Weekend in Horsley Hills

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Pavi and I decided to head to the cool respite of the hills for the weekend. The Horsley hills is a small hill station located in the state of Andhra Pradesh, about 150kms from Bangalore. We made a booking in the Haritha resort run by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation. The resort comprises of suites in several buildings, each having a unique name like Wind whistle, whispering winds etc. We booked a room in Wind Whistle, a building situated in a remote corner of the resort. The resort was originally a part of the Governor's bungalows during the colonial era when the Governor of Madanapalle town used to stay to escape the sweltering heat of the Indian summer. The building and its rooms, to our surprise had walls that were two feet thick - a perfect way to insulate the room. The temperature was cool, similar to Bangalore. The night were colder and we had to venture out with sweaters to feel warm.

The cost for the room included breakfast and free entry to the swmming pool. We however decided to keep away from the cold water and relaxed over the weekend. The entire span of the Horsley area can be covered by foot and is ideal for walking (not trekking). It is a small hill at just 1000 meters above sea level. The breakfast served was simple south indian and tasteful. There are Government quarters for local officers to relax and a small zoo housing monkeys and birds - local fauna of the region. Further into the zoo, we came across a narrow trail that led to the top of the hill which provided great views of the surrounding towns. The last day we headed back to Madanapalle and bought clay items like lamp, water dispenser and candle holders.

On the whole, nothing extraordinary and remarkable to write about the place - good for a weekend trip from the city.

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Photos

The buffet breakfast - simple and tasty
The breakfast consists of idly sambar, poori and upma.

A small collection of local birds and animals
This is sort of a mini zoo. I do not however approve of keeping the animals in a cage this way.

The local buildings speak of the bygone colonial era
Most of these buildings were built by the British, as this was the summer capital of the Governor during the colonial days. The walls of some buildings are 2 foot thick concrete.