7 Best Places for Adventure & Trekking in Tamil Nadu

At a distance of 16 km from Valparai Bus Station, Grass Hills is a protected area located in Valparai, Tamilnadu. It is one of the awe-inspiring places to visit in Valparai.

Located at an altitude of 2400 m, Grass Hills is a part of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu which forms its boundary with Eravikulam National Park in the neighboring Kerala state. The landscape is a combination of peaks and high plateaus composed of montane shola-grassland eco-system that is unique to the higher ranges of the Western Ghats of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. This cool location surrounded by high green grasses on mountain slopes is a mind-blowing place to watch and explore. Here, viewing the gorgeous sunset over the hills is an unforgettable experience.

Grass Hills presents the visitor with the beauty and ambiance of a pristine green ecosystem and astonishing views of the hill and forest entwined as one. The Valparai range is a habitat of the Niligiri Tahr, an endemic wild goat. These mountain goats inhabit the high ranges and prefer open terrain cliffs and green covered hills largely confining to altitudes from 1200 to 2700 m in the Western Ghats. Apart from the Nilgiri Tahr, elephants, bison, Indian Gaur, Bear, Nilgiri Langurs and a wide variety of birds including Hornbills are a part of the environs of Grass Hills.

Access to Grass Hills is two-pronged. The first is a combination of 4x 4 ride for about an hour and a half on a non-existent bumpy track and then trek a couple ...

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At a distance of 36 km from Coimbatore, and 50 km from Palakkad, Siruvani Waterfall is a scenic waterfall situated in the Siruvani Hills of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the popular waterfalls in Tamilnadu, and among the must-visit places during your Coimbatore trip.

Also called Kovai Kutralam Falls, the Siruvani Fall is formed by the Siruvani river. The reservoir at Siruvani was built for Tamil Nadu by the Kerala Government with funds collected by the Tamil Nadu government to meet the drinking water requirements of Coimbatore city. The water of the Dam is famous for its sweetness and it is typically known to be the second sweetest lake water in the world. It is one of the major tourist places in Coimbatore.

The visitors are not allowed to see the falls after 5 pm as it is located in the center part of a dense forest. With an outstanding panoramic view, the Siruvani dam is extremely beautiful and breathe taking. Tourists cannot make their visit to this falls anytime because only a few numbers of buses are available to visit the place.

Sadivayal Checkpost, where an entry fee Rs. 50 is charged, is at the gateway to the waterfalls. Private vehicles are not allowed beyond this point. However, vehicles arranged by the forest department can be used for the conveyance to the point where ...

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At a distance of 35 Kms from Coimbatore Railway Station & 533 Kms from Chennai, Vaideki Falls are located near Narisipuram town.

The falls is very beautiful and has a naturally formed slope. It is located inside the forest and one must obtain permission before entering the forest. Visitors are only allowed by being escorted by a forest guard into the forest. This area of forest has lot of animal movements; especially elephants. There are lot of incidents of elephants attacking humans, so it is always advisable to obtain permission and get some guards accompanying while entering the forest.

About 5 Kms trek through forest is required to reach the falls from nearest road point. One can get private vehicles to reach forest trek point from Narisipuram town.

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At a distance of 18 km from Kodaikanal & 55 km from Palani, Perumal Peak is a trekker's delight situated near Perumalmalai village close to Palani road. Perumal Peak or Perumal Malai Peak is a high peak at kodaikanal in the Perumalmalai hills, which are part of the greater Western Ghat mountain range in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the popular places for trekking in Kodaikanal and also one of the top attractions you must include in Kodaikanal packages.

The trek begins from the foot of the Peak near Perumal Malai Village which is 11 km from Kodaikanal. The trek distance is about 7 km one way and takes about 3-4 hours one way. Most of the trekking stretch is of moderate difficulty while few parts are little steep. Overnight camping is also possible on the peak while most of the trekkers visit the peak and return on the same day.

Perumal Malai Village can be reached from Palani or Kodaikanal by bus or private vehicles.

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At a distance of 40 Kms from Kodaikanal & 485 Kms from Chennai, Thalaiyar Falls, also known as the Rat Tail Falls is the highest waterfalls in Tamil Nadu and third highest falls in India. It is also one of the popular sites for trekking near Kodaikanal.

With a height of 975 feet (297 meters), the falls is visible from a great distance on the ghat road towards Dindigul. This falls is considered inaccessible to the general public, as there is no access road to it. However, one can reach these falls with 6 kms trekking after 34 Kms of road journey on ghat road from kodaikanal. The trek duration is around 2-3 hours one way. The trek is considered to be of moderate difficulty.

The very edge at the top of the falls has a concrete wall. One can walk along the wall and get near the center of the falls. The water here is considered polluted and it's better to avoid bathing here.

One can catch Dindigal / Madurai buses from Kodaikanal, get down at the ghat road after 34 Kms and trek down to the falls from here. There are no sign boards but can get done at the mile stone which shows distance to Kodai as 34 km.

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At a distance 50 km from Namakkal, 87 km from Salem, 135 km from Trichy & 395 km from Chennai, Kolli Hills or Kolli Malai is a small mountain range located in Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the popular places to visit near Trichy.

These hills are situated at an elevation of 1000 to 1300 m and cover an area of approximately 280 sq km. The Kolli Hills has 70 hairpin bends to reach the top of the hills from the Namakkal side. The mountains are relatively untouched by commercial tourism and still retain their natural beauty. It can be visited as a day trip as part of Tiruchirappalli tour packages.

The mountain is named Kolli Malai after the Goddess Ettukkai Amman (Kolli Paavai). According to legend, the sages chose Kolli hills when they were looking for a peaceful place to do their penance. However, the demons invaded the hills to disrupt the penance when the sages began their rituals. The sages prayed to Kollipavai, who according to the myth, chased away the demons.

Trekking at Kolli Hills is a popular activity. Trekking to Agaya Gangai Waterfalls is a wonderful experience. There are two viewpoints - one at Seekuparai and another at Selur Nadu. There is a pineapple research farm maintained by the Government of Tamil Nadu at Seekuparai Viewpoint. Kundur Nadu, Puliancholai, and Ariyur Solai are the three main reserved forests ...

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At a distance of 2 km from Gingee Bus Stand, 71 km from Puducherry, 85 km from Kanchipuram, and 93 km from Vellore, Gingee Fort or Senji Fort is an ancient hill-fort sitated in the Villupuram district of Tamilnadu. It is one of the largest surviving forts in Tamilnadu, and among the popular historical places to visit near Chennai.

The fort was historically considered most impregnable and it was called the 'Troy of the East' by the British. Originally the site had a small fort built by the Chola dynasty during the 9th century. Gingee Fort, also known as Shinji or Jinji, was modified by Kurumbar while fighting the Cholas and again by the Vijayanagara Empire during the 13th century. As per one account, the fort was built during the 15-16th century by the Gingee Nayaks, the lieutenants of the Vijayanagara Empire and who later became independent kings. The fort passed to the Marathas under the leadership of Shivaji in 1677 AD, the Mughals, Carnatic Nawabs, French, and the British in 1761. It is one of the must visit places as part of Vellore holiday packages for history buffs.

The Gingee Fort complex is spread on three hillocks, Krishnagiri to the north, Rajagiri to the west, and Chandrayandurg to the southeast. The three hills together constitute the fort complex, each having a separate and self-contained ...

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