Yercaud Tamil Nadu

Yercaud is a hill station situated on the Sheoy Hills of the Eastern Ghats in the northern part of Tamil Nadu and experiences very pleasant climate. Yercaud is considered to be a poor man's Ooty, as it is less expensive place than Ootacamund.

Owing of its picturesque scenic beauty and greenery, Yercaud is now gaining popularity as a favorite tourist spot among locals as well as foreigners. In Tamil language, "Yeri" means lake and "Kaadu" means forest. Yercaud has a lake located at its center and hence the name.

Yercaud is famous for oranges and coffee plantations and it has preserved some of the forests in original condition with several resident species of flora and fauna. The main crop frown in Yercaud is coffee, but fruits like guava and jackfruit and spices like black pepper, cardamom are also grown as plantation crops. The coffee plants were brought to Yercaud from Africa in 1820 by M. D. Cockburn.

The forest areas of Yercaud are abundant with teak, sandal wood and silver oaks. The wildlife in Yercaud comprises of bison, deer, foxes, mongooses, squirrels, snakes and birds like kites, swallows, bulbuls and sparrows.

As the temperatures do not fall to the extremes, there is no need for any heavy winter clothing for tourists who visit Yercaud. There are also many trekking spots available in and around Yercaud. During the month of May, a summer festival is conducted which includes flower shows, dog show boating races and fairs.