Horsley Hills - From Chennai to Horsley hills by road

Horsley hills are a range of mountains on the eastern ghats which offers a cool climate for
tourists to hang out for a day or two. I felt it is more or less similar to the Yelagiri hills in Tamil Nadu.
Horsley Hills is named after a British officer named W.D. Horsley, the Collector of Cuddapah
district. He visited this place around 1840-43 and was impressed by the beauty of the hills
and chose this spot for his summer residence. Now the Governor of Andha pradesh uses this
house as a summer residence and hence this house is called the Governors bungalow.
How to get there:
From Chennai/Bangalore/Tirupathi, you have to go past Madanapalle. From Madanapalle it is 26
kms to Horsley. The best route from Chennai to Horsley is:
Chennai - Kanchipuram Bypass - Walajah - Ranipet - Serkadu - Chittoor - Palamaner -
Punganuru -Madanapalle - Horsley

The distance from Chennai to Chittoor is 210kms and from Chittoor, Horsley is 65 kms away.
So the distance between Chennai and Horsley is around 275 kms. By road it will take you
around 4 hrs in bike with all the pitsops included. If you are going by car or even better with an SUV, it might take you just 3-3.5 hrs.

Route :
From chennai you have to take the NH4 (Chennai - Bangalore highway) and leave the highway at
Walajah in order to go towards Chittoor.
My experience:
I drove to Horsley from Chennai to Horsley by bike(Royal Enfield Thunderbird) and it
was a very nice drive. The road till Walajah is a NH and it is a four lane with a divider
also. So no complaints on that. But after walajah you dont have a divider though it is
equally a NH, but the quality and smoothness of the road is equally good. I suggest the
drivers should be a bit careful while overtaking as it is jus a two lane without a divider.

Activities to do at Horsley:
It's a place to chill out especially if you are there after a very hectic week. It's not the kind of place where you get a list of things to see just like anyother place. If you are with friends, i suggest you should have a drink first and then roam around in the parks, have a chit-chat etc.

However, there are quite a few adventure activities organised by the AP government and they incude Rapelling, Trekking and Zorbing and ofcourse if you are with a bike,then ejouy your drive throught the hair-pin bends there.

You should also visit the Yenugu Mallamma temple which is built after little girl named Mallamma who was taken care of by elephants. She used to heal the tribal people on the hills. When she disappeared suddenly, people thought that she was a goddess and built a temple for her. Befor these hills were called Horsley, they were actually referred to as Yenugu Mallamma konda.

Things you get on top of the hills:
AP tourism has provided cottages and restaurants for travellers who wish to stay there. There is also a Bar
on top of the hills, so you may not worry of bringing liquor from below.

Video of Our Ride

Thailand Visa for Indians

Thailand offers a 15 day visa on arrival for Indians which costs you 1000 Bahts. They require one passport photo and if you think you can take it in the airport i suggest not to. It is best to carry one from your place itself. There are two services - one the normal one and a faster one. The normal service is the one that costs you 1000 Bahts and the other costs you 1200 Bahts.

Just make sure which one you enter before get into the queue as you may not notice the difference if you are in a hurry. Both are mostly deserted..so i suppose you can get into the normal one to save some money.

However, if you are on a business trip for less than 15 days, well you can take the tourist visa itself but if you are to stay more than that you have to apply through vfs-thailand from/in your nearest city.

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

Chennai to Thailand

From Chennai, you don't have a direct flight to Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok. The best option is to travel by Sri lankan airlines via Colombo which offers you good deals in Transit via Sri Lanka.

Thailand offers a 15 day visa on arrival for Indians which costs you 1000 Bahts. Dont forget to carry 1 passport photo with you as taking a photo at the Bangkok airport is quite costlier.

Thailand is a wonderful destination for tourism. From history, culture, cuisine to therapy, pubs and girls it has everything you need for a relaxing holiday. Not to forget the wonderful beaches and sea food.

Places to hang out :

Bangkok is a nice city with tuk-tuk's all over. Just like indian city's it has auto's all over which are called "Tuk-Tuk's". These drivers not only take you where u say but at times they tend to do more than that. So be careful!

Pattaya which is the a popular destination for water sports, pubs and the Thai massage is just around a 100kms away from Bangkok. Pattay which was initially a small fishing village soon beacame an important Thai destination after the visit of around a 100 americans from vietnam during the vietnam war. After the holiday of american soldiers the village blossomed into a remarkably famous tourist shore in south Asia.

What to do in Pattaya:

Most of the foreigners spend their time bathing in the sun, enjoying the cuisine and a drink and relaxing most of the time. Some other activities which are adventurous include riding speed boats, para gliding, deep sea diving. There are three major islands near pattaya which makes you very much away from the city life and a less polluted beach. The drive from the mainland to the beaches of islands is amazing.

The Pattaya tourism organizes boat rides from 6:00 AM in the morning to 6:00 PM taking tourists from the mainland to the islands.

The complete blog about Sri Lanka

If you are looking out for an economic holiday trip, you should be looking out at the contries which were developing rather than looking at the european or american coutries.

One such option for indians is Sri-lanka. For people in Chennai it is even close than the north-indian cities and even cheaper.

I happenned to travel to Srilanka on a transit to Bangkok.
From Chennai, you dont have a direct flight to Bangkok. So what we did was to fly on transit via Colombo. Sri-lankan airlines offers to take care of your accomadation and food for 1 full day any one way. As your srilankan visa is valid for 3 days on transit, you would get six days in total both ways which is more than enough for go around the whole country.

Hi-Bowan! Sri-Lanka is famous for its beaches and Tea. The country which was till last year very busy in dealing its communal problems has recently started exploring its tourism and in no time it has started attracting tourists from abroad. Sri-Lanka is also famous for its gems which is considered to have the world's best natural gems burried within like the blue sapphires,ceylon sapphires,natural sapphires,padparadscha,spinel,tourmaline,garnet, topaz, zircon.

Srilanka is a country of Buddhism and it is the place where Buddhism flourished in its initial stages.
So you can have a glimpse of the Buddhist synagogues. Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Trincomallee

A Ride: Chennai to Alamparai fort via Mahabalipuram/Mamallapuram

A ride from Chennai to Alamparai on Thunderbirds..

It was a fine Saturday morning and around 6.00 AM we flagged off from Marina beach in chennai for one day trip to Aalampaarai fort expecting to reach ever before the sun could set up the weather hot.
The Marina beach has been a popular rendezvous for our rides always. We either finish our rides there or flag off here. After a short while in course of time we gathered up chit-chatting, we were all set to throttle our bikes.

The distance between Chennai and Mahabalipuram/Mamallapuram is 58 kms.
The distance between Mamallapuram and Alamparai fort is another 10-12kms.
Hence the distance between Chennai and Alamparai fort is thereby 68-70 kms.

The route from Chennai is

Chennai - Thiruvanmayur - Muttukadu - Mahabalipuram - Alamparai Fort

Once you reach Mahabalipuram, you have to be cautious after 10 kms for there is left turn where you have to deviate from the ECR that runs straight till Pondicherry. Though you can see a Green board by the side of the road , it best to ride slow so that you'l be able to see the board sign.

The best way to travel to Alamparai fort from chennai is to go by road for the route is so scenic along the eastern coast or the popularly known ECR.

There is not much to see at the forts for all left with is just the ruins of the compound wall alongside the sea.
But it is quite amzing to imagine how the fort would have looked when it was built for the fact that it so close to the sea. Just imagine the time when people living in the fort overlooking the sea guarding from the towers of the walls. It is so fascinating to imagine this scene i believe.

However, now there are few activities to do there like
Riding bikes
Boating
Swimming n the sea
learn the History of that place

Check out the link for the fascinating video of our trip:

Chennai to Kona/Kone Falls

It was a wonderful road trip. This time to Kona falls which is in Narayanavanam Mandal,Chittoor District, AP. The nearest railway station is Puttur which is only 10kms away from the falls.

Kailasanatha Kona being the full name is shortly known as Kona falls. It's a very good place to hangout, particular if you are residing in Chennai or Tirupathi.

Driving Directions :

The distance from Chennai(from Koyambedu) and Kone falls is just around 95 and only 10 km from Puttur but you don't have to drive till Puttur if you go via the Red Hills route. But, If you wish to go via Poonamallee-Tiruvallur-Tirutani and Nagari you have to take a right exactly on the outskirts of Puttur By-pass. Both the routes are pretty good but the one via Red Hills is a better one for the reason its a bit safer as it has wider roads at some parts atleast. Also for the fact that traffic is quite less compared to the other.

Route1 : Guindy - Porur - Poonamallee - Thiruvallur - Tiruttani - Nagari - Puttur
Route2 : Guindy - Koyambedu - Red-Hills - Periyapalayam - Uthukotai

You can also plan your trip from/to Tirupathi which is only around 40kms away.

Finding the exact location :
However finding the exact location of the Falls has been a difficult task for so many people who have been there. While coming in NH5 you have to look out for a narrow road that takes off from the highway at exactly 10kms before Puttur. So you need to watch for the milestone (on the right side of the road) that reads “Puthur 10″. This entrance comes immediately after that milestone on the left side of the road with a welcoming Arch in front. From here its a 2km drive to the foothills of the falls.


Kona Falls - An Overview:
The falls avails you a shower with its fresh and sacred water. You can bath either in the falls or start trekking up the hill where you can find a lot of small pools formed naturally by rock-cut ponds which gives you the feel of a natural swimming pool.
Activities to do:
Trekking
Swimming
Relaxing

Where to Eat:
Puttur is just less than a half-an-hour drive which is quite a big town. This is the only nearest place to the falls
where you can find some good hotels either inside the town or on the bypass road.

Adventure - Riding, Swimming and Trekking:
Our trip was very interesting. We were part of the group Metal Men - "Burn the Road".
Imagining what Metal men is all about? We are the riders of Royal Enfield's Thunderbird.

We started from Chennai on a fine Saturday morning.

We were a group of around 20 people each one having a separate bike.

At around 7.30 AM we were at the outskirts of the city after all the necessary planning and Breakfast.

And now came the BIG moment.. Everyone sat on their bikes and one behind the other, we burnt the road as well a lot of fuel. For the next two hours it was completely noisy with the engines screaming as loud as they can and everyone on the road-pedestrians to Huge trailers looked at us with amusement.

It was our turn to rule the Road - We overtook every single vehicle that was before us with the sounds of our yelling engines.

By 11.00 AM, we reached our destination after having a few pitstops here and there. We had a very brief look at the falls which din't had much water though it was active. So soon after we decided to trek the hill through its forests. It was very pleasant as we elevated up and we were actually in search of the ponds which were supposed to be a wonderful pool of fresh water to swim.

After 30 mins we found ourselves before a small but natural pond made of rocks and which was 6 feet deep.

We decided to trek up the hill for some better pools as told by some local guys. Amongst those who had come that day, we were the one to trek the most. We went very deep and high into the forest in search of the origin of water. But finally gave up this search and started chatting with ourselves in a very shady place.

After a tiresome trek:

After all the trekking we came all the way down deciding to have a swim in the same pool that we saw downhill. Hoooooo! Everyone started jumping into it and we were really having a great time there swimming and chatting. Even those who din't knew swimming managed to take their chances today for the pool wasn't that deep at all.The water was fresh and chill. So that was really a natural swimming pool. I would wish one of such kind (made up of rocks) in my home instead of the artificial ones.

After all the enjoyment, it was almost 3.00 PM and we decided to drive back to Chennai after having some lunch.

All together it was a wonderful ride as well the trek and swim. If you are adventurous you can trek as high as possible. Its really a good place to trek. You don't have to get anyone's permission to trek the hill. People say that there are better pools atop the hill but we missed them. So if you are adventurous enough try trekking  up the hills as high as you can.

END OF AN AWESOME TRIP