Akkamalai Grass Hills

Shola grassland at 2,400 metres inside the Anamalai Tiger Reserve — and core Nilgiri tahr country. You need permission from the Wildlife Warden to enter. We arrange it, but you need to ask well in advance.

What it is

Akkamalai, or Grass Hills, is a plateau of rolling grassland well above the tea. Pockets of dark shola forest fill the valleys between the hills. It's one of the least disturbed grassland systems left in the Western Ghats — which is exactly why it's protected so strictly.

It looks nothing like the rest of Valparai — no tea, no buildings, no wires. Just golden grass over rounded hills, cloud moving across them, and dark shola forest sitting in the folds between.

Nilgiri tahr

The grassland is home to the Nilgiri tahr — a mountain goat-antelope found only in these hills, and the state animal of Tamil Nadu. Herds use the steep grass slopes and the rocky outcrops.

As with anything wild here, sightings happen or they don't. The grassland itself is worth the trip either way.

Access — read this part

Grass Hills is inside the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, and entry is controlled by the forest department. You can't just drive up on the day — the number of vehicles allowed in is limited.

The arrangements belong to the forest department and can change, so we don't publish a fee, a timing, or a guarantee. Tell us early — well before you travel, not on the morning — and we'll tell you what's currently possible for your dates.