South India is blessed with immense natural beauty and panoramic sceneries that are sure to leave you with a memorable experience. And if you are also willing to treasure every bit of South India, then have a look at the top popular hill stations in South India.
Ooty
Ooty is the first choices on the list. Situated 105 kilometres away from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, this beautiful hill station attracts tourists all year round. Popularly known as the Queen of Hill Stations in South India, it is blessed with sprawling tea estates. This is probably one of the places in South India, where you can actually enjoy coniferous vegetation including pine trees. Additionally, the temperature here is known to reach below two degrees and such a climate not only makes it ideal for this type of vegetation, but also for the people who seek fresh atmosphere.
Kodaikanal
If you want to treasure bountiful of natural beauty, then Kodaikanal is the best place to hang out with your loved ones. Popularly known as Kodai, this is a beautiful hill-station located at an altitude of 2, 133 metre above the sea level and is nestled 120 kilometers from Madurai in the Palani Hills of Tamil Nadu. Orchards of pear trees, and charming buildings with gabled roofs, will greet you as you enter the town. Here you can visit Kodai Club, Bryant’s Park, star-shaped Kodaikanal Lake, dolphins nose, Green Valley View and Orchid House.
Munnar
Situated at an altitude of 6, 000 feet above the sea-level, Munnar is one of the best hill-stations where most of the region is surrounded with sprawling tea plantations. The Kundale Tea Plantations that surround a picturesque lake offer you an opportunity to see tea being picked and processed straight from the gardens. Apart from this, area is blessed with the natural beauty of winding lanes, misty hills, and forests full of exotic plants and wildlife.This famous tourist spot is dotted with scenic beauty of coffee and orange plantations, as well. And you can enjoy visiting Anaimudi Peak, Echo Point, Nyayamakal waterfalls and Rajmala.
Yercaud
Yercaud is the only hill station within Eastern Ghats of Salem district that is situated on Shevaroyan hills in northern Tamil Nadu. Yercaud lake located in the centre of town lends its name to this beautiful hill station. It is located at a height of 4800 feet above the sea level and offers splendid views of hills descending into thickly forested plains. Slopes of the hills are filled with tempting scents of fruits, coffee and variety of spices. Apart from coffee, fruits like oranges, pears, bananas, jackfruits and guava are also cultivated here.
Khandala
Khandala is one of the famous hill resorts in the Indian state of Maharashtra and is the pride of the Sahyadri Mountains. Khandala is endowed with abundant natural beauty and like Lonavala, it is also provides a popular gateway from the hustle and bustle of cities of Mumbai and Pune. The picturesque green surroundings of this pretty hill station attract the travelers towards it. Tourist can enjoy the scenic beauty of this place by taking a walk around. It has a number of trekking trails around it. At the Khandala Ghat is the tourist attraction of Amruntanjan point. The beauty of the gorgeous greens, wondrous vistas of the valley and the Dukes Nose will sweep you off your feet.
Ananthagiri Hills
Widely gaining a lot of popularity, Ananthagiri hill station in Tirumala Hills is one of the beautiful places to hang around. The place is blessed with snow-capped Himalayas, apple orchards and cascading streams that retain the potential to attract nature lovers from people belonging to different walks of life. Most popular tourist attractions within Ananthagiri Hills include Araku Valley, Borra Caves, Bheemunipatnam Beach, Simhachalam, Dolphin’s Nose, Ramakrishna Beach and Indira Gandhi Zoological Park to name a few.
Lonavala
Lonavala is a Hill station is located in Maharashtra. Also known as the jewel of the Sahyadri Mountains. This Hill Station is also a popular Health Resort in the western ranges on the sahyadri,It Is situated on a hieght of 625 mtrs. above sea level and is a popular gateway from Mumbai and Pune. It also serves as a starting point for tourists interested in visiting the famous, ancient Buddhist rock cut caves of Bhaja and Karla, which are located near this hill station.
Panchgani
Tucked away in Satara district of Maharastra, Panchgani is a spectacular hill station that offers splendid views of River Krishna on one side and coastal plains of Maharashtra on the other.Panchgani derives its name from the five hills surrounding it. All of them are topped by a volcanic plateau called Table Lands, which is the second highest in Asia after Tibetan plateau.The region has an average elevation of 1,293 metres and is located close to another popular hill stations like Mahabaleshwar. Apart from this, tourists can enjoy visiting spots like DhomDham, Mapro farms, Parsi point, Pratapgarh Fort, Sydney Point and Rajapuri Caves to name a few.
Horsley Hills
Horsley Hills is a beautiful hill station in Andhra Pradesh that was named after the Collector of Cuddapah district, W.D. Horsley. These hills are situated at an altitude of 1265 meters above the sea level in Nallamalai range and boast thick lush green vegetation. Additionally it is also believed to have the coolest climates in Southern and Western parts of Andhra Pradesh. Here you can find a wide range of herbal, medicinal and therapeutic plants like amla, sandalwood, reetha and a 150 year old eucalyptus tree called Kalyani, which has now become a major tourist attraction. Apart from this, you can choose to see Malamma Temple that was built by tribals in honour of a girl who was taken care by a herd of elephants. Most importantly, Tirupati is just 151 kilometre from Horsley Hills.
Coonoor
Coonoor is the second largest hill station in Nilgiri mountains surrounded by tea plantation and characterized by lush green slopes, valleys, ravines and spectacular waterfalls. Situated at an altitude of 1839 meters above the sea level, Coonoor is positioned at the head of Hulikal ravine and became popular in the 19th century. This hill station is known for the toy train line that runs between Mettupalayam and Ooty. Some popular tourist attractions include Dolphin’s Nose, SIM’ Park, lamb’s Rock and Coonoor Tea Festival.
Chikmagalur
Chikmagalur, nestled in Baba Budan hills, this beautiful hill station is situated at 3400 feet in Sahyadri mountains of the Western Ghats.Snow white coffee blossoms dominate the entire hill-scape, which is worth visiting. The hills surrounding the town are also a point of origin for rivers like Tungabhadra, Netravathi, Hemavathi and Vedavathi. Apart from this, there is Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, which is fun way to get closer to flora and fauna of this region.
Igatpuri
Igatpuri situated in Nashik district in Maharashtra is bordered by the highest peaks of Sahyadri ranges in Western Ghats and most of these peaks have forts built on the top during Satavahana dynasty.
Situated at a height of 1900 feet above the sea level, Igatpuri attracts tourists at Buddhist Pagoda for its Meditation Centre called Vipassana. Additionally, it is known for having many picnic spots, beautiful locales of forests and waterfalls like Bhatsa River Valley, Five waterfalls, Camel Valley and Bhandardara region. The lush greenery, rolling hills, milky white waterfalls and gurgling streams have made this place a great attraction for nature lovers.
