The total extent of Yercaud Taluk is 382.67 sq.kms. including Reserve Forest. The entire Taluk is a Township. Yercaud has also a Panchayat Union with its Head Quarters at Yercaud and its Jurisdiction is the same as for Yercaud Taluk.
The town gets its name from the lake located at its center - in Tamil Yeri means lake and Kaadu means forest. Yercaud is known for coffee plantations and orange groves. It also has an Orchidarium run by the Botanical Survey of India. The highest point in Yercaud is the Servarayan temple, which is situated at a height of 5326 feet. Hence the Yercaud hill area is called Shevaroy Hills.
- Peak Season March-June
- Low Season Feb-March; July-September
- Second Season October-February
The Yercaud hills have many faunal and floral similarities to the Western Ghats. Coffee and citrus fruits, most notably oranges, are grown in abundance apart from bananas, pears and jack. Scenically, Yercaud is as enchanting and picturesque as the hill stations on the Western ghats and trekking here can be one of the most pleasurable ways to pass time.
Wild life includes bison, deer, ant-eater, rabbits, hares, foxes, mongoose, squirrels, partridges, snakes, bulbuls, kites, sparrows, swallows and Paradise flycatchers.
