A trip with my parents had been long due for almost a year. While we were pondering over the list of places one suggestion that came up was Senkotta in Tirunelveli. But we dropped the plan owing to the long travel journey and lesser number of days in hand. Finally we zeroed in on a place that would be at a convenient distance for my parents to travel from Chennai and for us from Bangalore.

Day 1 – 21st December, 2019

We started from Bangalore at around 1:00 PM IST on 21st December. City traffic took a toll on our ride at times but otherwise it was a pleasant journey navigating in the backdrop of mountains. The road conditions were average. Nevertheless the sceneries were worth taking note of. As were climbing up the hills we understood why Horsley hills is termed as Andhra’s Ooty. We could feel the chill climate and the gentle breeze blowing on our face. It was not a very steep climb up the hills. We reached around 5:00 PM at APTDC – Haritha resort and my parents had already arrived.

There are only two major APTDC resorts there as accommodation options. It is a very small place up there with limited number of sightseeing places. It is an ideal place for a one day getaway away from the hustle and bustle of city life. One can get their batteries recharged and their minds rejuvenated by just enjoying the cool climate.

We spent the evening by watching our daughter have fun in the outdoor play area. There is an adventure zone adjacent with activities like trampoline, zip line, quad biking etc., Our kid was enjoying her jumps in the trampoline.

As it became dark and cold we retired to our rooms and spent the rest of the time chit chatting. We ordered room service and had hot piping phulkas, jeer rice, Kadai veg and dal fry. Food was yummy and our hunger pangs were satisfied.

Day 2 – 22nd December, 2019

We woke up leisurely since we knew there would not be much places for sightseeing.

Parking near the reception

Mist drenched trees

Kids Play Area – Work In Progress

Leaves shedded tree – Looked surreal amidst the green backdrop

Pathway to restaurant

Visibility was less than 50 metres

We headed to the restaurant for complimentary breakfast. Food was typical Andhra style – bit spicy yet delicious. Menu was limited but the food served was nothing to complain about. Menu consisted of idli, vada and upma. We finished with a round of coffee/tea.

The zoo (a stone throwaway distance from the resort) is very small and housed the usual set of animals and birds – peacock, rabbit, deer, parrot, ostrich, etc. There were nice spots for photo ops laden with rocks and we took a couple of pictures there. There was a nice view point covering the entire expanse of Horsley hills.

Also present was a play area with swings and slide. This zoo is famous for housing the very ancient 160 years old eucalyptus tree (Kalyani).

Our next destination was Gali Bandalu viewpoint. One has to walk some distance on the rocks (not bumpy) and we can get an amazing and breathtaking viewpoint of the hills. People usually come here for the sunrise and sunsets as well.

Beautiful place but littered with broken bottles

Even though we were late for the set, we could able to capture the final hues.

And one for the wallpaper?

We again ordered room service for the night. This time with phulkas, we ordered a cashew gravy, considering both the items were little spicy the day before. To our surprise, cashew based gravy was even spicier saying “Welcome to the Rayalaseema”. We retired for the day.

Day 3 – 23rd December, 2019

Nothing much to do today. We woke up, post breakfast, we left to Bangalore/Chennai with our batteries recharged.