Yercaud
Salem's 20-hairpin coffee hill, the Nilgiris without the traffic
Best time to visit Yercaud
- Jan, peak season
- Feb, peak season
- Mar, peak season
- Apr, shoulder season
- May, shoulder season
- Jun, shoulder season
- Jul, best avoided
- Aug, best avoided
- Sep, best avoided
- Oct, best avoided
- Nov, shoulder season
- Dec, peak season
peak shoulder off-season avoid
- Go: December to March
- Shoulder: April to June and November, quieter, and the weather is less of a sure thing
- Skip: July to October
Yercaud season by season
Winter December to February Prime time
Dec-Feb is the dry, clear stretch at 12-26 C, when the Shevaroys actually give you the drop onto the Salem plain at dawn.
Summer March to May Prime time
March stays dry and clear; Apr-May is 28 C up here against 40 C in Salem below, with thundershowers and the May flower show.
Monsoon June to September Shoulder
June is showery but workable; Jul-Sep turns properly wet at 190-250 mm a month, with the viewpoints inside cloud most days.
Autumn October to November Shoulder
October is the wettest month of the year at 250 mm; November dries back to 160 mm and the plain comes into view again.
What Yercaud is actually like
Coffee estates, an orange-seller lake and Tamil families at weekends; midweek the loop road is more or less yours.
Getting to Yercaud
Salem Jn 30 km, then a bus up 20 hairpins in an hour; Coimbatore and Trichy airports are both about 3 h away.
Practical ways in: trainroad
Trip facts
- How long to stay
- 2 days
- Budget
- Mid-range
- How busy
- Steady at its peak
- Solo travel
- Fine solo
- Altitude
- 1347 m
- State
- Tamil Nadu
- Coordinates
- 11.7852, 78.2075
Common questions
When is the best time to visit Yercaud?
December to March is peak season in Yercaud. April to June and November is shoulder season: thinner crowds, a bit more risk in the weather. Avoid July to October. Dec-Feb is the dry, clear stretch at 12-26 C, when the Shevaroys actually give you the drop onto the Salem plain at dawn.
How many days do you need in Yercaud?
2 days is the usual stay. Coffee estates, an orange-seller lake and Tamil families at weekends; midweek the loop road is more or less yours.
How do you get to Yercaud?
Salem Jn 30 km, then a bus up 20 hairpins in an hour; Coimbatore and Trichy airports are both about 3 h away. Practical ways in: train and road.
Is Yercaud expensive, and does it get crowded?
Mid-range by Indian travel standards, and it runs steady at the busiest time of year. Fine solo.
Is there a festival in Yercaud?
May: Yercaud Summer Festival. Time a trip around it and you see the place at its loudest, but book beds early.
Nearby, and where to go next
-
Hogenakkal Falls
Tamil Nadu
Coracle rides into a Cauvery gorge of black carbonatite rock
80 km from Yercaud, roughly about 2 h by road
-
Kolli Hills
Tamil Nadu
Namakkal's plateau of hairpin bends, waterfalls, betel farms
90 km from Yercaud, roughly about 2 h by road
-
Yelagiri
Tamil Nadu
Small hill station near Bangalore-Chennai, minus Ooty crowds
150 km from Yercaud, roughly about 4 h by road
-
Tiruvannamalai
Tamil Nadu
Barefoot 14 km girivalam loop around a hill read as a lingam
140 km from Yercaud, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Javadi Hills (Jamunamarathur)
Tamil Nadu
Quiet tribal plateau of jackfruit farms, seasonal falls and dark skies
150 km from Yercaud, roughly about 3 h by road
-
BR Hills (Biligiri Ranganatha)
Karnataka
Soliga tribal hills where the Western and Eastern Ghats meet
180 km from Yercaud, roughly about 5 h by road
-
Tiruchirappalli (Trichy)
Tamil Nadu
Rockfort stairway and the 156-acre Srirangam temple city
160 km from Yercaud, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Shivanasamudra Falls
Karnataka
Twin Kaveri cataracts in full thunder after the rains
170 km from Yercaud, roughly about 3 h by road
More places to visit in Tamil Nadu
- Chettinad (Karaikudi) Tamil Nadu
- Chidambaram & Pichavaram Tamil Nadu
- Coonoor Tamil Nadu
- Courtallam (Kutralam) Tamil Nadu
- Gangaikonda Cholapuram Tamil Nadu
- Gingee Fort (Senji) Tamil Nadu
- Hogenakkal Falls Tamil Nadu
- Javadi Hills (Jamunamarathur) Tamil Nadu
- Kalakkad-Mundanthurai (Mundanthurai) Tamil Nadu
- Kanchipuram Tamil Nadu
- Kanyakumari Tamil Nadu
- Kazhugumalai (Vettuvan Koil) Tamil Nadu
- Kodaikanal Tamil Nadu
- Kolli Hills Tamil Nadu
- Kolukkumalai Tamil Nadu
- Kumbakonam (with Darasuram) Tamil Nadu
- Madurai Tamil Nadu
- Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram) Tamil Nadu
- Manapad Tamil Nadu
- Masinagudi (Mudumalai) Tamil Nadu
- Meghamalai (High Wavy Mountains) Tamil Nadu
- Ooty (Udhagamandalam) Tamil Nadu
- Point Calimere (Kodiakkarai) Tamil Nadu
- Pulicat (Pazhaverkadu) Tamil Nadu
- Rameswaram Tamil Nadu
- Sittanavasal Tamil Nadu
- Thanjavur Tamil Nadu
- Tharangambadi (Tranquebar) Tamil Nadu
- Tiruchirappalli (Trichy) Tamil Nadu
- Tiruvannamalai Tamil Nadu
- Valparai Tamil Nadu
- Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary Tamil Nadu
- Vellore Tamil Nadu
- Yelagiri Tamil Nadu