Team-BHP > Travelogues


Reply
  Search this Thread
9,181 views
Old 6th January 2025, 13:59   #1
Distinguished - BHPian
 
Dr.AD's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Bangalore/Pune
Posts: 1,972
Thanked: 22,114 Times
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu

Last month (December 2024), we did a drive to Valparai, Tamil Nadu, primarily to see the landscapes and wildlife amidst tea plantations there. This was a "friends and family" drive, done together with my friends @robimahanta and @justwheels, each of us driving our own Thar 4x4. Thus we had three families in three Thars going together for this drive. This drive and the theme was the idea of @robimahanta, and thanks to him for this well planned and well executed drive.

We stayed at a beautiful bungalow called "Sheikalmudi Bungalows by Tahr Trails". It is an old tea estate bungalow with three rooms - perfect for our group of three families. Of course, although quite old, the bungalow is very well maintained and brought up to the modern standards, and offers a very comfortable stay experience.

The scenic bungalow that we stayed at:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl38.jpg

The bungalow is located in a scenic and secluded place atop a small hill, surrounded by other hills and acres and acres of tea plantation. The hospitality of the staff led by the property manager and owner of the "Tahr Trails" brand, Lingesh was first class, and the food served was absolutely delicious. Fresh, hot and authentic local food. We loved it. Overall we had a great time there!

The only note of caution would be that since the bungalow is located deep inside a tea estate, the last 3km or so of the road to the bungalow is a typical estate road - a combination of unpaved trails and some old paved but broken down tarmac. It helped us that we were driving Thars on this road, but for low slung sedans, this road will prove to be a challenge. Nothing that can not be managed in a sedan, but it will certainly require a lot of care and patience to drive a sedan here.

The landscapes and wildlife in Valparai in this season, in December, are just amazing. We were so engrossed in enjoying those scenes that we forgot to take any car pictures at all. I did not get even a single photo of all three Thars together. Somehow managed just this photo of my own Thar, "Dusty", there in the tea plantations.

Dusty in the tea plantation
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl54.jpg

Lingesh was a great host; he is an expert in the nature and wildlife in this area, and knows the entire hills like the back of his hand. He was also gracious enough to be our local guide and drove us around in his old Jeep - sort of like a private Safari - and showed us the landscapes and the wildlife in Valparai. Truly a great experience.

The lovely old Jeep that was our Safari vehicle there:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl36.jpg

With this introduction out of the way, let me get to the main agenda - the landscapes and wildlife photographs, in the next posts.

Last edited by Dr.AD : 6th January 2025 at 15:21.
Dr.AD is offline   (39) Thanks
Old 6th January 2025, 14:25   #2
Distinguished - BHPian
 
Dr.AD's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Bangalore/Pune
Posts: 1,972
Thanked: 22,114 Times
Re: Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu

Landscapes from Valparai



While being driven around on the hills full of tea plantations, in that lovely old Jeep, tracking the wildlife (more on that in the next post), I managed to click a few landscape photographs there.

Jeep trails within the tea estate:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl01.jpg


Worker in the scenic tea gardens:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl03.jpg


Red tractor on the tea garden roads:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl04.jpg


Views of the "Lower Sholayar" reservoir:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl09.jpg


Bright green tea and colorful evening skies:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl10.jpg


Late evening mist over the Sholayar reservoir:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl11.jpg


Moonrise over the tea gardens:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl12.jpg


Morning light:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl26.jpg


A sole red tree:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl27.jpg


Morning light and shadows:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl29.jpg


Evening light on the top of the hill full of tea plantations:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl44.jpg


Finally, my favorite photo of the trip, sunset over the tea plantations:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl49.jpg

Last edited by Dr.AD : 6th January 2025 at 15:24.
Dr.AD is offline   (45) Thanks
Old 6th January 2025, 15:00   #3
Distinguished - BHPian
 
Dr.AD's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Bangalore/Pune
Posts: 1,972
Thanked: 22,114 Times
Re: Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu

Wildlife in Valparai



Valparai is a thriving area for a variety of birds and animals. Of course, Valparai is famous for the Lion-Tailed Macaque (LTMs), which was the main topic of our previous drive there: To Valparai, in search of Lion-tailed Macaques!

This time, we were a bit away from the area where LTMs reside. The area we were in this time, is a winter home for a large number of elephants that come here each winter and spend the winter months in Valpari. Multiple herds of elephants roam around the tea estate and the reservoir there. The other common animal there is gaur (often mistakenly called as Bison). We saw many gaur in the tea estates there. And of course, we saw plenty of birds too, ranging from small bee-eaters to large serpent eagles.

Lingesh has a great knowledge of the wildlife and their habits and behavior. Thanks to his expertise and knowledge, we were able to track a herd of elephants and watch them from a distance and observe their behavior there. It was a great experience.

Since I was carrying only a 24-200mm lens, I do not have any close-ups of the wildlife. That was not the goal either. Instead, I tried to take environmental photographs of the wildlife that show the animals in their natural habitat and try to capture the story of the animals and their environments. Let me share some of these photos here.

Gaur (the most commonly sighted animal there) in our Jeep's path, and looking straight at us:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl05.jpg


Bee-eater on a tree:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl06.jpg


Serpent Eagle:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl08.jpg


My attempt at Black & White photo (a raptor on top of the tree, in the morning light):
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl21.jpg


Elephant walking around in the tea plantation:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl13.jpg


Wide-angle shot of the elephant and the hills:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl17.jpg


Another view of the elephant in the tea plantation surroundings:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl18.jpg


Spot the woodpecker:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl23.jpg


A pair of bee-eaters in the sunset light:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl25.jpg


Elephants playing in the mud in the tea plantation:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl31.jpg


The whole family of elephants enjoying the mud bath:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl33.jpg


Elephant covered in mud, walking in the tea:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl34.jpg


Family gathering again:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl37.jpg


Silhouette of a gaur in the tea:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl40.jpg


Another shot of a gaur in the tea estate:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl41.jpg


A parting shot of a gaur, highlighting the muscles and the horns:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-valparaitl42.jpg

That is all from my side. Hope @robimahanta and @justwheels share their photos too. I am sure they got some great photos and looking forward to seeing their photos and their posts.

Thank you very much for reading this!

Last edited by Dr.AD : 6th January 2025 at 15:26.
Dr.AD is offline   (64) Thanks
Old 6th January 2025, 15:58   #4
Team-BHP Support
 
KarthikK's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 2,866
Thanked: 12,384 Times
Re: Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!
KarthikK is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 6th January 2025, 18:19   #5
Distinguished - BHPian
 
robimahanta's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: BLR/GAU
Posts: 918
Thanked: 9,192 Times
Re: Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu

Thanks AD for the lovely report. Had a great time with you all in Valparai. Sharing some random images from my side,

Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-7a258ad5d3c346e599b4a5c9db2d3356.jpeg

Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-r5ii5367.jpeg

Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-img_1515.jpeg

Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-img_1520.jpeg

Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-7452d1aefece44408fe066b563fc1875.jpeg

Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-img_1540.jpeg

Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-img_1541.jpeg

Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-dji_fly_20241215_090828_477_1734240951303_photo.jpeg

Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-img_1604.jpeg
robimahanta is offline   (49) Thanks
Old 7th January 2025, 00:46   #6
BHPian
 
justwheels's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 648
Thanked: 1,350 Times
Re: Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu

Thanks @Dr AD for the write up. It was indeed a great trip with you and @robimahanta and families. Exploring the quaint landscapes of valparai, the jeep safari through the tea gardens was memorable to say the least. And the icing on the cake was spotting the elephant herds in the tea plantations.

Personally, I also got lucky to capture a grey hornbill tossing the berry, although not the best of a photograph, but will live with me as an amazing scene to capture.

Dr. AD and Robi have already shared the wonderful pics, so will try not to repeat the same, but will share a few that felt close to me.

The many Bee Eaters we spotted:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-bee-eater-wiretopaz.jpg

Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-bee-eater-treetopaz.jpg

Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-bee-eater-1topaz.jpg

The malabar giant squirrel from far off:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-malabar-giant-squirreltopaz.jpg

The Tea factory at a distance:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-tea-factorytopaz.jpg

Serpent Eagle:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-serpent-eagletopaz.jpg

Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-serpent-eagle-2topaz46.jpg

Herds of Elephants spotted in the tea gardens:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-tusker-facingtopaz.jpg
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-tusker-backtopaz.jpg
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-elephant-mom-baby-walkingtopaz35.jpg
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-elephant-tea-garden-fartopaz34.jpg
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-elephant-family-tea-garden-fronttopaz33.jpg
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-elephant-family-backtopaz31.jpg
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-elephant-peekingtopaz27.jpg
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-elephant-babytopaz28.jpg

A crested Hawk Eagle:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-crested-hawk-eagletopaz.jpg

Landscapes:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-coraclestopaz.jpg
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-shoolayar-lower-reservoirtopaz.jpg
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-tea-plantation-2topaz15.jpg
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-red-treetopaz23.jpg

The mighty Gaurs:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-gaur-faceofftopaz41.jpg
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-juvenile-gaurtopaz39.jpg
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-gaur-hornstopaz44.jpg
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-crow-gaurtopaz45.jpg

The Grey Hornbill with Berries:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-grey-hornbill-2topaz43.jpg
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-grey-hornbill-1topaz24.jpg

A streak Throated Woodpecker:
Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu-streak-throated-woodpeckertopaz22.jpg

As always, it was a wonderful trip with like minded friends. To many more!

Deb
justwheels is offline   (46) Thanks
Old 7th January 2025, 08:25   #7
BHPian
 
Stryker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 553
Thanked: 3,277 Times
Re: Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr.AD View Post
[h3]
Morning light:
Attachment 2709109
Oh, just lovely photos all! @Dr.AD, this photo alone is worth the entire trip IMO! Absolutely wallpaper quality. Thanks for sharing.
Stryker is offline   (3) Thanks
Old 7th January 2025, 09:02   #8
Senior - BHPian
 
pjbiju's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Pune
Posts: 1,379
Thanked: 1,130 Times
Re: Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu

Did you folks have issues with leeches? Last September when I visited Malakkapara and Valparai, we encountered a lot of leeches even along the roads. They were extremely small and almost invisible unless you looked really hard. We managed to spot all of them in time to step away from them. However, one had made its way into my crocs and it fell off (after it had filled itself with my blood) when we stopped later for a photoshoot.

Great pictures from all three of you!
pjbiju is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 7th January 2025, 09:33   #9
Distinguished - BHPian
 
Kosfactor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: COK\BLR\MYS
Posts: 3,807
Thanked: 11,069 Times
Re: Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu

@Dr - Beautiful travelogue, thanks for sharing. Lot of beautiful memories it brought back to me while going through your travelogue.

@Robi - The picture of that small temple near a bridge, I think I recognize that place on the way to Murugalli Estate where we used to stay.

@pjbiju - A Tiger was spotted nearby that place that too in a camera trap, only then they realized Tigers were coming that close to the Estate Bungalows, the way the tea bushes are you wont see anything that is waiting to bite you. Leeches wont be your biggest problem then.
Kosfactor is offline   (5) Thanks
Old 7th January 2025, 12:27   #10
Senior - BHPian
 
maddy42's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Coorg
Posts: 2,177
Thanked: 1,607 Times
Re: Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu

Amazing pictures and every trip your gang takes makes me add one more location on my must visit list.

Tea farms are tough business and tourism brings some respite to these areas.
maddy42 is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 7th January 2025, 13:38   #11
Distinguished - BHPian
 
Kosfactor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: COK\BLR\MYS
Posts: 3,807
Thanked: 11,069 Times
Re: Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu

Quote:
Originally Posted by maddy42 View Post
Tea farms are tough business and tourism brings some respite to these areas.
These are not your average Tea farmers

Valparai region was inaccessible to public earlier, nowadays a few resorts and homestays have opened. It was this way due to large private custodianship of the land by companies like Harrisons Malayalam (probably bigger than Tata in this context), Tata , Birla (including the temple) , Murugappa Group , Stanmoore and many more. Estates in the 1000 X acre scale, as far as eyes can see, private townships for the estate staff.
Kosfactor is offline   (4) Thanks
Old 7th January 2025, 14:28   #12
Distinguished - BHPian
 
Dr.AD's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Bangalore/Pune
Posts: 1,972
Thanked: 22,114 Times
Re: Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stryker View Post
Oh, just lovely photos all! @Dr.AD, this photo alone is worth the entire trip IMO! Absolutely wallpaper quality. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks a lot Stryker! Glad you liked the pictures.

Quote:
Originally Posted by pjbiju View Post
Did you folks have issues with leeches?
No, no leeches this time of the year there. Yes in September that would be a problem, but less likely in December. I did not see a single leech there in December.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kosfactor View Post
@Dr - Beautiful travelogue, thanks for sharing. Lot of beautiful memories it brought back to me while going through your travelogue.
Thanks a lot!

Quote:
A Tiger was spotted nearby that place that too in a camera trap, only then they realized Tigers were coming that close to the Estate Bungalows, the way the tea bushes are you wont see anything that is waiting to bite you.
Wow! I did not know there could be tigers there. I heard of leopards there, and apparently leopard sightings are not that rare there. In fact, we were hoping we sight leopards and we drove through the area where leopard sightings are relatively more frequent. But never heard of any tigers there.

Quote:
Originally Posted by maddy42 View Post
Amazing pictures and every trip your gang takes makes me add one more location on my must visit list.
Thanks a lot!
Dr.AD is offline   (5) Thanks
Old 7th January 2025, 14:40   #13
M35
BHPian
 
M35's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: COK-PKD-SZX
Posts: 923
Thanked: 2,869 Times
Re: Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu

Beautiful travelogue as always. If it possible to book one room only? Please share their pricing per night, if you don't mind.
M35 is online now   (1) Thanks
Old 7th January 2025, 15:15   #14
BHPian
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 364
Thanked: 1,909 Times
Re: Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu

Breathtaking photos.The drives in your Thars and bmw's always have us hooked. Have always stayed at Sinna dorai estate there run by Murugappa group.Would love to get photos and contact/cost details on the stay place.The Tahr trails and Lingesh seems to be a go to place.Elephants in tea estates always keep the locals on tender hooks and you guys were lucky to spot a herd.

The drive through the clouds,the Nigiri Tahr sighting and the route to Athirapally from there is always a high point of visiting Valparai.Must have been very cold this year I guess.
vijayols is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 7th January 2025, 19:00   #15
Senior - BHPian
 
maddy42's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Coorg
Posts: 2,177
Thanked: 1,607 Times
Re: Landscapes and Wildlife from Valparai, Tamil Nadu

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kosfactor View Post
These are not your average Tea farmers

Valparai region was inaccessible to public earlier, nowadays a few resorts and homestays have opened. It was this way due to large private custodianship of the land by companies like Harrisons Malayalam (probably bigger than Tata in this context), Tata , Birla (including the temple) , Murugappa Group , Stanmoore and many more. Estates in the 1000 X acre scale, as far as eyes can see, private townships for the estate staff.
I agree, the TVS group has also got one near ooty and Parissons has one at wayanad. The Parissons estate is a good place to visit for anyone wanting a road trip. Their bungalows are well kept and is not too far from Manathvady.

This estate has changed multiple hands - VST, etc etc before landing with Parisons

https://maps.app.goo.gl/8jJTwDJr2B7yWXyB6
maddy42 is offline   (4) Thanks
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks