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It was a chilly morning on the 5th of Feb’ 2017 and everything around had an air of excitement as we headed to a hill station for a quick get away at the weekend. At just one beck & call, children were up and as excited they were about the adventure, got ready with their treasure of games.

With our sweaters and caps, we decked up ourselves and in a Qualis vehicle started our journey at 7am from Bangalore.The driver (hired taxi) was to be blamed for late-coming and we set off to join with a friend’s family.

Breezing past the highways of Bangalore and the hustle and bustle of the crowd, we soon found ourselves engulfed in the serene beauty of nature. The coconut trees, the plantains and the green pastures welcomed us on the route to Tirupattur. Gliding through 11 hairpin curves, we made it to the hilltops of “Yelagiri” and were mesmerized by the beauty and the calm. The fresh air filled our nostrils and we reached our destination by 11.30am. With the excitement at its peak, children longed to go for boating. The ‘Punganoor Lake Park’ offers paddle boating as well as row boating and the scenery around is breath- taking. We opted for Row boating and went the length & breadth of the lake. This was just the beginning as more adventures awaited at the “Wild Adventure Zone”. Here, the children lost themselves completely with numerous games – Archery, car riding, wall climbing, zip-lining etc. Before they could venture more, it was a much-needed lunch break. Having savoured the local specialties paddu, mirchi, vada and several varieties of fruits – litchi, jackfruit, bell fruit, panir, Guava, etc, we headed to a farmhouse. A beautiful place to unwind and the perfect place to rest was a huge room with 2 double beds that was kingly in size.

Children got their Shuttle bats and Frisbee to play, while two of us settled for chess on the cozy bed. Evening came, with a plan to the Murugan temple and Venkataramana temple, after which we had to go to the nature park. After fulfilling prayers to the deities, it was getting dark and we cut short the nature park to the musical fountain. With the colourful water sprinting to the songs of popular music, children had a good time munching candy and chips. After a long day, it was time to call it off with a quick dinner almost half asleep.

The next morning, we woke up re-energized for a much awaited trek to the Swamimalai Hills. With a cup of hot tea/coffee and bournvita, all of us tied our shoelaces with the trek pants and water bottles to climb up to the peak of these famous hills. Starting at 8.30am the way led us deep into the forest, surrounded by huge trees, with steps, rock stones and a muddy path. By 10 am, we successfully reached the peak to have experienced this feat of climbing the hills and feel the beauty around us. The happiness and the pleasure felt can only be experienced. Having spent almost an hour, eating snacks, biscuits, watermelon, papaya, raw mangoes, we took a bow at the temple and started our trek down the lane. Balancing the uneven ground, we reached around 12 p.m to the base.

It was time to check out from the farm house and we readily did so, because the next thing was the waterfall. Dreaming of waters in the hot afternoon, brought smiles on the children and at the same time they were tired of the long trek. The Jalagambarai waterfalls was situated around 40 km from Yelagiri and we fell asleep as soon as we headed our vehicle. The afternoon nap did wonders, as could be seen with children and adults equally excited to jump and soak in the falls. A neat flight of 80 stairs took us to the waterfall and everyone willingly drenched.

We returned from the falls and after a small tea break, we said ‘goodbye’ to Yelagiri and started back to Bangalore.

A wholesome family package with the best of refreshing change. Recommend anybody for a quick getaway (170 kms from Bangalore).

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Source by Kiriti Chandan Chavadi