Pachamalai, Tamil Nadu’s new leisure spot

With the state government allotting a fund of Rs 2.30 crore to develop ecotourism in the hills, the tourism department has utilised the amount to renovate another major tourism infrastructure _ Korayaru and Periyamangalam (Mangalam) water falls in Pachamalai. 

A new walkway has been created to access these waterfalls. A couple of watch towers have been set up at Top Sengattupatti and at Murugan Kovil at Keezhakarai. The height of the towers is 120 feet. In order to sensitise the visitors to culture of Tamils, a few entertainment-based infrastructure have also been set up.  

Visitors are allowed to take bath at the falls, they can also undertake natural trails to a distance of eight km and three km and adjacent to these two watch towers have been put up. Meanwhile, five treetop houses have been built at Top Sengattipatti in the land allotted by the revenue department. 

A dormitory for men and women can house 20 visitors. While a British rest house has been renovated and two more rooms have been constructed.  The visitors can enjoy the beauty of Pachamalai hillock either by horse ride or by bullock cart. 

“All the facilities would be covered if one books for a package and pre-booking is must,” said, N Satheesh, the District Forest Officer. Trekking, bird watching and entertainment are all part the package. Tourists can choose to stay in a tree top house (Rs 3, 500 for four people), British house (Rs 3,000 for four), a tent or a dormitory which is cheaper (Rs 6,500 for 10 persons). 

Meanwhile, to offer better service with a local touch, an ecotourism development committee has been established at Top Sengattupatti and Sembur villages. Each committee would have a president and 15 executive members who would jointly work along with the forest department in the eco-tourism development. 

“We have allotted Rs 2.50 lakh each to both the committees for assisting to start small scale business.  They have been taken to Paralikadu and Coutralam and were given training on ecotourism. These member would assist the visitors,” Satheesh added.

An increasing number of people are ditching the champagne and parties to usher in the New Year by staying close to nature which would be adventure-filled and full of stargazing experiences.

Watching the stars from tents pitched on the beaches of East Coast Road (ECR) to Kayaking in the outskirts of the city to sharing stories over a campfire near the Tada falls, Chennaiites are exploring newer ways to ring in the New Year, far away from the maddening crowd and endless partying. Sam S, one of the founders of Exoticamp, which is offering nature camps at Tada and Vagamon Hills (in Kerala), said people are choosing experiences over parties this New Year. 

“The response to both the camps as well as stargazing on ECR has received a pretty good response. Most preferred the Tada nature camp, since it was closer to the city. We have had requests from families with children, youngsters and the IT crowd, working here. People are tired of the same old parties and alcohol. They want to be close to nature and experience adventures. We don’t encourage loud music. But other than that, people can experience kayaking and star gazing, with the help of professional instructors/ astronomers,” he said. 

Mounika P, Founder of Gutsy Tribe, which organises nature camps, said that people are willing to travel out of the city, in search of pristine spots. “Our camp is near Bengaluru. We had an amazing response from families in Chennai, who were open to travelling all the way to Bengaluru and then to the camping spot. We are offering adventures such as banana boat rides and rafting in the backwaters as well as just spending some quality time with your family,” she said. 

Ravi R, an employee at an IT firm and traveller, said he preferred to celebrate the New Year with his friends, at a camping site than be crowded indoors at a New Year’s party. “After a while, partying gets boring. Over the last few years, I’ve been trekking and camping at different places and it has been such a rewarding experience,” said the techie.