YERCAUD

HILL STATION 

AT

YERCAUD

Yercaud is a hill station in Salem District, in Tamil Nadu, India. It located in the Shevaroys range of hills in the Eastern Ghats; the Yercaud hill area is called the Shevaroy Hills.

 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).

Yercaud is fastly gaining popularity among the locals and foreign tourists. The name Yercaud is derived from two Tamil words – ‘Yeri’ (lake) and ‘Kadu’ (forest).

Yercaud is known for its plantations majorly of coffee, orange, jackfruit, guava, cardamom and black pepper. Coffee is the main produce and was brought to Yercaud by the Scottish Collector Mr. M. D. Cockburn in 1820 from Africa.

There is also a reserve forest, which has the woods and wildlife in the original unexploited state.

Even though Yercaud is a hill station it never gets extreme temperatures, making it easier to pack clothes for the tourists and avoid those heavy winter wear which is difficult to carry.

Apart from sightseeing tourists can opt for trekking around Yercaud, and if visiting during the month of May, the Summer Festival is a must see which is a spectacle consisting of fairs, boat races, flower and dog shows.

Some of the most popular tourist attractions in Yercaud are Big Lake, Bear's Cave, Lady's Seat, Gent's Seat and Children's Seat, Arthur's Seat, Anna Park, Botanical Garden, Montfort School, Servarayan Temple, Sri Raja Rajeswari Temple and Tipperary View Point.

By Air

The nearest airport is at Trichy (165 km). You can also arrive at the Coimbatore Airport and then plan a further trip to Yercaud via Salem. From the airport take a cab or a bus to get to Yercaud.

By Train

The nearest railway station is in Salem (36kms) and Salem Town (33kms). Also there are direct trains to Yercaud from Chennai, Coimbatore and Bangalore.

By Bus

Yercaud is 190 km from Coimbatore, 220km from Bangalore and 357kms from Chennai and is well connected to all these cities through an efficient road network system. Many buses pass through Yercaud on their way to and from Salem, which is a mid-size industrial town.