#HorsleyHills #Horsley #WeekEndTripFromBangalore
Horsley Hills is a perfect weekend getaway from Bangalore as it takes around 3 hours by road to reach this small hill station. It is also known as Horsleykonda or Yenugulla Mallamma Konda or Ooty of Andhra Pradesh. The hill station is in Madanapalle taluk of Chittoor district and has an elevation of 4320ft. To stay here, APTDC Haritha Resort is the best option. Otherwise, there are some private hotels and government holiday homes.
W.D. Horsley, a British collector, built his home around 1870 after whom it is named. In contrast to the dry and hot surroundings, this area is well vegetated with a cooler climate. This made it attractive as a hill station and a tourist spot.
The native vegetation of the area has been replaced in some parts with dense growths of eucalyptus and plantations of exotic trees. In the past, the area had more wildlife including Sambar deer (now reintroduced into the wild), wild boar, and sloth bear. More than 133 species of birds have been recorded from the area and these include the endemic Yellow-throated Bulbul, first recorded from the area in 1908. Other birds which are rare in the surrounding region include the black eagle and the white-rumped shama. The endemic toad Duttaphrynus Hololius has been found here and a ground orchid Diplocentrum Recurvum was rediscovered here after nearly a century. Several species of lichen have also been documented from the region.