Sakshi

Culinary Chef | Global Flavors ️| Traveling for taste & tales| Serving stories one plate at a time

Last month, we decided to escape the Chennai heat and drove up to Yelagiri with the kids. I’d heard good things about this little hill station, but honestly wasn’t expecting much – how exciting could a small town be? Boy, was I wrong!

What started as a quick weekend getaway turned into one of our most memorable family trips. The kids loved it, my husband put his phone away for more than five minutes, and I got to relax without constantly worrying about keeping everyone entertained.

Here’s what we ended up doing (and what I’d recommend):

The Bird Park Was a Hit We stumbled upon the Yelagiri Bird Park on our first morning. My 7-year-old went crazy for the colourful parrots – she spent twenty minutes trying to teach one to say “hello” back to her. Even my usually bored teenage son got interested when he spotted the peacocks strutting around. It’s not huge, but perfect for a couple of hours, especially with younger kids.

Boating at Punganoor Lake This was probably everyone’s favourite activity. We rented a pedal boat, and the kids took turns “driving” while we enjoyed the cool breeze. The lake isn’t massive, but surrounded by hills, it feels quite serene. Fair warning though if you go on a weekend, it gets crowded fast. We went early morning and practically had the place to ourselves.

Morning Mist and Hilltop Views Getting up early isn’t usually my thing but watching the sunrise here was worth the 6 AM wake-up call. The kids were amazed by how the mist rolled through the valleys my daughter kept saying it looked like we were in a fairy tale. These viewpoints are scattered around town, so you don’t have to trek far to find a good spot.

Rainy Day Surprise It poured on our second day, which I thought would ruin our plans. Instead, we ended up having the coziest afternoon sitting on our hotel balcony, sharing hot pakoras and watching the rain. Sometimes the unplanned moments turn out to be the most special ones.

Easy Nature Walks Yelagiri has these gentle walking paths that even our grandparents could manage if they’d come along. The kids ran ahead collecting interesting rocks and leaves while we got to have adult conversations. These weren’t challenging hikes – more like pleasant strolls through gardens and small trails.

Where We Stayed – Sterling Yelagiri

I’d booked Sterling Yelagiri mainly because of the location and decent online reviews, but it exceeded our expectations. The staff genuinely seemed to care about making families comfortable – they even arranged a small birthday celebration for my son without us asking.

The rooms were spacious enough that we weren’t tripping over each other, and they had activities for kids in the evenings. But honestly, my favourite part was just sitting in their garden area after dinner, watching the sunset paint the hills different colours while the kids played nearby.

Would We Go Back?

Absolutely. Yelagiri isn’t going to blow your mind if you’re looking for adventure sports or nightlife, but for a peaceful family getaway where everyone from toddlers to grandparents can enjoy themselves, it’s perfect. It’s close enough to Chennai for a long weekend, affordable, and has that rare quality of being genuinely relaxing for parents while still fun for kids.

Next time, I think we’ll stay an extra day – there are a few more viewpoints we want to check out, and honestly, we could use another afternoon of just sitting in the mist with hot chai and good company.

https://www.sterlingholidays.com/resorts-hotels/yelagiri