Valparai

Valparai sits at around 1,100 metres on a plateau in the Anamalai hills, reached by a road of forty numbered hairpins climbing through the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, and the plateau itself is almost entirely tea, planted from the 1890s. Fragments of rainforest survive between the estates, and they hold lion-tailed macaques, an endangered Western Ghats endemic; conservation work here has included canopy rope bridges over roads to stop them being killed by traffic, and the local population has been studied for decades. Elephants move through the estates regularly, and hornbills, Nilgiri tahr and leopards live in the surrounding reserve.

What you actually see

• The forty hairpins - the ghat road climbing through the tiger reserve.
• The tea plateau - estates covering most of the high ground.
• The lion-tailed macaques - endemic monkeys using canopy rope bridges.
• The elephants - herds moving through the estates and roads.

When to go

September to March; the monsoon brings heavy rain and landslides, and the ghat road closes at night year-round to protect wildlife. Macaque and hornbill sightings are best early.

Honest expectations

The ghat road closes to traffic after dark. Elephants on the roads are a genuine hazard and cause deaths locally. Accommodation is limited to estate bungalows and small hotels.

Nearby

Pollachi lies below; Athirappilly is west in Kerala.