Pollachi is an exquisite tourist destination which is widely known as Porul Achi. It is a popular choice for film shooting, especially in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu film industry. Pollachi town is about 40 Kms from Coimbatore on the way to Parambikulam - Aliyar Project. Since Pollachi is near to Western Ghats, it has a pleasant climate throughout the year. So on a hot weekend, you can just pack in a couple of change-overs and head straight to this town. You can either take a train to Coimbatore and then drive to Pollachi from there or if you have more time in hand, drive directly there.
Once you reach the town, you would be pleasantly surprised at the pleasant climatic conditions. After checking in at a hotel of your choice, spend the day walking around the place, taking in the cool air. The market is full of fresh coconut, jaggery and products made from them. In the evening, you can just sit at the balcony or terrace of your hotel and soak in the sunset. A glass or two of wine will bring in that slight warmth that can keep you outdoors for a while. Sleep early and next day early morning head to Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary is situated at an average altitude of 1,400 meters in the Western Ghats near Pollachi. Like most wildlife reserves, it offers options of early morning safari. Just book yourself in one and you will get to see plenty of elephants, pangolins, black-headed orioles, crocodiles, sambar, lion-tailed macaques and if you are really lucky maybe a tiger or two. You can spend a whole day at the reserve and then head back to the hotel.
Valparai
Keep the last day for travelling to Valparai. It is a hill station located 65 kms from Pollachi. It lies at an altitude of about 3,500 feet on the Annamalai Hill Range of the Western Ghats. This place has number of tea and coffee estates surrounded by thick forest. The climate of Valparai is most suitable for tea, coffee, cardamom and cincona trees. You can check into a resort or an estate. It is a great way to beat the heat of the plains. Wandering around the green cover, tea estates and other pristine locations will help you get over the stress of mundane life.
Once you have had your content of clean and fresh air of the mountains, you can head straight back to Coimbatore and catch your flight to Chennai from the airport or choose train journey.
