How To Reach Yelagiri

Yelagiri is a small hill station of the Eastern Ghats, located in the Vellore district of Tamil Nadu. At an elevation of 1,410 m above mean sea level, the hills lie about 15 km away from the Vaniyampadi to Tirupattur road, via Ponneri. The closest major towns are Vaniyampadi, Tirupattur and Jolarpettai, while Bengaluru and Chennai are the nearest metro cities, situated at either side of the district.

The best way to reach Yelagiri Hills would be by train to Jolarpettai and then a ride uphill by bus. If your starting point is Chennai or Bengaluru the most ideal means to travel would be a drive to Yelagiri.

Vellore district does not have an airport, though plans are in the offing for a fully functional airport in the future. The nearest domestic airport is at Salem, which serves flights to Chennai. The next closest airports are the international airports at Chennai (216 km) and Bengaluru (194 km). Both airports serve domestic flights to most major cities around the country and international flights to Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lampur, Frankfurt, London etc. You could hire a taxi from either of these airports to Yelagiri or book tickets for bus or train, since Yelagiri is easy to get to from Chennai and Bengaluru.

The railhead nearest to Yelagiri is the Jolarpettai Junction. Trains from Chennai, Bengaluru and Coimbatore and long distance trains from Mumbai, Delhi, Pune and Hyderabad halt at Jolarpettai. You can hire a cab from the railway station to Yelagiri or a bus bound for the hill station. Jolarpettai Junction is about 21 km from Yelagiri.

You can travel by bus from cities like Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Chennai or Bengaluru to Jolarpettai, Vellore, Tirupattur or Vaniyampadi; and from either of these towns you can board a local government bus to Yelagiri. The next best option to reach Yelagiri, other than a train journey, would be a drive or a motorbike trip up the hill station from Chennai (4-5hrs) or Bengaluru (3 hrs). The road to Yelagiri Ghat road has about 14 hairpin bends and you would take pleasure in driving up the hill.

Yelagiri is a small place and you can easily explore the town on foot. There are a few auto rickshaws and cabs for getting around. Since most tourists go to Yelagiri on a weekend getaway by car from Chennai or Bengaluru, driving around is the better option. Or you could hire a cab from Jolarpettai for a day’s trip.