Nature reserve
Avalanche Lake & Shola
Off the beaten pathForest permit required
A trout stream, rhododendron shola and grasslands deep in a reserved forest south-west of Ooty — visited only by forest-department jeep.
Reached only on a Forest Department jeep safari booked at the Avalanche reception; private vehicles are not allowed beyond the checkpost.
The route passes trout-breeding pools, an emerald reservoir and some of the best surviving shola–grassland mosaic in the Nilgiris.
Spring brings flowering rhododendron and, in some years, the mass-flowering of Strobilanthes (neelakurinji) on the upper slopes.
Wildlife to spot & when
- Sambar deer
- Nilgiri langur
- Shola & grassland birds
On the map
Good to know
- Access
- Forest jeep from Avalanche reception, ~28 km from Ooty
- Best time
- September to March, clear mornings