Weekend in the lap of “Lake Forest”: Yercaud

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Photo of Weekend in the lap of “Lake Forest”: Yercaud by Monica Maiti

Yercaud, situated at an altitude of 4970 feet, on the Shevaroys Hills of the Eastern Ghats, located in the Salem District of Northern Tamilnadu. Because of the abundance of trees and that happened to be near the lake, the locals used to call this area as Yeri Kaadu meaning Lake Forest. Later on the place was names as Yercaud. The entire region is enveloped by dark and thick forests and is popular for its orange groves, coffee and spice plantations.

• Best Time to Visit:

Winter Season extending from October to February is the best time to visit Yercaud. The temperature ranges between 10°C to 22°C. We visited Yercaud in the month of November.

• How to reach Yercaud:

- By CAR from Bangalore

You can hire any car rentals like Zoomcar or Drivezy or can take your own car. We had taken our own car from Bangalore (via. Hosur - Krishnagiri - Dharmapuri - Salem - Yercaud).

Photo of Weekend in the lap of “Lake Forest”: Yercaud 1/6 by Monica Maiti
Bangalore to Yercaud NH

- By Bus from Bangalore

There are no direct bus from Bangalore to Yercaud. The closest you can reach by bus is till Salem city, after which Yercaud will be an hour of journey. Plenty of buses, both government and privately run ply between Salem and Yercaud.

• Our Stay in Yercaud

For our 2 day trip, we had booked Summer House Resort, located in the heart of Yercaud. The best part of this resort was the Valley view room with wooden interiors. The balcony opening in to the valley also had 2 swings to enjoy the picturesque view of Yercaud.

Photo of Weekend in the lap of “Lake Forest”: Yercaud 2/6 by Monica Maiti
Summer House Resort
Photo of Weekend in the lap of “Lake Forest”: Yercaud 3/6 by Monica Maiti
Photo of Weekend in the lap of “Lake Forest”: Yercaud 4/6 by Monica Maiti
Valley View Rooms
Photo of Weekend in the lap of “Lake Forest”: Yercaud 5/6 by Monica Maiti
Photo of Weekend in the lap of “Lake Forest”: Yercaud 6/6 by Monica Maiti
The HUT Restaurant
Day 1

Valley View Room Balcony

Photo of Weekend in the lap of “Lake Forest”: Yercaud by Monica Maiti

We started our journey from Bangalore (230 km from Yercaud) on a Friday afternoon around 02:00 PM by car and reached the resort around 07:00 PM (excluding our lunch time). If you are starting in afternoon from Bangalore, it is better to have your lunch before, because until and unless you reach Salem (approx. 3.5 hours) you will not find any places to have food in between.

Also if you are not much confident driving in the mountains during night, it is better to start early morning on Saturday. During winters, the roads are a bit misty during night. As we reached the resort late we explored the surrounding area and relaxed the rest of the evening.

We started our second day having breakfast in the in-house restaurant “The Hut”. After breakfast, we headed for the city tour.

Day 2

At a distance of 2 km from Yercaud Bus Stand, Lady's Seat is a cluster of rocks in the form of a seat on the South West of Shevaroy hills in Yercaud town of Tamil Nadu state. The Lady's Seat is one of the prime attractions of Yercaud. It is a viewpoint that overlooks the ghat road and offers a spectacular view of Mettur Dam and Salem town. Besides, the place also houses a viewing tower, which is equipped with a telescope to enjoy the beautiful view. This viewing tower is open for visitors only during the daytime. We spent 45 mins to 1 hour in this location.

Photo of Lady's Seat, Yercaud, Tamil Nadu, India by Monica Maiti

Lady's Seat Viewpoint

Photo of Lady's Seat, Yercaud, Tamil Nadu, India by Monica Maiti
Photo of Lady's Seat, Yercaud, Tamil Nadu, India by Monica Maiti

Anna Park is a well preserved garden and is a combination of four small parks known as Lake Park, Deer Park, Gandhi Park and Children's Park. The park houses a wide collection of natural plants and trees around Shevaroy hills. Inside the Anna Park, there is one Japanese park, in which plants are grown in Japanese style. The park also has a wonderful Horticulture Farm with a Rose Garden. If you want to enjoy the greenery in the lapse of nature with the aroma of the flowers this visit is a must. We had spent 1 hour approx and headed for our lunch. Entry Fee: Rs. 15 for Adults, Rs. 10 for Children, Rs. 25 for Camera & Rs. 50 for Video. Timings: 9. 30 AM to 5. 30 PM

We had our lunch in “Eggeterian” which was very near to the Anna Park and our next stop “Yercaud Lake”. If you are visiting this restaurant, kulfis are a must try. You will get burgers and milkshakes as well. After grabbing a handful of burgers and kulfis, we headed towards the Yercaud Lake.

Popularly known as Emerald Lake, this lake is the only natural lake among all the hill station lakes in South India. Flanked by lofty hills and natural shoals, the Emerald Lake is a wonderful site and looks stunning with a beautiful garden along its banks. There are boating facilities both rowing and self-peddling boats. The 20 mins boat ride in the cool waters is a memorable experience. During boating, the deers from the adjacent Deer Park adds more to the experience.Luckily the time of the day (02:30 PM) we visited the lake was cloudy and could enjoy the boat ride to the fullest. If the day is sunny, I would suggest to visit this place either early morning or during the evening.Boating Timings: 8.30 AM to 5.30 PM

Yercaud Lake

Photo of Yercaud Lake, Yercaud, Tamil Nadu by Monica Maiti

Yercaud Lake

Photo of Yercaud Lake, Yercaud, Tamil Nadu by Monica Maiti

Pagoda Point, also known as the “Pyramid point”, is a viewpoint located in the eastern part of the Yercaud Hills. There is a Sri Rama Temple which is an important pilgrimage site for the locals and tribe. Pagoda point is also famous for offering breathtakingly beautiful sunset views. One can enjoy the wonderful surroundings and heavenly beauty from the top of the hill. One can have evening tea and other snacks available in the Pagoda Point. Timings: 7 AM - 7 PM

Sunset at Pagoda Point

Photo of Pagoda Point Road, Yercaud, Tamil Nadu, India by Monica Maiti

After exploring the whole day, we headed to our resort where we enjoyed the barbecue and the bonfire with music arranged by the resort staff which made our journey more memorable. In the chilling night, the bonfire and the terrace offered a terrific combination.

Day 3

The next day was very relaxed. We had our breakfast in “The Hut” restaurant and then headed towards the last stop of our trip. It was a cloudy day and the experience that we were going to have in our next stop was breathtaking.

1. 32km Loop Road

If you have a car and you are in Yercaud, Loop Road is a must visit. The 32km Loop Road is actually a 32km stretch road, starting from the Yercaud Lake and takes you through the agricultural plantations and good roads of Yercaud where you can experience the essence of lives, taste of culture away from the city life. One can see coffee plantations, teak plantations, jack fruits all over the stretch. Try to spend 1 to 2 hours driving the complete stretch enjoying the cool winds and picturesque views.

Loop Road

Photo of Weekend in the lap of “Lake Forest”: Yercaud by Monica Maiti

Loop Road covered with Red Petals

Photo of Weekend in the lap of “Lake Forest”: Yercaud by Monica Maiti
Photo of Weekend in the lap of “Lake Forest”: Yercaud by Monica Maiti
Photo of Weekend in the lap of “Lake Forest”: Yercaud by Monica Maiti

After the beautiful stretch of greenery, we headed towards our resort. Grabbing some lunch we checked out from the resort and started our journey back to city life.

Yercaud is indeed a combination of culture and nature.

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