Backpacking solo across Tamil Nadu this winter was one of the most fulfilling solo trips I have done. On the last leg of the trip, while staying at a hostel in Coonoor I was introduced to Discover Alpas, a campsite located at the heart of the Nilgiris. A quick 1.5 hour transit from the local state bus took me to the property in no time.
Discover Alpas is a camping and astrophotography center situated near the small town of Kodanad in Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu. The place which started as a regular camping site in 2017 has today become one of the most sought-after campsites in southern India for Astrophotography and eco-tourism. Owned by a Chennai based techie Lakshmi Narayan the place is managed by a guest turned property manager Bhava Nandhi. The campsite offers gallery view to the famous Sunrise of Kodanad View in the mornings and Milkyway and Stargazing experience after it gets dark.
On arrival I met the wonderful hosts, Bhava Nandhi and Pradeep bro who arranged for a sumptuous meal followed by a trek to a deep forest water fall not found on the maps.
In the evening, I got a chance to speak with Bhava and was quite inspired by the story that Bhava shared. As it turned out Bhava, who had a professional career in Investment Banking now manages the property and is a very well recognized Astrophotography expert. He conducts regular camps at the site for stargazing, Milkyway photography and light photography. On request he agreed to let me use some of his proprietary images which I am sharing below.
Milkyway Image from the campsite
It was the first time I tried my hands on Astrophotography. And the wonderfully patient host Bhava was kind enough to lend me his gear to shot the skies. The clouds were not really kind that day but I could manage a descent first click
For anyone who has taken a trip in the Nilgiris (Ooty, Coonoor) Kodanad View point is THE place for catching the sunrise of the valley. In addition to the mesmerizing nightskies, I got a gallery seat view to the sunrise from the campsite.
Having camped at multiple locations in India, for me this place stood out for two reasons. One, I never thought I could see such mesmerizing beautiful sights during the night and in the morning from a single location. Second, the love and care the hosts showed towards managing the guests was simply the best I have received so far.
Travelling solo, I heard from a lot of fellow travelers as to how the Nilgiris have become way too commercialized and there are no authentic experiences left.
To each one of you thinking of having a beautiful time with the nature, check out this gem of a place at: https://instagram.com/discoveralpas?igshid=xmeib90sgvgx and http://discoveralpas.com/
I can't recommend this enough to anyone travelling south. Cheers!
' fill='%23359391'%3e %3cpath d='M46.1538462%2c43.5714286 L41.5%2c50 L36.8461538%2c43.5714286 L36.8670256%2c43.5714286 C36.3173077%2c42.7142857 36%2c41.6851429 36%2c40.5714286 C36%2c37.4854286 38.4535641%2c35 41.5%2c35 C44.5464359%2c35 47%2c37.4854286 47%2c40.5714286 C47%2c41.6851429 46.6826923%2c42.7142857 46.1329744%2c43.5714286 L46.1538462%2c43.5714286 Z M41.4294872%2c39 C40.6150641%2c39 39.9487179%2c39.675 39.9487179%2c40.5 C39.9487179%2c41.325 40.6150641%2c42 41.4294872%2c42 C42.2439103%2c42 42.9102564%2c41.325 42.9102564%2c40.5 C42.9102564%2c39.675 42.2439103%2c39 41.4294872%2c39 L41.4294872%2c39 Z' id='Location-white'%3e%3c/path%3e %3c/g%3e %3c/svg%3e)
