Horsley Hills

    After the umpteenth disappointment of being to overcrowded places,Horsley hills came with a breath of fresh air for us.The green canopy which started almost from Chintamani stayed on all through our visit to this off beat hill station in Andhra Pradesh.The climb to the hill was green ushering us to the top ,and the blossoms followed us everywhere .  That was exactly what we were longing for , a place away from the maddening crowd ,in the lap of nature,to quench our parched urban souls.

An early morning  four hours(with frequent breaks for breakfast and photography)drive from Bangalore, via Hoskote,taking the Chintamani bypass,via the small town named Madanapalli and we were at this small and quiet place as if designed only for us.Andhra Pradesh tourism provides  the main staying option here .The Haritha resorts of Andhra Pradesh tourism is spread all over the hill,with only a few other stay options .

 

the APTDC  reception

the play area inside the  APTDC property

the pool inside the resort

a walk to the cottages of  APTDC

   The  APTDC restaurant is probably the only place where food is available.,but the quality is very good.Lunch and dinner is a vegetarian buffet ,but one can get non-vegetarian food on order.

The restaurant from its well landscaped garden

....and again ,from the steps of the restaurant,while gorging on ice creams at the steps of the restaurant

Though our preference was to stay in one of those cottages above ,we could not get a booking there,so we stayed at the building below

                       The Haritha resorts have many stay options of suites ,cottages and even the Governor's bungalow which is now rented out by the tourism board.The rooms are all very well maintained and each location is  splendid.The Wind Whistle ,the Castle Wind ,the Whispering Wind being few  of the beautiful accommodations.

The conference hall

A lazy walk to the sunrise point early morning

Walking to the sunrise point is something one should not miss,as the roads are in excellent condition and would motivate even a late riser to take up this exercise,the green surroundings with the chirping birds and  flowers of every hue is an additional bonus .

Morning tea at  a shack after sunrise

     The environment park is a small walk from the resort,with few deer ,few species of birds like the peacocks and emu and  reptiles,

A small little temple by the road,surrounded by gulmohar blossoms 

     Breakfast at the Haritha restaurant was wholesome ,it was a  hot south Indian buffet I shall always remember .A walk down through the forest department area after a very heavy breakfast was what we were doing ,when we came across this forest department cottage and many more such beauties ,which almost inspired us to extend our stay.
     Right behind the forest department cottages was this very old eucalyptus tree,planted by  the collector W.H. Horsley himself ,the tree is named Kalyani locally.

The bungalow above was the collector W.H.. Horsley's bungalow,now used by the forest department as a guest house.

      Horsley hill is the perfect get away when our tight scheduled lives start getting dull.As you are not flooded with a list of points to see ,here ,as soon as you step out of your car ,you are for once left with the option of looking around you and enjoy the verdant nature around you.Untouched,unexploited and rejuvenating,Horsley hills can inspire us to make wildness a way of life.

     Almost 160 kms from Bangalore,275 kms from Chennai,and very close to Tirupati,Horsely hills has a wide range of activities to offer.You can trek down to the Nature Centre ,relax at the Sapthagiri spa with a body massage,watch the crocodiles bask in the morning sun,indulge in photographing birds  and flowers in magnificent colours ,or simply dare to say that you do not wish to do anything for a day or two.

Things to remember
The nearest railway station is at Madanapalli at the base of the hill,Madanapalli has many shops to cater to our needs .Food can be packed from this place while driving uphill as there are many options here.On our way back from Horsley hills we had lunch at Swad restaurant at Madanapalli,Food was excellent there ,and I would highly recommend the place.

One should not forget to carry light woollens there,as the weather can get chill.Proper footwear should be carried because the trip involves a lot of walking.