What is there in Yelagiri ?
Yelagiri is a small hillstation in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu. Just like other hill stations of south, Yelagiri too has a lake, beautiful green valley but with one difference, it is not crowded. Though Yelagiri might not be the perfect hill station but the drive to this place is worth it.
Which is the best season to visit Yelagiri?
As Yelagiri is not at a great altitude, summers can be really hot. Any day that is pleasant is good for this short trip.
Yelagiri is also famous for snakes so probably rainy season should be avoided if you are planning to trek.
How to reach Yelagiri?
Yelagiri is around 150km from Bangalore and the the best way to reach would be to drive to Yelagiri (GPS- our best friend). Though the road is in very good condition but last few kilometers have lot of twist and turns so it can be fun for some and no so much for others.
What to do in Yelagiri?
We had heard para-gliding could be done in Yelagiri but it turned out it was no more done there. Disappointment.
Swami Malai Trek :This is an small 3km trek which takes around 1-1.5 hrs climbing uphill. It starts behind a small temple (ask locals they will guide you to the starting point, GPS will also guide you to the starting point) and passes through fields. The trek is pretty decent with many mud stairs. At the top of the hill there is a big boulder on which one can climb and view the whole valley. Must do trek in Yelagiri.
Jalagamparai Waterfalls : We were not able to visit these waterfalls but there is a trek to reach to these falls.
Punganur Lake : This is an artificial lake and meant for families with kids, so you can pass on this lake.
Vainu Bappu Solar Observatory : One of the largest solar observatory is around 35km from Yelagiri. Prior permission is required.
Where to stay in Yelagiri?
There is not much to do in Yelagiri so a day trip would be enough to explore this place, but if you have to stay then there are few good hotels/ resorts in Yelagiri such as Yelagiri Marigold Ridge, O’Nila resort. Cheap stays are also available.
Our Experience
To be honest, the trip wasn’t as per our expectation. We had gone to Yelagiri to do para-gliding which as I mentioned above was no longer done there. Also,it was a hot day and we didn’t know what to do there. After some online search we came to know about the trek but by then it was already 10am so it was pretty hot. Though the trek was nice as most of the route to the trek had tree cover but would have been better if we had started a little earlier.
But anyway,the drive to this place was very nice with some good view points and also the trek was good, so we would recommend this place if you want to do road trip from Bangalore.
Fledgling Travelers 