Valparai

Valparai, whose old name was Poonachimalai, is a hill station town at about 1,059 metres in the Anaimalai Hills of the Western Ghats, in Coimbatore district. It sits within the Anamalai Tiger Reserve and is surrounded by 56 tea and coffee estates, while large stretches of forest remain off limits. The ghat road starts at Monkey Falls, 38 kilometres below, and climbs through 40 hairpin bends; the Kerala border town of Malakkappara is 27 kilometres on.

Coffee planting began here in 1846 with K. Ramasamy Mudaliyar, and the Karnatic Coffee Company followed in 1864. Roads and guest houses were built in 1875 for a visit by the Prince of Wales that never took place. In 1890 W. Wintil bought a large tract, cleared it and planted tea and coffee. Rain falls through the year and temperatures stay mild, and football is a local passion, with state competitions held every year.