Into the hairpin roads of Valparai, Tamil Nadu

Nestled along the lush green hills of Tamil Nadu sits a quiet town of Valparai, where air feels refreshing and time makes its own rules. As the winding hairpin roads take an uphill curve, each bend is marked by a huge board with animals and numbers, and with that countdown know that you are entering into the closest off-beat hill town from the bustling city of Bengaluru.

Weekend escape from Bengaluru: A journey through Valparai’s serpentine roads

Escaping the chaos of the city on the weekends have always been the cravings for all the travel enthusiasts but most of the weekend trails end up at Nandi Hills for the Bengaluru people. This weekend take a detour and book a bus to Pollachi, a town less known to the tech city’s crowd. 

Hop onto the regular night bus from Bengaluru and let the hums of the chaotic city slowly fade away and wake up to the so-called Coconut capital of India, Pollachi. After you get down at the bus stop, get yourself a nice cup of coffee but don’t get too comfortable. That’s not the real treat. Take another bus, a local one of course, enroute to Valparai, a breathtaking hill station tucked away in Tamil Nadu’s Annamalai hills. 

As the first ray of dawn strikes, the real charisma begins. The bus climbs up a total of 40 bends, each one a delightful scenery in itself. Soon, down below the huge blue Aliyar dam becomes the centre point of the scene, strategically breaking the colours of the charming green hills. 

Each hairpin bend is greeted with an animal hoarding standing like quiet cheerleaders. Reaching the 40th bend, the clouds come a little closer and the fog covers the road in a misty trail. And then, almost gently, the journey pauses. It’s time to step off the bus.

Sitting in the hilly roads, each building in the charismatic town of Valparai stands like scattered Lego pieces, small, vivid, and almost whimsical. 

Autos are the most comfortable rides around here. It will cost you around INR 1500 for the day, and bargaining here will always get the best deal. The ride takes you through stretches of lush greenery, waterfalls and eventually leading into a scenic forest trail within the Anamalai hills. Spotting an animal is a rare luck but a drive through the road less travelled by, is indeed a breathtaking treat to the eye. 

With the greens crouching in the temperature drops and somewhere amidst the bird calls and cricket chirps, serenity rules the land. Valparai can be covered in a day as well if bike riding is your thing. But if leisure calls, take the public transport and soak in the soothing magic for two whole days and ride back to the city life as the weekend ends.

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