Grass Hills, Valparai - Timings, Accessibility, Best Time to Visit

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 of kilometers. The other is to trek from the gates of Akkamalai tea estate.

This picturesque spot is a protected area, visitors need to obtain permission from Anamalai Tiger Reserve Office in Pollachi to enter the Grass Hills. This place is out of bounds for common tourists and only conservationists, wildlife enthusiasts, with permission from the Forest department or those with access to the officials of the forest department are allowed access into this wild terrain.

The best season to visit Grass Hills is during the months of January to May.

Timings: 6 AM - 5 PM

Entry: Free