Chennai to Yelagiri hills/Elagiri hills by road - Bike/Car/Train

Yelagiri is a small hill station to hangout over the weekend. It is even called the Ooty for not so rich people as it doesn't makes you spend a lot out of wallet. If Ooty is a hill station for the rich and a destiantion to hang out for week, yelagiri is a much shorter version of it to hang out over the weekend especially for those who live in Chennai.

How to get there:

From Chennai or Bangalore, you can go there by road or by train as well. The nearest railway station is at Jolarpettai and from there there you can go to hills (which is just around 10 kms from there) by either public transport or hire a car from the town. The nearest airport is Bangalore.

The distance between Bangalore and Yelagiri is 150 kms & the distance between Chennai(Guindy) and Yelagiri is around 270 kms and by road it is a fantastic trip to have. The Chennai - Bangalore highway (NH4) is so good that while returning, we covered the whole distance in just two and a half hours. We are a group of thunderbird riders based in Chennai and we travelled to Yelagiri by road.

The roadway to Yelagiri is finely constructed and well punctuated with the milestones and signboards all way through. Petrol pumps are sufficient enough which makes traveling convenient and easy.

Yelagiri hills are located at an altitude of just 1410 meters above sea level. It has around 10 - 15 hairpin bends and with a bike it is really fascinating to drive these bends. The climate is really good..not too cold and not too warm. It is exactly the climate which everyone would wish to live with .. a pleasant pollution free atmosphere.

Activities to do:
There is a beautiful lake on the hills and it offers you a pleasant boating. You can also trek up a small mountain called the swamimalai on the hills which is quite a tiresome one. You can enquie the natives there for the trekking trip and they can guide you.

 And ofcourse yelagiri is a good spot to hang out with friends for a night or two and booze.

The highest point in Yelgiri is the Swamimalai Hill, standing tall at 4,338 ft; Swamimalai is a popular destination for trekkers. The view from the summit is spectacular. The hill provides a good number of trekking trails through thick reserved forests. Mangalam, a small village, is at the base of this hill. There are other trekking options that include smaller peaks like Javadi Hills, Palamathi Hills.

Other activities are simply to eat and relax if you are out recently after a hectic week.

There are also adventure sports like paragliding and rock climbing.

Trekking in Yelagiri hills

Next to Pune, Yelagiri Hills has the most conducive weather for paragliding. This is why it has been drawing participants from within the country and abroad. There is also a small temple on the swamimalai as you can see on top of any mountain in india.

Paragliding at Yelagiri:

YASA - the Yelagiri adventure sports association conducts paragliding service for tourists but not throughout the year due to conducive weather. Check http://www.yasa.co.in/ for more information



Yelagiri hills

  

 

The view of Vaniyambadi from Yelagiri

The view of Vaniyambadi from the hills



The view of Vaniyambadi from the hills





With some drama artisits

Stay @ Yelagiri:

There are quite a few good hotels and resorts on top of the hill which offers fantastic entertainment such as campfire, indoor games and swimming. Here are a few hotel/resorts that offers the best stay on top of the hill:

O'Nila resorts
Hotel Nigress