Read this Yercaud, Tamil Nadu travelogue written by S Shristi! The traveller uncovers her peaceful getaway to Yercaud tourist places and the overall travel experience.
I visited Yercaud, a small hill station in Tamil Nadu, about an hour’s drive from Salem, the mango city, with my family, in the month of March. The pleasant climate of Yercaud was very refreshing, with temperatures ranging between 17 degrees at night to 33 degrees during the day. There is a bus every hour from Salem bus stand to Yercaud, which is a convenient way to reach there. There are about twenty hairpin bends while ascending the hills. Hence, it may cause motion sickness or slight dizziness in a few people. We reached Yercaud around 8 am on a Saturday morning. For a vegetarian diet, one only has a few options for a pure vegetarian eatery. Out of three pure veg restaurants, we had breakfast at Sri Venkateswara, a small place, 500m from the bus station. The ambience was old school, and they served steaming hot food in banana leaves. The food was quite good and affordable. Then we proceeded to the Retreat viewpoint. It was a serene spot with a magnificent view. The full-blown lavender-coloured flowers of Jacaranda trees adorned the hills.
Following this, we visited Peeku Park. The ticket cost was 300 INR for adults. One can see different types of birds and domesticated animals here. You can feed birds like swans, ducks, and ostriches. There’s an aviary where you can find parakeets, toucans, parrots, macaws, and other colourful birds, and you can feed them grain food with your hands. It was a unique experience as birds sit on your head and shoulders and peck at buttons and other attractive objects. It takes about 45 min to an hour to enjoy this place. There are separate enclosures for rabbits, goats, hamsters and guinea pigs. They offer pony rides for kids. There was a separate area for dog lovers to pet Shih Tzu, a Japanese dog breed, for about 15 minutes. One has to pay an additional 50 INR for this activity. The next destination was Pakoda Point. It is a scenic place with a cool breeze. Various food stalls sell overpriced maggi, chat items, and juice. The food and grain supply to Yercaud comes from Salem, resulting in additional transportation charges. There was garbage litter all around this place. The next place on the itinerary was a small chocolate factory, where one could taste chocolate samples before buying them.
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Next, we visited the Lady’s seat, where there was a telescope tower with a ticket charge of 10 INR per head. Through the telescope places like Hairpin bends and specific important points inside the reserve forest area are visible. One can see the Kamalapuram Airport and Dalmia quarry on a clear day. Following this, we visited Gent’s Seat and Children’s Seats, which were again viewpoints. There’s a rose garden near the children’s seat. It is a well-maintained botanical garden where you can buy succulents, herbal plants, flowering plants and bonsai. It was a soothing place to escape from the hot sun in the afternoon. The local fauna is limited to monkeys and bison owing to thin forest cover. Dahlia also known as ‘Yercaud Rose’ is a beautiful flower grown at Yercaud. Locally, one can find coffee plantations in the hills.
Regrettably, we could not visit the waterfalls as they had dried up due to insufficient rainfall. Our next stop was Yercaud Lake and the boathouse, which has paddle, row, and motor boats. The best time to visit this is in the evening when the sun is not too bright. We hired an auto to see all the local places, and the trip lasted about 5 to 6 hours. The last place of the day was Poppy Hill Adventure Park. They offer activities like rock climbing, bungee jumping, zip-lining, cycling, rope activities, and driving all-terrain vehicles. They have multiple affordable packages, and one can choose according to preference. But on average, each activity costs about 200 INR. In the evening, the tourists are seen enjoying fritters and corn while sipping hot beverages sitting along the water banks. Away from the light pollution of the city, one can see the sky studded with stars on a clear day. Unlike other hill stations, plastic is not banned here, resulting in widespread littering which is one major drawback of this small town. Adding to the issue, cleaning workers are observed burning garbage, exacerbating the environmental concerns.
Overall, Yercaud is an ideal place for a weekend getaway on an affordable budget, with several viewpoints presenting an opportunity to relish the magnificent scenic beauty. It may not be as common as commercialized hill stations like Munnar, Kodaikanal, or Ooty. But it offers new experiences and whispers a new tale to the ones seeking it.
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