“The gladdest moment in human life, me thinks, is a departure into unknown lands.” – Richard Burton
ROUTE MAP (From Bangalore)
We visited Yercaud and Yelagiri in October 2015.
Distance from Bangalore to Yelagiri is around 160 KMS (3.5 Hours)
Distance from Bangalore to Yercaud is around 230 KMS (5 Hours)
Distance from Yercaud to Yelagiri is around 150 KMS (Travel time might vary as you need to cover the Ghat sections)
Yercaud
Yercaud is located on shevaroy ranges of the state of Tamil Nadu. You need to drive through some hairpin bends (Loop Road) to reach this mini hill station of Yercaud. The highest point in Yercaud is the Shevaroy temple.
If you are preparing an Itinerary, you can keep around 1Night/2Days for Yercaud.
You can also try some local snacks like Egg Bonda (Mutta Bonda), green chilli fries, capsicum fries.
Major Attractions:
Yercaud Lake with Boating
Gents seat / Ladies Seat
These locations are best for viewing Salem city, Karupur mines, and Mettur dam.
Pagoda Point
This is the best view point of Yercaud where you can see some small villages inside forest. One temple is located in this view point.
KilliyurWater Falls
It is located near to lake with 3.5km travel. Falls is one of the main attraction of Yercaud where water level will be more during monsoon season.
Rose Garden
This garden is for nature lovers with lot of rose plants and other plants. It has a small playground for children.
Anna Park
This is in the heart of Yercaud near to lake. This park is not a very big one, but its nice one to spend time with children. During end of summer flower show is organized in this park.
Servaroyan Temple
This one is the important place to visit in Yercaud. Located in the highest peak of hill. This actually is a cave temple. But currently you are not allowed inside.
There are some very popular schools like ‘Montfort’ here (established in 1917)
Accommodation:
We stayed in ‘Wellington Hill station resort’. I would certainly not recommend this resort to any of my fellow travellers. Really one of the worst resorts that I have ever stayed.
Yelagiri
This can be a good weekend gateway trip for people from Chennai and Bangalore. You need to drive through some hairpin bends to reach this mini hill station of Yelagiri. This is a nice place for nature lovers who wants to enjoy the nature in a Peaceful environment, away from the busy city life.
Yelagiri is a cluster of 14 hamlets that lie between four mountains spread over an area of 30 sq km having an altitude of 3500 ft.
Even though this is in an elevated location, we cannot really consider this as a full fledged hill station.It’s not as developed and well known as Ooty or Kodaikanal, it is comparatively quieter and more peaceful. This hill station eventually gained more popularity in the colonial times when the British used it as a getaway to escape and relax from Chennai’s heat. Since Yelagiri does not have any historical or religious background, it is not that much of a tourist spot which comes as a blessing in disguise, as it is almost never crowded.
But keep in mind that there are no much tourist attractions in Yelagiri. It is not a place for tourists who want to have a hectic sightseeing agenda. If your intention is to relax, this can be a potential location for the same.
Seems like these days, there are paragliding and rock climbing options available. There are some trekking options available.(The highest point in Yelagiri is the Swamimalai Hill, standing tall at 4,338 ft with spectacular views)
Yelagiri Summer festival celebrated in May end is organized by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development. Stalls from different departments, flower show, various cultural programs and Dog Show with a variety of dog breeds are conducted every year. People from all over the State and other parts of the country participate in this annual festival.
If you are preparing an Itinerary, you can keep around 1Night/2Days for Yelagiri.
Major Attractions:
Lake with boating options —- This is the only main attraction that we found in Yelagiri. Since this being the main place, most of the visitors will visit here and you will have to wait for a long time to get a boat ride.
Accommodation:
We stayed in Sterling Resorts. This is a nice Resort. Certainly recommended to all fellow Travellers.
