[mpksuhas]

11- April -2015

Its almost two months without any out of town trip, the last was to Pondicherry in Feb. This is the longest break I took from visiting a petrol bunk and it needs to end soon.

Since its peak summer, we did not want to plan a long trip. We wanted to visit some place which is near to Bangalore, yet not crowded over weekend. Two places came to mind, which we were planning to visit since a long time - Yercaud and Yelagiri.

After a discussion we thought of going to Yelagiri this time.

05:50 AM

A lazy start means we would have to skip the Attibele toll booth due to weekend rush, hence decided to take Sarjapur - NH 207 - Bagalur - Hosur route.

For a summer morning, Bangalore was surprisingly dark.



Sarjapur bye-pass work is ongoing since ages



Soon we hit NH 7 and head towards Krishnagiri



By 06:50 AM we reach Shoolagiri HP COCO bunk and take a 5 minute break. Thankfully, traffic is sparse and we reach Krishnagiri toll booth by 07:20 AM.

Soon after Krishnagiri toll booth, take the left exit on road towards Chennai on to NH 46 and proceed on this road for approximately 50 KM's to reach Vaniyambadi toll.

Three KM's after crossing Vaniyambadi toll, we need to take right on to SH 18. Do note that for taking this right, one has to take the service road on left and take the underpass which goes below the NH.





There are multiple signboards near the junction, however it may be missed when driving from Krishnagiri side.

The road is standard TN SH fare, good surface, lined with trees and lots of two wheelers.






Few KM's down this road on place marked as Chinnamottur / Ponneri on Google Maps, we take left towards Yelagiri.

Soon we get glimpse of the hills at a distance.




And then we see what we came for
















Soon we reach Yelagiri town, saw similar sign boards at many locations -




We drive straight to Hotel Landmark, this is one of the larger hotels in Yelagiri. They have a big parking space and hotel is spread over decently large area.





We quickly order breakfast, which is tasty and surprisingly cheap.


After breakfast, we decide to leave car at parking and walk to the lake which is around 300 meters from the hotel.

Along with the lake, there is a children's park and boating area.

Park entrance














Since its mid summer, the lake is almost dry




We spend some time in the park and walk back to the hotel, get the car and proceed to Murugan temple.



Murugan Temple.



Murugan temple is located few hundred meters from the hotel. The temple is located on a small hill.





Once done visiting temple, we start back to Bangalore. Traffic was sparse since it was Saturday afternoon. We decide to take Hosur - Attibele - Silkboard route instead of the Sarjapur - Bagalur route we took onward.

We reach Silkboard around 01:15 PM and proceed for lunch.

[mpksuhas]

Location

Landmark Hotel : Link

Yelagiri lake: Link

Murugan Temple : Link


Route detail:




Timing

Start from Bangalore : 05:50 AM
Shoolagiri COCO bunk : 06:50 AM (5 mins break)
Krishnagiri Toll : 07:20 AM
Vaniyambadi Toll: 07:55 AM
Exit from NH towards SH: 08:00 AM
Yelagiri - Landmark hotel : 08:40 AM

Return start time : 10:40 AM
Attibelle toll: 12:45PM
Electronic city BETL : 01:05 PM
Silkboard junction : 01:15 PM

Total KMs: 320

[mpksuhas]

Yelagiri links on TBHP

Hotels in Yelagiri

Route direction from Bangalore



Epilogue

• A worthy contender for Nandi hills as weekend drive destination from Bangalore.
• Very much doable from Chennai too as a day drive.
• Do remember to get two way toll at all NHAI toll booths.
• Guess July - Oct will be the ideal time to visit the hills.
• Yelagiri is also spelled Elagiri, MMI uses the later.
• Pics came grainy since I forgot to change back ISO settings after day break
• There was a TBHP meet at Yelagiri in 2008 - Link

[Gannu_1]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues Section. Thanks for sharing!

[jkrishnakj]

Very timely Suhas.
My new car and I are aching to go somewhere and i was just telling my wife that we should do a day trip. Sounds like i got a plan.

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

My new car and I are aching to go somewhere

Congrats on your new car!!

Another option you can consider is Yercaud.

[mallumowgli]

Originally Posted by mpksuhas

Another option you can consider is Yercaud.

Yes - why half day in Yelagiri when full day at Yercaud was an option?

Nice travelogue, as usual

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by mallumowgli

Yes - why half day in Yelagiri when full day at Yercaud was an option?

Yes, Yercaud is also on cards. Thought will visit soon after or during rains, sightseeing in middle of TN during summer is bit

Planning a Yercaud drive sometime towards June end, it will be a anniversary drive too (XUV's of course)

[rajathv8]

Had been to Yelagiri on 25th - 26th July weekend.

Stats :
Car : A-Star Zxi
Pax : 4
Tot Dist : 345 Km
Mileage : 19.36 Kmpl (Shell normal + SystemG)

Summary :
Left home at 6:30am and reached Hotel Landmark at 12pm. We drove at a leisurely pace, rarely exceeding 80 Kmph. The roads are good all the way and the weather was splendid when we went. The purpose of visit was to relax and hang out so we didn't plan on visiting any places.

We booked a deluxe room for 4 @ 4250 incl tax and breakfast. The accommodation was above average and pretty big with a dining area and a balcony. We enjoyed the stay. In retrospect, it would have been better if we carried a movie with us. The room has a 32 inch LCD. The hotel, which is more of a resort, has a pool, badminton and volleyball court, lawns and ample parking. I would recommend this place.

We left the hotel at 10am and reached e-city toll at 1pm including a 15 min tea break.

Go to Yelagiri if you want to relax and spend time with friends and family as there is nothing much to do.

-Cheers
Rajath

[JD1]

Originally Posted by rajathv8

Had been to Yelagiri on 25th - 26th July weekend.

Thanks for sharing. Am planning a trip there from Bangalore this month. I have some questions-
(1) How is the weather there right now? Is it still hot or pleasant (Blore-like)?
(2) Is the vegetation on the way/in Yelagiri Green or dried out?
(3) Is the lake dried out or boating is doable?
(4) Would you recommend Landmark hotel where you stayed or any other hotel for a family with kids (age 9 and 2)?
(5) I know from what I read that Veg food options are sparse. Would you be able to recommend any hotel/stay/resort based on quality/availability of Veg food?

Thanks in advance.

[rajathv8]

Here you go. Hope this helps :

Originally Posted by JD1

Thanks for sharing. Am planning a trip there from Bangalore this month. I have some questions-
(1) How is the weather there right now? Is it still hot or pleasant (Blore-like)?
A : Depends on which day. It was sunny on day 1 before lunch and cloudy after lunch with a bit of rain. Day 2 was cloudy in the morning till we left and all the way to Blore!

(2) Is the vegetation on the way/in Yelagiri Green or dried out?
A : It was lush and green up there

(3) Is the lake dried out or boating is doable?
A: Well on day one we decided to drive down to the lake in the eve but ended up reaching there spot on the closing time. Does it have water? No clue

(4) Would you recommend Landmark hotel where you stayed or any other hotel for a family with kids (age 9 and 2)?
A : Yes. The stay was good. Room and loo was clean. Lots of space for kids to run around. I would suggest you carry some toys too for them. They have a kiddie side in the pool.

(5) I know from what I read that Veg food options are sparse. Would you be able to recommend any hotel/stay/resort based on quality/availability of Veg food?
A: No. Landmark is the only place I have been to. The veg food was ok, not the tastiest around but not the worst either.

Thanks in advance.

Mod Note: Please avoid responding within a quoted post. It gets difficult to respond further by others and keep up the discussion chain.

[JD1]

Originally Posted by rajathv8

Here you go. Hope this helps :

Yes it helped. Thanks a lot. Now reading hotel reviews to see if other options are available to keep kids busy.

[sibitg]

I too did a Yelagiri trip in my Brio this February last week. Mileage shown by trip meter was 18km/liter. Started at 6AM from Hebbal-Bangalore and reached Yelagiri around 10AM. Returned by 2PM post lunch at LandMark hotel and reached Bangalore by 6PM. Excellent road throughout the route Bangalore-Krishnagiri-Vaniyampadi-Yelagiri.

I am new to driving, so got headache after facing the bright Sun through out the trip. Plan to install Garware Ice cool 70 sun film for front and side windows, not on rear.

[pramodpk]

Google maps shows an alternate route to Yelagiri Via Hoskote - Kolar -Kuppam.

https://goo.gl/maps/TmePgExXQfr

Any idea about this route?

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by pramodpk

Any idea about this route?

I had done Bangalore - Kolar - Bangarapet - KGF (SH 95 and 96) last year. Roads were good 2 laned. Not sure about KGF - Kuppam route though.

Would be a slower route compared to Krishnagiri, however would be a good option for one side.