Avalanche Lake, Ooty, Nilgiris
Avalanche Lake is situated near Ooty Hill Station
in Ooty Taluk in Nilgiris District of Tamilnadu. Avalanche is just a 22 Kms drive
from Ooty across sylvan surroundings. The scenic path meanders through the
emerald camp and provides a magnificent view of the Avalanche valley and the Dam.
The sparkling water of Avalanche Lake is wedged between dense woodland of shola
trees. Rhododendrons run a riot of
colors in Avalanche, the magnolias bloom bright and the orchids are delightfully
mysterious.
The lake is a heaven for nature lovers, as small
waterfalls falling down from the encircling mountains creates a picture-perfect
ambience. This lake is the major source of water supply for the Kundah Hydro
Power stations. The Lake is also famous for trout fishing. It also has
arrangements for hiring fishing rods and other necessary Equipments. The
surroundings of the dam are considered as a sanctuary with variety of wildlife
and offers beautiful experience to visitors in the lap of nature.
Etymology
The lake derived the name avalanche because of
a huge land slide (avalanche) that occurred in the region in the early 1800s.
Tourism
Avalanche Lake is an important tourism destination
in the Nilgiris district. The lake is
surrounded by a rolling landscape with blooming flowers like magnolias, orchids
and rhododendrons. Tourists can traverse beside the lake through winding paths
around the lake. Tourists visiting the lake can also engage themselves in
Trout fishing. A trout hatchery is established near the lake, from where visitors
can get fishing rods and other fishing accessories required for trout fishing.
Permission from the Fisheries Department is required to go on fishing
experience.
The lake is also used by tourists as a camp site wherein
they pitch tents near the lake. Other tourist activities in the area include
rafting across the lake and trekking the nearby hilly regions like Upper
Bhavani where there are thick forests and untouched wild
habitats. Over 2700 species of flowering plants, 160 species of fern and fern
allies, countless types of flowerless plants, mosses, fungi, algae, land
lichens are found in the sholas of the Nilgiris.
Sholas are patches of stunted evergreen tropical
and subtropical moist broad leaf forest found in valleys amid rolling grassland
in the higher montane regions, the shola and grassland together
form the shola-grassland complex or shola-grassland mosaic. In
terms of this broader definition, shola forests are found all along
the upper reaches of the Western Ghats where the elevation goes
beyond 1500 msl. This area lies in Kundah Reserved Forests comprising
two Forest Ranges namely Udhagai South and Korakundah Ranges.
Avalanche and its surrounding areas get around 5000 mm
of rainfall annually. There are some popular peaks in this region. Kolaribetta is
the highest peak in this part with a height of 2,625 metres (8,612 ft.)
where Doddabetta Peak, 4 kms away from Ooty with a
height of 2,637 metres (8,652 ft.) is the highest point in
the Nilgiris. Other major peaks in
the Nilgiris are Mukurthi Peak 2,556 metres (8,379 ft.)
and Nilgiri Peak (height: 2,477 metres (8,117 ft.).
There is jeep track for 3.5 Kms to the peak which was
made to facilitate installation of a microwave tower atop Kolaribetta peak.
This path is just off the road between Avalanche and Lakkidi Lake. A
slightly shorter cross country route leads from
the Bhavaniamman temple midway. A typical Nilgiri Red
Rhododendron can be seen in the foreground. It is commonly called as Pongal Pooh
because it blooms around the Pongal festival in mid-January.
Avalanche is a habitat of Wild animals like Tiger,
Leopard, Gaur, Nilgiri Tahr, Sambar Deer, Sloth Bear, Barking
Deer, Nilgiri Langur, etc., The Avalanche dam is also called as
Canada Dam because Canada funded it. It is near to the Emerald Lake. The
Avalanche Lake is also one among the major source water supply for the Kundah
Hydro Power stations. Apart from the lake, there is also a Tribal Museum
nearby, and also some beautiful stretches of tea estates.
Visitors should note that as the lake is situated in the
Nilgiri Biosphere reserve, prior permission is needed from the forest office in
Ooty. Private vehicles are not allowed into the Sanctuary and visitors have to
take Forest Department mini bus for a 2 hours ride into the Sanctuary, covering
Lake, Bhavani Temple and Hydro power plant. The bus starts from Forest
Department Check Post 3 Kms before the Avalanche Lake. The buses are run
between 9 AM to 3 PM (2 hours ride) at specific intervals. It is advised to
take the 9 AM bus to have better chances of wildlife sighting. Jeeps are also
available for a group of 8 people.
Accommodation
There is only the Forest Department guest house at
Avalanche which you will need to book from the DFO office at Ooty. You will
also need permission to visit Avalanche; you can go up to the Forest check post
but not beyond without a permit.
Contact Details:
Nilgiris Wildlife and Environment Association
C/o DFO (North), Mount Stewart Hill,
Ootacamand - 643 001
Phone: (0423) 2447167
Wildlife Warden, Ooty: Ph. (0423)
2444098
District Forest Officer (North): Ph. (0423)
2441950
District Forest Officer (South): Ph. (0423) 2444083
Connectivity
Avalanche Lake is located at about 22 Kms from
Ooty, 22 Kms from Ooty Bus Stand, 23 Kms from Ooty Railway Station, 39 Kms from
Coonoor, 52 Kms from Kotagiri, 71 Kms from Mettupalayam Railway Station, 105
Kms from Coimbatore and 117 Kms from Coimbatore Airport. Visitors should note
that as the lake is situated in the Nilgiri Biosphere reserve, prior permission
is needed from the forest office in Ooty. Private vehicles are not allowed into
the Sanctuary and visitors have to take Forest Department mini bus for a 2
hours ride into the Sanctuary, covering Lake, Bhavani Temple and Hydro power
plant.
The bus starts from Forest Department Check Post 3 Kms
before the Avalanche Lake. The buses are run between 9 AM to 3 PM (2 hours
ride) at specific intervals. It is advised to take the 9 AM bus to have better
chances of wildlife sighting. Jeeps are also available for a group of 8 people.
It is therefore best to arrive early and get the tickets, especially during
peak season and holidays.