have enjoyed driving on the ghat section.

Yes, it was fun especially because the traffic was very less.

The Compass is a great looking machine and it looks even better in that Red colour.

I enjoyed reading this. I felt like I was a part of the journey. Thank you very much for sharing.

Thanks a lot for your kind words.

[fiat_tarun]

Lovely pictures. Having grown up in the tea estates of Valparai, the pictures bring back a lot of memories.

We (mostly my parents !) used to drive up and down 2 ghats in a day as I was in boarding school in Ooty, so down the Valparai ghats, up the Ooty ghat and back the same day. Didn't appreciate the amazing beauty and roads then and now don't miss a chance to go back !

A clip of the drive up from my last trip back in 2021.

https://youtu.be/KzSPmXBTzks