Yeracaud is a hill station in eastern ghat , It is sitiuated at Shevaroys range of hills , and nearly 30 km from salem district.It is situated at an altitude of 1515 metres (4970 ft) above sea level, and the highest point in Yercaud is the Servarayan temple, at 5,326 feet (1,623 m). It is so named owing to the abundance of trees categorised as a forest near the lake, the name signifying Lake Forest. As a popular tourist destination, Yercaud is also called as Jewel of the South. Yercaud is connected to the city of Salem, Tamil Nadu through a Highway of 28 km ( This reference details are taken from WIKI ). Yercaud is 230+ km from Bangalore and 360+ from chennai.
Our trip journey – One fine day my husband and his friend Atul made a sudden plan for Yercaud , Actually plan was for Munar or Kodai Kanal , then finally due do distance factor we end up choosing Yercaud.
It was long weekend (May 1st labor day), so we started on Thursday morning 7 am, plan was for 5 am but those days are gone when we executed and started as per planned time :-), Meeting point was Silk Board Junction , Bangalore. We met at silk board junction and started our journey, We traveled through electronic city elevated flyover and from there it was straight road, no left and right only straight road to Salem via NH7, NH7 will lead you to Salem. In between we thought of taking a break but our kids were sleeping so plan was to cover distance as much as possible till they are sleeping , we reached Salem somewhere around 1 pm , from salem we had taken cherry road to SH 188 , and we followed SH 188 till Yercaud Foot hills. From the foot hill to top of Yercaud there are 20 Hair Pin bend and approximately 25 km of distance.
From Yercaud Foot hills to Top one will encounter 20 Hair Pin Bend like as given in bellow picture.
We reached to Resort Clifton Inn somewhere around 3 PM. We had chosen budget stay, positive point with Clifton INN was that in front of our room there was a big terrace so our kid enjoyed a lot, service and food was so-so. First day food experience was not that good , since we reached at 3 PM , Clifton INN’s kitchen was closed so does other restaurant’s kitchen , we walked near the city area and took parcel (Masala Dosa + Idaly ) , after eating those food one of the friend got stomach upset, advantage with Clifton is View of Salem night scape was beautiful within walk able distance.There is small resort called Misty view, it is 50-100 meter from Clifton Inn , view from there garden is beautiful , early morning misty view where whole one can see that whole Salem city is covered by cloud and night view is just amazing , some images of night scape and early morning landscape.
The major attraction point at yercaud is as follows :-
•Yercaud Lake: Beautiful lake, where people can do boating and relax for some time in nearby gardens.•Lady’s Seat: It is one of the peak point from where tourist can enjoy the complete landscape and they can use telescope as well to view the beauty of Ghat Sections.
•Killiyur Falls: a 90-foot (27 m)-high waterfall.
•The Servaroyan Temple: Situated atop Servaroyan hill, the annual festival of Lord Servaroyan is celebrated in May every year. The temple is a narrow and dark cave having the God Servarayan and the Goddess Kaveri inside, which are believed as the deities of the Shevaroy Hills and Cauvery River.
•Bear’s Cave: Situated near the Norton’s Bungalow, Bear’s Cave is considered as one of the abodes of Lord Murugan.
•Green House: The greenhouse cultivates many varieties of flowers and spices.
Botanical Survey of India : Botanical Garden Situated at the Nagalur main road 2 km from Yercaud town.
•The Grange: The Grange is one of the oldest buildings in Yercaud, built in 1820’s by the then District] who first introduced coffee from Arabia and apples and other fruits from South Africa between 1820 and 1829. It is believed to have been the summer resort of Robert Clive, general of the East India Company in the late 19th century.
•Pagoda Point: Another vantage view point; once adorned with stone built pagodas, it is now home to a large temple.
•Silk Farm and Rose Garden: Situated very close to Lady’s Seat, Silkworms are reared here. Located 2 km from Yercaud town, tourists can see the cultivation of mulberries, growing of silk worms, and methods of silk-spinning. The rose garden has a collection of varieties of roses. There is a nursery in this garden which sells plants.
•Trekking in Yercaud: Yercaud has developed into a major trekking destination in the region. Many treks are organized here. Chennai Trekking Club organizes treks in Yercaud.
•Fairholme Bungalow: Fairholme Bungalow is one of the old heritage colonial bungalows on Tipperary road. A Miss Pope sold it to the present owners, who converted it into a heritage hotel. It is furnished with antique furniture and fireplaces.
•Heaven’s Ledge: A Scenic west-facing cliff situated in Gowri Estate in Yercaud.It has been converted into a campsite to encourage sustainable tourism. It is 15 km away from the main town area.
•Karadiyur View point : A wonderful Site seeing placed in yercaud about 12 km from the center of the town in a village Karadiyur.DD
•Sri Lalitha Thripura Sundari Amman Temple: Situated at Nagalur 7 km from yercaud town. It is very important temple.
•Montfort Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School is a residential institution with a glorious history dating back to 1 June 1917
From above list we have visited Yercaud lake , Lady’s Seat , Pagoda Point , Silk Farm and Rose Garden , Karadiyur View point and Montfort Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School. Out of all those view point we liked Montfort Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School , Beautiful school with magnificent architecture.
Some Pictures from the places we have visited :-
Montfort Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School
Video of Beautiful Sunrise view at Yercaud
There is one more attraction point – GRT Nature Trails , this hotel is build one of cliff of sheveroy range , we have an awesome ala carte lunch here, during our 2 night stay in yercaud this was one of the best food we had during our whole stay , and after lunch we enjoyed Sky walk at Sky Point build by GRT Nature Trails hotel , one can see the downhill view from those transparent glass.
Best time to visit: Yercaud can be visited any season or time of year, but Best time to visit would be March – June or October to February.
How to Reach: From Bangalore Yercaud is around 230 KM and from Chennai its just 190 KM, one can opt for any cab service from Bangalore or Chennai, or can go in their own vehicle, Nearest Airport is Salem and from Salem Yercaud is just 35 KM.
Where to Stay: There are plenty of good Hotels/Resorts in Yercaud.
1) Park Plaza
2) Sheveroy Hotel
3) GRT Nature Trails
4) The Lake Forest Hotel
There are certain options like one can book entire homestay, they can prepare their own food. Some options are as follows
1) House of Gryffindor Cottage
2) Sterling vacation rental
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