'''Yelagiri''' is a peaceful hill station in Tamil Nadu, 230 km from Chennai and 160 km from Bangalore.

Understand

If you think that places like Ooty are mercilessly commercialised then Yelagiri hills is a peaceful, sleepy retreat where everything is in slow motion. It is a sleepy hill retreat as yet unspoilt by wanton commercialisation.

Get in

Route from Chennai - (230km) Bangalore -(140km)- Hosur -(70km) Krishnagiri -(40km) Vanayambadi -(20km) Yelagiri. (distances are approx)

Reach vanayambadi from Chennai by taking the Chennai - Bangalore expressway.

Highway branches after Krishnagiri and you need to travel on highway going left to reach Vanayambadi. Do not be tempted to take the shortcut via Tirupatur as there is a stretch of mud road to navigate and 4 wheelers can get stuck there, plus you won't be saving much time.

'''The highway from Bangalore till Vanayambadi is a dream...''' You can cruise along at 120 kmph on 4 lane highway, some stretches of which are even better than US InterStates with 3 lanes + shoulder on each side separated by a wide median. The last 12 km from Vanyambadi - Yelagiri is lovely Ghat(mountain) Road which is wide enough and in good condition with very light traffic. If you travelling from Chennai to Yelagiri, the entire stretch is so good that you will be tempted to go over 120 kmph. Whenever, you pass through a town, need to watch out for pedestrians who cross the roads suddenly.

'''NB''':There are no petrol/gas stations in the hills, so you must fill up your tank before reaching the Ghat road. The last station that you can find is near the start of the hills after you take the turn from the national highway. You need to travel approximately 4 km to get that HP station. Except a few roadside repair shops that can only offer a tire change, there are no vehicle repair shops in the hills. There is a medical shop near Hotel Hills (in the beginning of the town). Nearest place where you have good medical facilities is Tiruppatur even though there is a primary health centre run by the Government in one of the villages catering to the basic needs of the people in villages.

Get around

Yelagiri is the name of the Hills among the Jawadh hills range in the eastern Ghats. There are about 14 villages in Yelagiri Hills, and these villages are connected by good roads. Since there are no local conveyance available for roaming about, it is better you take your own vehicle, two or four wheeler to move about. Otherwise you should trek by foot. It is a best place for tekkers.

See

Misty Clouds, Lake, Swami Malai, Water Falls, Trekking. It will be good to see the native people who are very simple and good hearted

Do

Best is to relax in theme cottages at LeAuroville Resort, watching the misty hills in evening.

There is also a lake where one can enjoy boating ( I would suggest being at lake by 9:00 - 9:30 am to avoid the rush after 10 am).

Next one can move 5 km down on main road to reach the valley view point at Swamy Malai. You will have to park the vehicle at temple on left side of road and '''trek uphill for an hour or so.''' A group of normal walkers (trekers?) would take one and a half hours uphill and one hour downhill. The trek is enjoyable passing through local farms with fruit trees near you (u can pluck a pomegranate or Shareefa/sitaphal to nibble upon). do not forget to carry water as there is no water up the hill. There is a small Siva temple that is constructed beneath a huge rock.

There is a water fall at the foothill for which u need to come down the hills reach the Jalagamparai waterfalls. Season to visit : June , July , August till Jan

Misty clouds

Buy

Locally produced honey, though be careful about the quality. jackfruits are very sweet and cheap here. we get lot of rare fruits.

Eat

There are plenty of small eateries offering south/north indian food and snacks at reasonable rates. Branded cool drinks and bottled water are available. If you travel 6 km from the lake area (passing further to Swamimalai stop), you will reach YMCA (and possibly thats the end of the road). There is a house nearby where you get very pure honey - malai thein (mountain honey)

Drink

There are no liquor shop available in Yelagiri. The closest ones can be found in Ponneri- hill bottom.

there is one TASMAC shop near the lake

Sleep

Please note that hotels and shops in the area do not accept payment by credit card.

Budget

  • '''YMCA''' has a branch here.
  • '''Nigress Hotel''' provides comfortable rooms with attached dining/sitting area, badminton court etc.
  • '''Hotel Hills''' is one main road and is one of the oldest hotel in yelagiri so it is little outdated.
  • Mid range

  • '''Le Auroville''' is a cozy place tucked into the hillside,amazing place, home cooked food, Great ambience, good entertainment on the lawn, cricket ground, bonfire and good music.
  • Excellent service, facilities and hospitality.

    Get out

    It is better to move out during the day time. The road to travel up and down is quite narrow and you get to see big buses travelling often. If one bus gets struck, there is a possibility of a traffic jam that runs into hours.