8 underrated hill stations in South India

By the Nexara Holidays travel desk · 2 min read

Ooty, Kodaikanal and Munnar deserve their popularity, but in peak season they are crowded. South India has many quieter hills that are just as beautiful.

1. Valparai, Tamil Nadu

Forty hairpin bends lead up to Valparai, a plateau of tea and coffee estates in the Anaimalai Hills. Lion-tailed macaques and great hornbills live in the rainforest patches, and elephants cross the roads. It is a place for slow mornings and wildlife, not shopping.

2. Coonoor, Tamil Nadu

Just below Ooty, Coonoor is warmer and calmer, with heritage bungalows, tea estates and viewpoints like Dolphin's Nose and Lamb's Rock. Stay here and visit Ooty for a day.

3. Yercaud, Tamil Nadu

The closest hill station to Chennai by rail via Salem, Yercaud is small and unhurried, with coffee estates, a lake and sunset points. It suits a two-night break.

4. Vagamon, Kerala

Rolling meadows, pine forests and paragliding make Vagamon feel different from Kerala's tea country. It fits neatly between Kumarakom and Thekkady.

5. Chikmagalur, Karnataka

The birthplace of Indian coffee, Chikmagalur has Karnataka's highest peak, waterfalls and estate homestays. Trekkers love it.

6. Kodagu's quieter corners

Coorg is popular, but staying on a remote estate away from Madikeri gives you misty silence and plantation walks. See Coorg.

7. Wayanad, Kerala

Wayanad has caves with prehistoric engravings, waterfalls, dams and treehouses, and is a good base for wildlife on the Kerala–Karnataka border.

8. Araku Valley, Andhra Pradesh

Reached by one of India's most scenic train journeys from Visakhapatnam, Araku Valley offers organic coffee, tribal culture and the Borra Caves.

How to plan

Most of these places work best with two or three nights and a car with driver. Avoid weekends and school holidays if you want them quiet. Read Best time to visit Ooty and Kodaikanal from Chennai for seasons in the Tamil Nadu hills, and browse our Hill-station holidays page for itineraries.