Yelagiri Hills is good weekend gateway from Bangalore. It is about 3-4 hour drive from Bangalore. I liked Yellagiri because of its quite surroundings. Only sound you will hear is birds chirping. If you like calm , easy and relaxed places surrounded by trees, Yelagiri is the place. Altitude Height is 1410.60 meters. To reach at the hill, you will have to cross 14 HAIRPIN BENDS, it will awesome drive but careful , don't hurry otherwise you will reach somewhere else.
How to Reach there
Best way to reach Yelagiri Hills is by Car. It is around 140 kms from Bangalore and should take around 3 hours to reach.We started at around 7 AM from Bangalore took the NH 7 (Hosur Road). From Krishnagiri take a left turn towards Chennai (NH 46). Due to construction on elvated road till Attibele circle road is very bad. Once you get into Hosur, 4 lane high way toll road starts. Road is excellent. From Krishnagiri after taking the left turn drive for 50 kms. You will see one flyover. Donot take that flyover. There will be a sign board on the left 'Elagiri 26 kms'. Go on the service road and take a right turn from under the flyover. Keep going straight for around 14kms , you will reach Jolarpet.Drive for about 7 kilometers (you'll see the winding road that leads up to the hills to your left). On the left, you'll see a big sign board 'Tamilnadu Tourism Department Welcomes You'. Turn left at this junction, there's a sign board pointing towards Yelagiri.
For Directions on MaymyIndia click here.
What to eat
First once you start early morning on the way you will find Anand Adiyar Bhavan A2B. We had our breakfast as well as dinner at A2B. For lunch you will get various options at Yellagiri. When you go for trek make sure that you carry your water bottles and some snacks or food depending on the time you are starting, since you will not get any thing on your trek.
Things to do
Telescopic Center: Donot waste your time here. What you are going to see with the telescope from here, you will get much better view from top.
Punganur Lake: There is Childern's park and Boat house around the lake. Boating charges are Rs. 75/- for one hour.
Silk Farm: The government silk farm situated here is famous for its mulberry plantations. Tourists can take a sericulture tour and they will get to see the silk farm from close quarters.
Trekking Points: There are two treks :
Swami Malai - This trek is around 4 kms and takes around 2 hours to reach uphill. Trek is very scenic. Make sure you take water and light snacks with you. Start early in the morning to see beautiful view from the top. If you are going there you should not miss this.
Jalagam Parai - This is a tough Trek of 5kms but rewarding. Once you reach the point there is a beautiful waterfall.
Murugan Temple: If you like going to temples, this is a nice temple at hill top, to take the blessings of the Murugan god and navgreh.
Nature Park A lovely 10 acre campus with an artificial fall, an aquarium, musical fountain in the evenings and amazing landscaping.
Just before the Murugan temple, there is one community hall, and when we had gone there, there was a public function going on to Thank the outgoing collector for all the work he did and also to welcome the new collector. Besides local people, there were few politicians / MLAs who have come from different places like Combiatore, Bangalore, Chennai, etc.
