Aaliyar Dam

Topslip is a part of Anamalai Tiger Reserve (formerly called Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary). It is located at about 37 km from Pollachi town. It is separated from the Nilgiri Hills by the Palghat Gap on the north, Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala) to its west and to the Eravikulam National Park (Kerala) and Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary to its south. There are many places of natural and scenic beauty in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve. Some of them are Karianshola, Anaikunthi Shola, groves, waterfalls, teak forests, reservoirs and dams. There are arrangements for exploring the sanctuary on elephant back or by van. If you plan to walk in the park, you must have a Park Guide with you and you are allowed to walk in the park for a maximum of four hours for ₹70 per person. If you are visiting the park for the day, you can go directly to Top Slip (Entry ₹50). The Sethumadai checkpost is the entry point to Top Slip. But if you plan to stay at Top Slip, please book accommodation in advance by confirming and sending a DD to The Wildlife Warden Office, 178 Meenkarai Rd, Pollachi. Phone: 04259 222535 (open M-F 9AM-5PM). Last minute accommodation is only available for VIPs, government officials and other foreigners, in most cases.

Popularly known as Cherrapunji of South India, Valparai remains somewhat untouched. It has an average elevation of 1193 metres (3914 feet) and is 65 km away from Pollachi. It is concentrated with Tea and Coffee estates owned mostly by private tea companies, a large part of the area is out of bounds for tourists. Interestingly, the Govt. of Tamil Nadu with the assistance of the Govt. of India has taken initiatives to promote tourism and develop infrastructure such as hotels, amusement parks etc to attract visitors. Other important places to visit around Valparai are Balaji temple, Chitti Vinayagar Temple, Sholayar Dam, Nallamudi Poonjolai View, Number Paarai and various tea estates.

Lying adjacent to the Indira Gandhi Wild Life Sanctuary, the 285 sq km stretch of forest known as Parambikulam Tiger Reserve (formerly Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary) is one of Kerala’s premier wildlife reserves. Though this place is a part of Kerala, this place is accessible only from Pollachi. Touring the sanctuary is possible by boat or jeep; both can be hired from the park authorities. Alternatively, you can climb one of Parambikulam’s two watch towers for a bit of wildlife-watching. One tower is at Anappadi (8 km from Thunakadavu) and the other’s at Sungam (5 km from Thunakadavu). This park is open throughout the year but it is better if you avoid visiting the park during monsoon season (June - August). Thunakadavu is the headquarters of the sanctuary and is 48 km from Pollachi. Forest Resthouses room rent is about ₹200 per night at Thunakadavu, Thellikal and Elathode. Tree houses cost about ₹300-600 per night. Alternatively, one could stay at Top Slip area too as it is only 30 minutes drive from Thunakadavu and offers a number of accommodation options. Accommodation can be reserved through the Range Officer, Thunakadavu. Rooms at the Thunakadavu PWD Resthouse and the Tamilnadu Government Inspection Bungalow can be booked through the Junior Engineer, Tamilnadu PWD, Parambikulam.

This place is 20 km from Thirumoorthy dam. One must take the left road near Chinnar check-post (Tamilnadu side) along Udumalpet - Munnar road, to reach this place. The Amaravathy Sagar Crocodile Farm, established in 1975, was once the largest Crocodile nursery in India is nearby. However, due to poor maintenance and lack of facilities, only few Crocodiles are now alive.

Masani Amman Temple is situated at a distance of 15 km from Pollachi. This sanctified shrine attracts large number of devotees. Here, one can see Goddess Masani Amman in the lying posture. The idol has four hands, two hands placed on the ground, two hands raised above. While the top left hands hold a skull and snake and other two hands holding drum and a trident.