Travelogues

We visited Kodaikanal in Feb 2007, intentionally in the off season and also to enjoy the cold weather and the thrill of being up at 2300m.  Took the flight from Bombay to Madurai via Chennai and taxi (4hrs Rs 2000)thereafter. I believe a better route from Bombay is non stop to Coimbatore and 5hrs taxi - Rs 2500 thereafter.  Maybe next time. 

We stayed at the Kodaikanal Club along the lakeside booked courtesy a friend who is a member.  Excellent value Rs 1200 for a heritage stone cottage incl. breakfast.  TTDC Hotel Tamil Nadu offers cottage rooms for half the price off-season rates, but the view is on the other side overlooking a garbage strewn valley, believe me its worth the extra to stay along the lakeside.

Walks around the lakeside are most rewarding, the quieter portion away from the hotels is filled with birds.  Horseriding and cycling are also options.  Coakers Walk and Bryant Park are nearby walks. We hired a taxi to take us to Suicide Pt, Pillar Rocks, Guna Caves, Moyar Pt, Mannavanure Lake and Gundar Reservoir. 

Tip: Walk about 500m ahead of these points and cut through the forest for much better views devoid of littering tourists. We saw malabar giant squirrels near Guna caves.  The hillside was full of blood red rhododendrons and giant tree ferns everywhere. In a pine forest near Mannavanur, we noticed that the forest floor was covered with "magic mushrooms" - reportedly hallucinogenic - we did not try to find out! 

We stopped along the way at every patch of remaining endemic 'shola' forest and were amply rewarded with brightly coloured high altitude birds and flora. Gundar Reservoir was particularly nice and unspoilt, a substitute for Berijam Lake which is out of bounds now. We walked to Dolphins Nose via TV tower, La Salette church, Pambar falls and Vattakanal.  The hillside was in full bloom with the deep purple melastoma malabathricum, and remnants of nilgiri strobilanthes - kurinji pooh.  Pretty views of pear orchards and deep valleys.  The walk from Vattakanal to Dolphins Nose is treacherously steep, please wear thick soled walking shoes and preferably use a walking stick or bamboo.  The locals of course navigate the slopes with practised ease!!  Vattakanal is full of young Israeli tourists who seem to stay there for months.  They look like hippies but were peaceful minding their own business.  On the walk back, near the Pambar shola we were thrilled to come across a Gaur.  He was as surprised to see us and after a moment of appraisal, he decided we were harmless and obligingly posed for photographs.  Just as suddenly he disappeared down the steep gradient!  Quite a magnificent beast, like a buffalo the size of a medium elephant, and with white socks.  You can walk for miles in Kodaikanal as the roads are very good and the cool, crisp weather ensures you do not feel tired.  Hedgerows are full of exotic mountain birds and high altitude flora. 

I did not spot any orchids except some oberonias near Dolphins Nose, but there are plenty of exotic ferns and tree ferns. On the road going downhill to Madurai, the higher branches of trees are full of exotic epiphytic orchids but too far away to make out exactly what.  We visited Shenbaganur Museum which is extremely decrepit.  The elderly pastor in charge kindly permitted us to walk in the adjacent grounds.  He said that tourists routinely vandalise the museum and they do not have the resources to maintain it anymore.  Meals in Kodaikanal were a bit disappointing, unlike in Ooty where you are spoiled for choice.  Probably this is an off season problem.  All in all Kodaikanal is a nature lovers paradise, a guaranteed peaceful holiday and value for money if you go off season.  Winter is a refreshing change for those coming from hot and humid coastal areas. 

Never forget proper walking shoes and adequate warm clothing, nights and early mornings are freezing.  But these are available quite cheap, if garish, from the Tibetan vendors found everywhere in Kodai.  Bargain hard with your taxis, they tend to be rip offs.  Shopping:-Kodai cheddar cheese, home made peanut butter and jams are excellent quality and value, buy copious quantities to take home!  Home made chocolates are found everywhere, however they taste better in Kodai than when you take them to warmer climes.   Liquor shops are seedy looking.Take your own booze if this is important for you.  We are definitely going back to Kodai.