Getting bored over the weekend. Wanted to visit new places. If you are in Bangalore then a bike ride to Kolli hills will fill enthusiasm and excitement over the weekend. Kolli Hills is also referred as “70 hairpin bends”, yes you read it correctly, 70 hairpin bends are what you need to negotiate through to reach Kolli Hills, which grimly translates into ‘Mountains of Death.’ Kolli Hills or Kolli Malai is a tall hill range located in central Tamilnadu in the namakkal district. This little known hill station nestled in the Eastern Ghats 1300 meters above sea level. This is an unexplored and mostly unpolluted destination hasn’t yet been overrun by tourists.
From Bengaluru, NH-7 till Salem turn-off towards Rasipuram and then heading towards Senthamangalam. From here it is only 30 kms to Semmedu the top of Kolli Hills. The biggest excitement on road and no surprises that the bends all over the travel ever gone through, a lot of curves on one stretch. All 70 of these curves are packed into one heady 30 km stretch that means a turn for every 200 meters an experience.
After the winding and thoroughly enjoyable ride reach Semmedu a place filled with coffee, pepper plantations and paddy fields. Its greenery all over the place. Two viewpoints one at Seekuparai and other at Selur Nadu are being developed to encourage tourism. With just a couple of shops, tea-stalls and a few lodging options, Semmedu is not a big attraction for visitors that rests on the Seekuparai viewpoint and the Agaya Gangai waterfalls. Agaya Gangai is the famous waterfall situated near the Arappaleeswarar temple. Agaya Gangai is a worth visiting waterfall which sprays water on visitors as far as 200 feet away from the cascade. The government maintains a pineapple research in a huge farm where hybrid varieties are created. A wide variety of medicinal plants grown on these mountains. The government holds a tourism festival in August.
Other places worth visiting at Kolli hills include Masila water falls, Selur Nadu and the botanical garden. The serene natural beauty of these Hills lies relatively undiscovered which makes it an amazing weekend getaway. Kolli Hills has been the top choice for bikers, nature lovers, trekking clubs and meditation practitioners among hill stations in Tamil Nadu.
Route Bengaluru -> Salem -> Rasipuram -> Senthamangalam -> Kolli Hills