Kolli Hills

Food is available at the base of the trek, therefore you can carry somequick refershments to eat along the way.

There are natural sources of water available on the way therefore it is advisable to carry your own water along.

Siddhar Caves, Masi Periyasamy Temple and Falls, Selur Viewpoint and Seekuparai are some of the must visit sights around the Koli Hills

The trek begins at Puliancholai. Cultivated flat fields end at Puliancholai and forest territory begins beyond this point. The river bed is rocky, flat and wide and the trail goes right next to it. Walk on the along the river until you reach a stage where the river crosses points. The crossings at this stage are easy and you have to simply jump from one rock to another. The first one hour of the trail runs along the river until it forks right and leaves the river behind. Continue walking down this trail. The vegetation becomes thicker and you enter tall shrubs and trees. The trail is gradually begins to ascend for the next 30 minutes. In the next half an hour you come to a clearing from where you can see the Raasipuram town below. This is an indicator of half the trail being completed. From the clearing the trail moves to the right and the ridge line which is your destination is seen. Follow the trail until you reach a few point in the next 20 minutes. Three fourths of the climb has been completed. The last stretch lasts for about thirty minutes and you are required to walk along the ridge. Walk down the trail through the paddy fields. Cross a few houses and take the foot trail which descends into another stream. Cross the stream and in 10 minutes you can see the temple at Kolli Malai. The temple marks the end of the trek. The trek to Koli Hills is not said to be complete until a visit to the Akash Ganga Falls. The falls are located 1070 steps below. There is an entry fee of Rs.10 per head and the last entry time is 3 p.m. At the base is a 10 ft wide pool which has a variable depth of 3ft to 6 ft. Wade/swim through the water holding on to the fixed ropes and get to the base of the water fall.

• Rail: The nearest railway station to Kolli Hills is Salem which is located approximately 90 kilometers away. Trichy is also located quite lose. Taxis from Salem or Trichy to Kolli Hills cost around Rs1200 on an average.

• Road: Kolli Hills is readily accessible by road and is connected to cities such as Chennai and Salem. Salem is well linked to Chennai, Madurai and Trichy by private as well as Government buses. A taxi ride from the bus stand at Salem to Kolli Hills is around 88 kilometers in distance and costs around Rs.1100 on an average.

Approx trek time : 3-4 hours

Availability of night trek: Not available

Base Camp: Puliancholai

Days required for the trek: 1 day

Difficulty level: Moderate-Difficult

Height above sea level: Approximately 4200 feet

Nearest Airport: Trichy (140 kms)

Nearest Railhead: Salem

Region: Eastern Ghats

Starting point of trek: Puliancholai

Type: Mountain Trek