Question

What are the factors that make the Western Ghats and the Western coast the favored destination of tourists?

Answer 1

Hint: The Western Ghats are a mountain range that runs parallel to the western coast. It covers the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. It covers an area of 160,000 square km. The highest peak is Anamudi.

Complete Answer:
The Western Ghats are considered a very popular tourist location due to its beautiful and spread out mountain ranges like Sahyadri range, Satpura range etc. Hill stations like Mahabaleshwar, Satpura, Munnar, Kodaikanal attract a very significant number of tourists each year.
Another tourist attraction is the variety of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries of the Western Ghats. There are 13 national parks, 2 biosphere reserves and rich wildlife like Nilgiri Tahr, Brown palm civet, Lion tailed macaque that entice thousands of tourists every year. The Western Ghats house UNESCO World Heritage Sites like Kaas Plateau, Kali Tiger Reserve, Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary etc.
Kodi beach in Udupi, Guhagar beach of Maharashtra, Colva and Calangute beach in Goa etc all add to the beauty of the Western Ghats.
Many tourists visit the Western Ghats for pilgrimage sites like Sabarimala Temple, Ganpatipule, Trimbakeshwar, famous temple of Goddess Mookambika at Kollur etc.
And finally, the Western Ghats hold great cultural significance as it houses places like Raigad, Guruvayur, and Gokarna.

Note: The forests of the Western Ghats are dated older than those of the Himalayas, due to this richness of fauna and flora the Western Ghats are considered as one of the hotspots of biological diversity and are hence regarded as a World Heritage Area by UNESCO.