Yercaud - Another town in the hills

I had not heard of Yercaud until recently. In fact I heard of it on the Club Mahindra website when I was finding drive-able places to relax and booked it finally when I could get some time. Tamil Nadu has a series of hill station towns which surprisingly seem very alike. Some, like Ooty and Kodaikanal are extremely popular and lately really crowded, while others like Valparai are nicely not too crowded. Yercaud happens to be somewhere in between. It can be a bustle on the weekends and desolate during the week.

The drive down to the town from Bangalore is quick and except the last 30-40 kilometers is in really good shape. The last stretch though is what you would enjoy - scenic and steep. We stayed at an old property converted into a resort, so there was some history to it. It also had a good amount of trees and hence plenty of birds. It was walk-able from the lake, which is where most of the crowds, eateries, gardens, stalls and city center is. Coffee, seemed to be the flavor of this hill, and there are a few places to try different flavors as well. While most times it was sunny, we had a couple of drives where the fog descended without a warning and it was tough to see beyond 15 meters, but that I felt was just the place reminding us that it was still at an altitude.

Other places of attraction include the botanical garden - there are 2, the bigger one requires booking online earlier as it is government affiliated, and with the bad network around there, it is advised that you book earlier. The other one was completely empty on the weekday but may have crowds on the weekend. There is of course a waterfall as well, but considering the descent and climb back, it would require at least a few hours. Other areas include ladies and gents seats - which are both great viewpoints and a scenic circular road running about 30 km, which has another viewpoint for the sunrise. The classic hill station school is another architectural sight while a longer drive would find other views at every few kilometers. As in every South Indian hill station, a couple of temples can also be found with ease.