Waterfall · 38 km from Valparai town
Monkey Falls
At the roadside, on the way up.
On the way up, five kilometres past Aliyar Dam. Sixty feet of water falls into a pool you can stand under. Permission rules change with the season, so we check before we promise anything.
Where it is
Monkey Falls sits on the ghat road below the hairpin bends, on the Aliyar side. So it's a natural stop on the way up to Valparai, or on the way back down — not a trip out from the plateau. That's also why it's the furthest of the stops on this list from Valparai town.
The water drops into a rock pool in evergreen forest. It's close enough to the road that you can be out of the vehicle and standing there in a few minutes.
What it's like
It's popular, and busy at weekends and holidays — one of the few stops on the route where you should expect other people. It has facilities, and it's managed rather than wild.
The rock around the waterfall is slippery, and the pool isn't shallow everywhere. Bathing is only allowed in the marked area, and that rule exists because people have gotten into trouble here. Follow it.
At a glance
The practical bits.
Asked often
Monkey Falls, answered.
Can you swim at Monkey Falls?
Is Monkey Falls in Valparai?
While you are out there
Usually seen on the same morning.
Plan it
Tell us what you want to see.
We build the day around the stops that matter to you and the people you're travelling with. And we'll say honestly when something won't work for your group.
Talk to a person
Two days is enough for most of this list.
Pollachi to Pollachi, a written plan before you pay, and a driver who knows which gate is open this week.
· Open every day, any hour