View from Bakasura Malai on a clear day…

I had a chance to go to Bakasura Malai again, as I wanted to get a clear view from the top. On the day I went there last time, the entire place was covered by mist. You can check the blog post about it here with the pics. : Trekking to Bakasuramalai (Hullikal Drug) and Droog

This time, I was very lucky. As It is a high mountain top covered by deep valleys all the four sides, the view was absolutely stunning. Some places are dangerous edges and just one wrong foot can be fatal as the valley below is over 1900 metres deep. I took a lot of pics and some panoramas as well.

View of Coonoor – From Bakasura Malai

As you stand in the Bakasura Malai view point facing the ghat road, you can see Coonoor and the mountains on the west and north of Coonoor, dolphin nose, kothagiri and even the hairpin bends of the Mettupalayam-Coonoor ghat road. On the eastern edge of the mountains, you see the plains of Odanthurai, Mettupalayam, Further to the south, you see the entire Mettupalayam town, the curves of Bhavani river, Vana Badrakaliamman Kovil and more… You also see the BSNL tower which is in Bakasura Malai, the tower that you can see from the road.

Another amazing view that you can get from the mountain top is the view of Pilloor dam, which is in the eastern slopes of  Nilgiris in the middle of a reserved forest. If you walk through a jungle for a few metres from the view point, you can reach a rocky place from where you can get a better view of the Pilloor dam. Again, one has to be very careful here, as it is in a dangerous elevation and if you fall down, there is not even a tree branch to hold you. It is a deep valley, and you don’t stop until you hit the rocky bottom deep below.

View of Pilloor dam fro Bakasura Malai

The view of Mettupalayam, even though very far away, still surprises you as you can get a really clear view of the entire town. The Bhavani river glitters in the sunlight in the distance and you see the buildings and houses dotted all over the plains. One should be here at night to see the town lights as I can imagine how great it would be in the night.

View of Mettupalayam from Bakasura Malai

Even though Coonoor is not visible very clearly from the view point, you can get a nice look of Coonoor from a bus stop close to Nonsuch tea estate. Below is the picture I took from there:

View of Coonoor from Bakasura Malai

The lush tea gardens cover most of the area in Bakasura malai, Droog and Nonsuch.  There are about 80 bisons in the area which roam inside the tea gardens. They are used to see human beings and hence, people there told me that they don’t harm people. Here is another beautiful panorama of the tea gardens:

Tea gardens in Bakasura Malai

Near the Bakasura Malai village, there is a BSNL tower which is visible as you travel through the ghat road. The tower is another great viewpoint and you can have a much closer look at the ghat road from here. It is another dangerous edge, so one has to be very careful here.

Overall, Bakarusa Malai is a great place for an excellent picnic. You can pack your lunch, snacks, water, camera etc and spend a day there, watching the views change as the mist clears from the morning, the busy traffic in Mettupalayam to Coonoor ghat road, the long stretch of clouds that cover the distant mountains of Kothagiri and the towns west of Coonoor on the way to Ooty and all the other places around. It is a great place for photography and bird watching. This is a less known place very close to Coonoor which can give you an unforgettable trekking experience.

BSNL tower in Bakasura Malai

Near BSNL tower in Bakasura Malai

Droog fort

The mountain slopes near Mettupalayam

A huge rock facing the ghat road

Near the BSNL tower

Near the BSNL tower

Trekking to Bakasuramalai (Hullikal Drug) and Droog

This is the mountain that you see in the left side when you travel from Mettupalayam to Coonoor, also called as Hullikal Drug. The peak of this mountain has the ruins of the old fort used by Tipu Sultan (called as Droog fort) during the 16th century. It has an altitude of over 1900 metres and full of tea estates like Glendale and Nonsuch.

Bakasura Malai View Point

I wanted to go trekking here for a long time, and yesterday I finally went there.. The trek was a wonderful experience and the scenery was marvellous.. The climb was steep and very difficult but it was finally rewarding as it gave me an unforgettable experience…

Through these pictures I will take you through the same journey I went through and show you everything that I saw.. I had called my friends to accompany me and no one was ready to take such a physically demanding trek in an isolated area like this especially during winter. I went on my own and joined a group of college students from Tirupur who had come for trekking as well. I met them after getting off the bus that came from Coonoor which dropped us until Droog bus stop, which is close to the Nonsuch tea estate.

Top of Bakasura Malai

I started from Coimbatore early in the morning at 6 AM and reached Coonoor by 8:30 AM. There are only few buses to Droog and Bakkasuran malai (also spelt as Pakkasuran malai) and so I had planned to take the bus that leaves at 9:15 AM from Coonoor to Droog. Droog is just one stop before Bakasuran malai, which is the last stop that you can reach by bus if you want to trek this place.

I was very eager to watch the scenery on the way. The bus passed through Katteri Junction and then crossed the bridge above the Katteri river. It is also possible to trek from Law falls that is on the way to Mettupalayam to this mountain’s view point and the Droog fort. But taking the bus is a lot quicker and easier though the trek from Law falls must be more rewarding than this one.

Top of Bakasura Malai

After crossing the Hullikal village, the bus stopped right before the Nonsuch tea estate for a break. I got off the bus to take some quick photographs as it gave an amazing view of the Coonoor and the mountains. The Nonsuch tea estate also has a retreat where one can stay (Rs.3000 per couple during off season and Rs.3500 per couple during the season time). If you stay there, you can go trekking from the estate at a cost of Rs.500 per person and their website says that they take you to various other places in addition to the Droog Fort.

The last stop was the Droog bus stop after which one had to walk nearly 4-5 kilometres, the last of which is a steep uphill climb through the jungle for at least 1 kilometre. There is a couple of small shops and some small houses near this bus stop. Not knowing where to go, I made friends with a group of college students from Tirupur who had also come for the same trek.

Near a tower in Hullikal

As we started walking from the bus stop, we can see the view point in Bakasuran Malai, far away on the top of a hill that is covered by clouds. We crossed the Bakasuran Malai bus stop, started walking amidst the tea plantations and then started climbing uphill after a long walk of over an hour. It was very steep, and had a few steps that take you through the middle of jungle. There are a lot of bisons in the area and so it is advised not to go alone to this place.

Tea estates nearby

After the hardest part, we finally reached the top of the hill where there is a view point that has a few steps to climb. You can sit and relax there and enjoy the view. When we went there it was covered by mist. If it is a clear day, then you can get amazing views of Mettupalayam, Coimbatore, Kothogiri and many more.. From the view point we still climbed further to reach another place full of rocks. We saw a ruined stonewall near the viewpoint which I believe is the ruined Droog fort used as an outpost by Tipu Sultan during the 16th century.

Near a tower in Hullikal

After passing the time enjoying the view and taking pictures, we headed downhill and walked through the village near the Bakasuran malai bus stop. Through tea plantations we reached another view point where there is a huge cell phone network tower. You can see this tower when you travel by Mettupalayam to Coonoor ghat road.This offers some wonderful views as well and unfortunately we can’t see anything due to the thick mist that had covered the valley below.

Tea estates nearby