The Best Hill stations in South India

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We all know how hot it can get in summers in South India! In this blog post I have compiled the top hill stations in South India.

I have been to most of these places as weekend getaways from Bangalore. Some of these are well known, while some of these still are considered unexplored.

Which is the best hill station in south India? I personally find Kodaikanal and Coorg the best, and you will have your own favorites as you visit them one by one!

The List of Items show

Ooty | Hill stations in South India

Top places to visit in Ooty — Ooty Tea Garden

Ooty is one of the most visited hill stations in south India, specially popular among the honeymoon couples.

Ooty is located in the Nilgiri range at a height of 2240 meters above sea level, and is known for its tea plantation and dense forest coverage with eucalyptus trees.

Summer is the perfect time to escape the soaring temperatures of Bangalore and pay a visit to Ooty.

The tiny place will win you over with its lush green rolling hills and the beautiful Ooty lake which spreads its wing right in the center of the town. The temperature in summer range from 22 degrees to 26 degrees, while there is always a possibility of rain showers, making it one of the coldest hill stations in South India.

On the downside Ooty is always full of tourists and in the peak summer season you might have to jostle shoulder to shoulder with the typical Bangalore and Chennai crowd.

There are plenty of places to visit in ooty – you can spend an evening paddling a boat in lake Pykara, or taking a lazy afternoon stroll in the Botanical gardens. Alternatively, you can check out couple of famous few points, Lamb’s Rock and Dolphin’s Nose. But my favorite of all is the Ooty Rose Garden, a tranquil place with a stunning landscaped garden.

Kodaikanal

Okay, I have to admit I am bit un-partial when it comes to beautiful Kodaikanal, it’s one of my absolute favorites. Located at a height of 2133 meter above the sea level, in the Palani hill and with cool temperature all year around, Kodaikanal is a hill station in a true sense.

Summer temperature in Kodaikanal range around 20-25 degrees, often with cool breeze and the unpredictable mist which descends down on the streets unannounced. Dare I say that the mist lends a ‘myst-erious’ charm to this beautiful town.

The pleasant whether makes walking and bicycling around the lake an absolute pleasure.

There are plenty of places to visit in Kodaikanal. Boating in the Kodai lake is also quite popular among the tourists. The other two attractions frequented by tourists and located within the city with walking distance to each other are Coaker’s walk and Bryant park.

There are some other Kodaikanal viewpoints outside of the town such as Dolphin nose (not again!) but imho they are not worth it and are just set as tourist trap.

And yeah while you are there do try the home made chocolates which is available at throwaway prices, and even if you are not interested in buying you can ask for a sample for free.

PS: I strongly advise you to not visit Kodaikanal for the simple reason that I don’t want you to ruin my experience! In an unlikely event this travel blog post start getting heavy traffic, and you guys start getting there in droves, Kodaikanal might meet the same fate that Ooty had. So, guys please heed to my pleads and don’t go!

Coonoor | Hill stations in South India

With cool weather and an absence of crowd, Coonoor is a popular hill station in South India

At about a distance of 20 km Coonoor is located very close to Ooty, thus allowing you to combine the two places together.

Coonoor, the little brother of Ooty, is much more peaceful as the crowd largely stays in Ooty and only comes here as day trip. The summer temperature in Coonoor remain in pretty much same range as Ooty.

If you are interested in sightseeing in Coonoor, you will be glad to know that there are many places to visit in Coonoor.

You can visit the Tea garden which gives an enormous opportunity to take selfies among the rolling hills of the tea plantation. Sim’s Park is also quite a popular choice to enjoy a peaceful afternoon’s walk in the nature.

I find Sim’s park much more picturesque than the Botanical garden of Ooty. For waterfall aficionados there is Laws Falls situated just outside the Coonoor town.

To top it off Coonoor also has a tiny railway station which due to its old world charming beauty also doubles as a tourist spot.

Coonoor is for sure one of the best hill stations to visit in south India! I will strongly recommend you to add it to your bucket list.

Munnar | Hill stations in South India

Blossom International Park, Places to visit in Munnar — Blossom International Park

Munnar is one of the best hill stations to visit in South India!

Beautiful rolling hills, acres of tea plantations, several walker friendly trails leading into unscathed landscapes with mountain goats (including the engendered Nilgiri Tahr) grazing lazily – what not to like about the place!

Munnar is located at a height of 1532 above the sea level and the area also boasts of Southern India’s highest peak at about 2700 meters.

In summer Munnar temperature ranges from 23-28 degrees and it starts getting cooler as the monsoon arrives. In the winter season the temperature of Munnar dips down to a minimum of 3-4 degrees, so be sure to carry woolens.

Or you can just lie around in your bed wrap yourself in blanket all day long as you sip cup after cup of freshly brewed and piping hot filter coffee.

Top places to visit in Munnar include few waterfalls – Atukkad Waterfall, parks – Blossom park, a handful of viewpoints – Pothamedu, Munnar Echo Point and Photo Point (Can there be a cheesier name? The place has written tourist trap all over it.)

Yercaud

Yercaud ranks consistently amongst best hill stations to visit in South India.

The hill station of Yercaud, located in Tamilnadu, is quite possibly the closest one to Bangalore (about 200 kms) among all the ones listed here. The drive takes about 4-5 hours and if you are going by bus it takes about 6 hours to reach from Bangalore to Yercaud.

While you are in Yecaud don’t forget to check out Anna Park (Park check), Yercaud Lake (Lake check), Arthur Seat – Lake view point (view point check), and Kiliyur Falls (waterfall check). All the items on the list checked, anything else left soldier?

What’s my favorite hill station in South India?

Well it’s got to be Kodaikanal! It is one of the highest hill stations in South India and one of the coolest too! There are many resorts situated in these hill stations, so you can enjoy the nature and the cool weather to the maximum.

Hope you liked my travel blog and are inspired to explore these summer destinations. As always if you have questions, or suggestions post them in the comments below.

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