Kodaikanal

The trip from Ooty to Kodaikanal is tiring especially in summer when you travel from a colder region to a hot area. The distance is about 380 kms and takes about 7 hours of continuous driving. We had hired a Sumo for Rs. 3500/- up to the hotel at Kodaikanal.

Kodai town is a small and congested area and all the tourist spots are situated within a peripheri of 10 kms. There are no autorickshaws in Kodaikanal. You have to hire a cab or a minibus for sight seeing tours.  Kodai is situated about 120 kms from Madurai. Kodaikanal is a beautiful hill station at an altitude of about 2133 m on the southern tip of upper Palani hills in Tamil Nadu in the Western Ghats. There are a number of waterfalls in Kodai and you  are greeted to a treat of some of them on the way to Kodaikanal. Kodaikanal is one of three popular hill stations in Tamil Nadu with wooded slopes, mighty rocks, enhancing waterfalls and a beautiful  lake. 

This summer, most of the important places of Kodai were not accessible due to the Forest Office Regulations. I personally visited the DFO to obtain permission but was refused on some pretext. It may be open during the off season period.

The most important places to see in Kodaikanal are:

1.      Berijam Lake & Avalanchi : Berijam Lake & Avalanchi are protected by Forest laws and have to take the permission at the DFO.

2.      Boat Club and lake with  boating facilities.

3.      Bryant Park – a botanical park along the lines of Botanical Garden and Sims Park, though much smaller

4.      Coaker’s Walk, a small promenade, about 1 km from the town center.

5.      Shenbaganur Museum, a beautiful antique museum having stuffed birds.

6.      Pillar Rock - Three Boulders stand shoulder to shoulder vertically measuring to a height of about 122 meters (400 feet), providing a beautiful view.

7.      Kurinji Temple Kurinji Andavar Temple is at a distance of 3 Kms from the lake. This is a famous shrine dedicated to Lord Muruga.

8.      Silver Cascade Waterfalls - This is Located on the Ghat road leading to Madurai and is about  8Kms from Kodaikanal.

9.      Suicide Point & Golf Course

10.  Moire Point

11.  Guna Caves

12.  Pine Forest

13.  Dolphin’s Nose Trek

14.  Vettakanal Falls for the trekker

15.  Mannavannur Lake

16.  Poombarai View

17.  Palani Hills View

18.  Upper Lake view

19.  Chettiar Park

20.  Gundar Falls and Lake

To arrive in Kodaikanal you have the following options:

By plane

The closest airports to Kodaikanal are Madurai 120 kms and Coimbatore 175 kms.

By train

Nearest railhead is Kodaikanal road. Kodairoad Station is nearly 80 kms.

By bus

Reach Kodai Road, Dindigul, Madurai or Palani and then take a bus to Kodaikanal.You can get frequent buses form Dindigul and Madurai.It takes almost 3 hrs to go up the mountains.

By car

Reach Kodai Road,Dindigul or Madurai and then take a cab to Kodaikanal. Ask the resort to arrange for the pick-up. The drive from Kodai road takes approximately 2 hrs while the drive from Madurai takes approximately 3 1/2 hours and from Dindigul takes about 2 hrs.

What you can do at Kodaikanal:

·          Cycle around the lake - and watch the clouds while they slowly descend onto the water; cycles are available for hire at the lake on an hourly basis.

·          Boating at the Kodai lake - paddle and row boats are available at the lake. There are no  motorboats here.

·          Trekking - Kodai offers several scenic trekking spots, including one which is to walk along the stream which goes to dolphin nose.

The peripheri of the lake is about 6 kms. And it is a pleasure to walk around with beautiful private estates on the opposite side and a wide foot path extending all the way around the lake. Evenings are the best for the stroll which takes about 1.5 hours at a leisurely pace.  Cycling is a popular pass time here and you can see a lot of tourists hiring the cycles. There are ordinary single seater and the tandem 2 seater cycles. There are a lot of Tibetan shops in Kodai, and many around the lake selling all types of goods from woolens to antiques and Feng shui materials. 

The only negative point in all of Kodai is that there are no public toilets in all the important tourist places.

Remember, here you don’t say breakfast at any food joint or hotel, they call it “TIFFIN” and “MEALS” for lunch and dinner. There are a large number of eateries of all budget in the town area so eating is no problem and the rates are moderate. Incidentally I found that Kodai is much cheaper than Ooty in all respects. For the non vegetarian, there is a treat of continental and Tibetan dishes, also Punjabi and typical South Indian Thali are available.

If you happen to be present in Kodai on a Sunday, dont miss the weekly bazaar near J's Heritage Hotel, you may get to buy some good stuff like garlic, mangoes or grapes at much cheaper rates than elsewhere in Kodai.

The average temperature in Kodai was hot and humid in May, a little rain, but less cold. We did not feel the need of woolens at all. It becomes cooler when it rains.

Various locales:

Dolphin's Noise - This is a  flat projecting rock from where one can have a look at the breath-taking view of the Yawning Chasm below. It  is about 8 Kms from the lake.

Green Valley View - It  is about 5.5 Kms from the lake and very near to Golf club. It commands a beautiful view of the entire Vaigai Dam. As the valley is very deep and dangerous, this place was once called as  "Suicide Point". Now there is a barricade laid on the border to prevent people venturing further.  This area is constantly covered by heavy mist and gives it an eerie feeling. You can even feel the mist seeping into your body.

Kukkal Caves - Once the habitat of cavemen, it is now a favourite camping  site ideal for trekking. It is 40 Kms from Kodaikanal.

Dolmen Circle - It is 18 kms from the lake. Pre-historic remains are to be seen here.
Original burial urns unearthed in this region and models of dolmens may be seen in Shenbaganur museum.

Pillar Rock - Three Boulders stand shoulder to shoulder vertically measuring to a height of about 122 meters (400 feet), providing a beautiful view. It is 8 Kms from the lake. It has a mini garden with lovely flowers. In the shadows of the pillars are shady woods that invite picnickers. The chamber between the two pillars is called Devil's kitchen.

Silver Cascade - This is Located on the Ghat road leading to Madurai and is about  8Kms from Kodaikanal. The overflow of Kodai Lake comes down here as 180 feet high falls. If the temperature of water suits, tourists can take bath.

Vettakanal Falls – This is a waterfalls with 4 tiers. The area is slushy, and slippery. You have to do a lot of rock climbing to go down to the lower layers of the waterfalls. The falls  by itself is short, with water cascading without much force in summer. There are a few caves too. One can see the plains far below and you need all the strength and the courage to climb down from the boulders as there is no defined path. We went down 3 layers and then returned back. It is too tiring for a beginner.

Gundar Falls – A somber water falls  which was just a trickle isn’t a place worth visiting but it is shown in the tour map. Be careful of leeches here.

Mannavannur Lake – about 3 hours drive is a very beautiful spot with a serene lake, tranquil surroundings, a poet’s delight. It is a perfect picture book locale. These spots are usually frequented by the film industry for shooting.

Pine Forest – like in Ooty is a sprawling forest of pine trees in beautiful rows on a sloping hillock. The slope ends into a lake. The trees offer a beautiful ambience.

The solar observatory was closed to tourists only the museum and library was open.

Chettiar Park, managed by the township, is on the way to the Kurunji Temple. It is 3.2 kms from the Bus Stand. Unlike other areas this park is very quite, and those who love calm timepassing can prefer this park.

Coaker’s Walk - It is a narrow pedestrian path, constructed by Lt. Coaker in 1872, a one kilometer mountain road which runs along the edge of steep slopes on the southern side of Kodai road which is 1/2km away from Kodai.

Tips for the tourist:

For most of us, holiday is dictated upon by the children’s school, which usually means summer. April and May are the “season” months in Kodaikanal. The weather is mild and dry, plum trees are red with fruit and there is carnival-like atmosphere in town. If you are crowd hater, stay away at this time or plan to stay at a hotel far from the bazaar circuit; there are plenty of hotels away from the town. By regulating your timings a little, and choose excursions off the beaten path, you can “beat the tourists”. For example, heading for Coaker’s Walk on a Sunday morning at 10 is to avoid if are looking for peace and quiet! There is another “season”; September-October, between the southwest and northeast and north-east monsoons. There is less of tourist frenzy at this time. Avoid November if possible, because although there are some beautiful dry blue-sky days, the northeast monsoon is on its way. There are sometimes long periods or non-stop rain when clothes don’t dry, children are cooped up inside, and the electricity goes off (but most hotels have generators). In short, a November or December visit can be wonderful; on the other hand it can be pretty wet as well. January manages to shake off the rains but it gets very cold, with frost on the lake; you must come equipped with warm clothing and bedding. February and March are delightful, though the air is still a little nippy.

Some important distances by road:

Coimbatore to Kodaikanal          -            265 kms

Madurai to Kodaikanal             -             90 kms

Udagamandalam to Kodaikanal       -            363 kms

By air, I found that Coimbatore airport is much ideal as you get all the economy flights alighting there. Madurai airport has only Indian Airlines and Jet Airways and most are via Chennai to Mumbai. The Coimbatore airport is a bit too far but it is much cheaper if the cost is calculated for economy airlines. Again if you need to spend some time at Coimbatore, you can plan your journey in such a way that you get nearly 6 hours at Coimbatore for shopping. Coimbatore has a lot of textile industries and boast of good silks. The airport is about 1 hour drive from Lakshmi Complex, Gandhipuram - the heart of the city.

The private cabs take about Rs. 200/- from Gandhipuram to the airport.