Varun Kodaikanal’s Destinations At A Glance
- Moir Point
- Pine Forest
- Guna Caves
- Pillar Rocks
- Green Valley View Point
- Bryant Park
- Kodaikanal Lake
- Trek to Dolphin Nose
- Vattakanal Falls
- Coaker’s Walk
- Silver Cascade Falls
- Bonus – Meenakshi Amman Temple
Kodaikanal, known as the ‘Princess of the Hill Stations’ is situated in the Nilgiris ranges of Tamil Nadu. The beautiful Nilgiri ranges is appropriately credited for it’s beauty with the UNESCO World Heritage Site (Natural) tag. Situated at a height of 2,133m, it is one of the rare places in the tropical state of Tamil Nadu where one can enjoy the chilly weather and spend their summer time off in a pleasant climate. It also boasts of a very scenic Pine Forest, many waterfalls and a few gorgeous view points. There are many trekking trails around Kodaikanal and one of the famous ones is the Dolphine Nose trek which is quite beautiful.
I guess after seeing my pictures and videos from the Kedarkantha Trek, my family got all excited about mountains and cold places. So eventually we carved out a plan to visit Kodaikanal during the third weekend of March.
Planning
Being a hill station, the month of March will be chilly compared to the cities in Tamil Nadu. The day would have enough sunlight and keep the temperature warm around 18-20 degrees while the night would be chilly with 10-12 degrees. The mist surrounding the hills will also be less that will help us enjoy the view and the various spots.
If you go in the cold months of December or January, it will be very cold (single-digit temperature) with dense mist. All the viewpoints and places would mostly be covered in the mist and you will hardly get a 2-3 hours window in a day for sightseeing. But in a way, it offers the feeling of being in a cold place (a subtle version of the Himalayas) without having to travel up North. So, many people in and around Tamil Nadu & Kerala plan their vacation during these months. And as you might guess, the prices of the hotels & resorts skyrocket during this time of the year.
Train Deets
We took the Pandian Express (12637) which starts from Chennai Egmore by 9:40 PM in the night and reach Kodaikanal Road railway station by 4:15 AM in the morning. Our return was scheduled on Sunday night at 9:25 PM from Madurai in the same Pandian Express (12638) which reaches Chennai Egmore by 5:05 AM in the morning. So it was a packed weekend trip without taking any extra offs from our offices.
Complete itinerary and details for planning a weekend tour to Kodaikanal are available at the end of the post. It is kept at the end so you could experience the tour with me and then dive into the details to plan one for yourself.
So let’s jump right into the tour!
Day 0 (Chennai to Kodaikanal)
Friday always feels good. It feels so much better when you know that tonight you’ll be leaving for a trip; a family trip.
After a long time, we were doing a family trip and since we were planning it on our own, I took a print of the city map and plotted the potential places we could visit. That helped us determine an easy and one-side route so that we do not go back and forth and tire ourselves in traveling rather than enjoying the places.
We had pre-booked our hotel stay at ‘Hotel Grand Palace‘ – a 3-star hotel which is budget-friendly and is in a good location within the city.
Logging off early from the office in the prevailing WFH, we packed our bags and were ready to board the train from the Chennai Egmore Railway Station. After getting onto the train, we slept for the night knowing that we would wake up in a much colder place tomorrow morning.
Day 1 (Sightseeing Kodaikanal)
By 5 AM, we reached Kodaikanal Road railway station, the nearest railway station to Kodaikanal hills. From there, we had two options – one is to book a private cab which will take us to our hotel in 2 hours for 1500 INR (Swift Dzire) and 2100 INR (Innova). Another option was the government buses which start at 6 AM from the bus stand situated just outside the railway station. The bus would cost us just 90 INR/person. There was a bus parked outside the station so we decided to take the bus. It started at around 6:15 AM. The bus was quite cheap but it would take us nearly 2:30 hours to reach as it would have multiple stops.
Nevertheless, the hotel check-in was only by 12 PM. The bus ride in the morning hours was quite scenic and I was totally enjoying it with the new action camera I bought after getting inspired by Rohit and Vinay from my Kedarkantha Trek Experience.
After a nice ride through the mountains, we were finally going to enter Kodaikanal city. The first thing you’ll notice is the ‘Silver Cascade falls‘. But to our surprise, the water was hardly there. It was just a bland line of water sliding down. Nevertheless, we were looking forward to spending a good day there.
After getting down at the bus stand by around 9 AM, we were quite hungry so decided to have our breakfast. Near to the bus stand, one can find many good restaurants. Within a 2-minutes walk distance, we found three good restaurants – The Hamuse, Astoria Veg Restaurant, Annapurna. In the morning, Hamuse and Annapurna were closed so based on Google reviews, we decided to eat at the Astoria Veg Restaurant. Tbh, the food tasted quite nice. We ordered South-Indian (Idli & Dosa) and were satisfied with the taste of the food according to the budget it came in. Our hotel was nearly a KM away so we thought we would just slow walk which was such a bad decision keeping in mind we were carrying our luggage with us. We reached the hotel by 10:30 AM and they gave us an early check-in free of cost.
The hotel rooms were quite nice and spacious. We had two rooms to ourselves, a 3 bedded room (1 single and 1 double bed) and another room for 2 people. The washrooms were clean and the rooms were tidied up nicely for our check-in.
Just before entering the hotel, there were a few cab drivers near the hotel. We spoke with one of them and he offered to drive us around for a one-day tour in his Swift Dzire for 1,500 INR. It felt quite reasonable as he would be there with us till the sunset so we decided to hire him. Also, the cab drivers have a list of places with them for a day tour so you can also check with them on the places you want to visit for the day.
After freshening up in our rooms, we settled in the cab. The driver took us 10 KMs far and we would slowly visit the places on our way back.
Moir Point
It was a 30 minutes ride to Moir Point, our first spot for the day. Moir point offers quite a scenic view of the valleys & mountains of the Nilgiri range. It also has a watchtower to provide an elevated platform for an unobstructed view eliminating the crowd. The fog cover was very little so we were able to enjoy the view and click some pictures with a nice background too.
Pine Forest
One of the most touristy destinations in Kodaikanal, the Pine Forest has been a witness to many movie shootings, and it does look so beautiful. Surrounded by ridiculously tall pine trees, monkeys, and horse-riding agents, the place does feel different and photo-worthy. Here you can relax on the broken logs and click pictures with the tall pine trees in the background. Try shooting a panoramic still which will give a dramatic effect to the photos.
The monkeys here are notorious so keep your belongings safe and try not to eat food in front of them. We munched on a few eateries available just outside the pine forest; some fruits, and fast food items, and finished it before entering the Pine Forest where the monkeys rule!
Most of the tourist places are closed by 5:30-6 PM so personally, I find it better to roam around and then relax in the rooms later in the evening.
After spending some time at the Pine Forest, we decided to move on to our next tourist spot for the day.
Pillar Rocks
The sight is one to behold with two vertical boulders measuring up to 400 feet tall standing close without leaning onto each other. When the mist clears, you can see the gap between the two boulders which is also known as the Devil’s Kitchen.
The other name for the Devil’s Kitchen is the Guna Caves, which became quite famous due to a famous South Indian film called ‘Guna’ by Kamal Hassan. There are a few steps that lead to the Guna Caves entrance. But the authorities have sealed off the caves as it’s quite dangerous to enter in and 13 people have died previously trying to get in the caves.
Green Valley View Point
We hopped back into our car and drove a little further to visit the Green Valley View Point, also known as the Suicide Point. From there, we were able to catch the view of a nice green valley –
There’s also a market on the leading steps to the viewpoint where you can shop for souvenirs, sandalwood, and homemade chocolates. Outside the viewpoint in the parking lot, you would find some amazing Mirchi Vada and we practically had that for our lunch. It was just too yummy!
Bryant Park
It was nearly 4 PM by now and we had two more destinations for us to visit today. When we checked the timings of boating in the Kodaikanal Lake and that of Bryant Park, we decided that we could first visit Bryant Park and then go boating in the lake. The Bryant Park would close by around 5:30 PM and the last boat would sail at 5:30 PM.
We entered the park by around 4 PM. The park is quite peaceful and well maintained. It is a nice place to spend some time with family with the beautifully shaped bushes in the garden and steps to walk through. Entry cost for the park is quite minimal – 30 INR.
Kodaikanal Lake – Boating & Cycling
After spending some time in the park, we decided to go boating in Kodaikanal Lake. Two of the must-do adventures in Kodaikanal are boating in the Kodaikanal Lake and cycling around the lake. For a 6-seater boat, it would cost 245 INR. Other variants are 70 INR for a 2-seater pedal boat, 140 INR for 4 seater pedal boat, and 415 INR for a Shikara Boat. The experience is quite good and you get to spend around 20-30 minutes boating in the lake. Since we went during the Golden Hour, the sky looked scenic. The cold winds started blowing and the weather started to cool down.
The cycling would end by 6:30-7 PM so we knew that we could come back after boating. There are a lot of cycle rental shops there and you could rent a cycle from anywhere between 20 to 50 INR for a single-pedal or a double-pedal cycle. It’s fun to cycle around the lake. Apparently, the full round is too huge so if you want to go for a 5 KM cycling then do it else cut in between for a shorter ride. Anyways, you would definitely enjoy the experience.
After a 30 minutes long cycling ride, we were very tired with a packed day. After sunset, the hilly place became quite dark and chilly. We again went to Astoria Veg Restaurant for dinner and tried their North Indian food. It was not that great when compared to their South Indian dishes but was satisfactory.
After having our dinner, we went to our hotel rooms, and being tired we got into our beds and slept off. For the next day, we planned to start early so that we can trek and visit some waterfalls.
Day 2 (Trekking, Madurai Visit & a Surprise!)
Sipping our roadside tea, we re-hired the same cab for the day where he would help us roam around and then drop us at Madurai Railway Station for 2700 INR which was again quite reasonable.
We checked out of the hotel, loaded our luggage in the cab, and head straight for the Vattakanal Waterfall and Dolphin Nose trekking. Later when we were about to reach the Vattakanal Waterfall, the driver said us that due to no rains in the past few days, the waterfall has dried up and there would be nothing to see there. Dejected, we then proceeded towards the start point of our trek towards Dolphin Nose. The driver dropped us off around ‘Altaf’s Cafe’ (this is one of the must-try restaurants in Kodaikanal).
Dophine Nose Trek
Altaf’s Cafe is also the point from where we will start our trek. If you have come here by your own vehicle, you can park it on the road or in the parking lot where you find space and it would be safe there. The trek starts from downstairs and then reveals a muddy uneven ground trail.
The trek is not that difficult but takes around 1:30 hours to reach Dolphin Nose (also the summit point). The trail is filled with beautiful pine trees and some local shops that sell some refreshments. You can enjoy the trek leisurely in the mist with a nice view of the deep forest.
Dolphine Nose looked nice from far with the stepped hanging boulders. I walked towards the end and the view was quite nice from the hanging cliff.
After relaxing there for a while, we then visited Echo Rock point. The scenery was quite good and as my mother would often say there,
‘Just stand at a place and there’s a picture-perfect scenery in front of you’.
One thing to always remember is that, in the mountains, the weather is never stable. It might change drastically and you should always be prepared for rains up there. And that’s what struck us! Very soon the mist started getting dense and it started to drizzle.
The Surprise
We then decided to turn around and trek back up. We thought that the drizzling would stop as the winds were blowing but the rain gods had some other plans for the day. The drizzle soon became consistent and turned into a proper shower and it started raining very heavily. We just had an umbrella and a cap with us which was definitely not enough to save 5 people from getting drenched.
It rained cats and dogs for a good 30 minutes and soon the trek path was flooded and became slippery. While we couldn’t see the famous waterfalls in Kodaikanal, there were mini puddles & falls formed in the steps of the trek trail and the water was flowing swiftly below our legs. The path had become slippery and we had to place our foot cautiously and move forward. After getting drenched totally, we then found a spot where we could stand under the shade away from the rains. The rain didn’t stop even after we took a 15-20 minutes break so we decided to walk fast and get back into our car.
The trek experience changed dramatically for us and it became quite adventurous. At the same time, it became risky because we had our parents with us who were not comfortable trekking in the heavy rains. But somehow we managed to reach the cab safely.
Vattakanal Falls
To the sharp minds here, you would’ve understood by now that the rains soon turned into a pleasant surprise for us. When we were driving towards the city, we heard the roaring sound of water and the cab driver announced to us that it is the Vattakanal Falls that has now become active due to the heavy downpour. When we stepped down from the cab and walked a few steps downstairs to the Vattakanal Falls, we witnessed nice stepped falls. While the water was dirty and muddy as it carried all the dirt from the top, it was flowing swiftly. It was nice to finally be able to see Kodaikanal falls in their glory.
In all these rains, we forgot to eat at the Altaf’s Cafe :(. Maybe for the next time. While returning back to the city, you would find small waterfalls on the way (Pambar Falls, Fairy Falls) which are connected to the Vattakanal Waterfalls. Take small stops at these places like we did and snap away some pictures!
We also shopped in the nearby shopping complex (our cab driver introduced us to a shop run by his friends) for homemade chocolates and sandalwood sticks. Both are native to Kodaikanal and the chocolates taste quite nice. Do try them and if you like them, pack a few flavors with you as they stay good for at least 2 months.
There’s also a point in the route called the – ‘Upper Lake View Point’ from where you can sight the Kodaikanal Lake and it looks beautiful –
By the time we returned, it was past noon and we were quite hungry. And no points for guessing where we had our lunch – Astoria. We feasted on their South Indian filling our stomachs and enjoying the food there (lots of other restaurants were unusually closed that weekend so we did not have many options).
Coaker’s Walk
After our lunch, we decided to go for a walk at the Coaker’s Walk. The entry ticket costs 10 INR. Being afternoon, there was less mist so we could get a nice view of the mountains and walk around in the path. One round would usually take around 30 minutes which is quite peaceful and nice. One of the must-visit places in Kodaikanal to enjoy the beautiful view in peace.
After coming out of Coaker’s Walk, we planned on visiting the Bear Shola Falls but apparently, it was closed due to covid. So we decided to head out of Kodaikanal for Madurai.
Silver Cascade Falls
The first and the last destination in Kodaikanal is the Silver Cascade Falls. Falling from a height of nearly 180 feet, the falls came into life due to the sudden outburst a few hours back and the single line of water we saw yesterday turned into a good flow of stream gushing down from the top. We clicked a few photos and ate bhaji from the roadside sellers.
We then bid adieu to Kodaikanal and were driving down the hill. The view was quite nice throughout. You’ll also spot the Rat falls (Thalaiyar Falls) which is India’s 3rd highest waterfall. There’s also the Manjalar Dam which can be viewed en route.
We had a talk with the driver about the covid times and how bad they were hit because the government had banned entry into the tourist spots for nearly 6 months. All the daily wage workers, taxi drivers were badly hit as their source of income was completely shut off. Giving them 100-200 extra wouldn’t matter much to us but would make a difference for them in these times. So if you can, happily give them the extra money.
Madurai
Around 7:30 PM in the evening, we reached the Madurai Railway Station. We quickly decided to go visit the famous 6th-century temple – ‘Meenakshi Amman Temple’. It is quite near to the railway station i.e. 1.3 KM but since it was getting late, we took an auto to the temple. There were no queues at the temple so we were able to do our Darshan nicely. For dinner, we ordered Dominos pizzas at the railway station and boarded the Pandian Express at 9:25 PM. After an adventurous day, we got into our berths and slept our way to Chennai!
Conclusion
A family trip after ages was quite fun. We did trekking, enjoyed waterfalls, spent the weekend in the mountains and visited some beautiful places. On top of that, we also visited the famous Meenakshi Amman Temple. There isn’t anything more I would ask from a weekend trip.
In short, if you are planning for a weekend getaway from Chennai to any hill station, prefer Kodaikanal over Ooty as Kodaikanal is less commercialized and more open. Although Ooty has more places to visit, Kodaikanal will give you peace.
How to Reach Kodaikanal?
Kodaikanal is very near to Madurai, Coimbatore and Trichy. From Chennai, the best preferable train is the Pandian Express. If not, you can choose from the multiple trains/buses available from Chennai to the three cities, and from there, you can take a cab or travel by bus to Kodaikanal.
Itinerary
For the itinerary, if you have two days, you can follow the same itinerary as mine –
Day 1 –
- Moir Point
- Pine Forest
- Guna Caves
- Pillar Rock
- Green Valley View Point
- Bryant Park
- Kodaikanal Lake – Boating & Cycling
Day 2 –
- Trekking at Dolphin Nose
- Vattakanal Falls
- Bear Shola Falls
- Coaker’s Walk
- Silver Cascade Falls
If you have another day, you have two options –
Day 3 –
- Plan a visit to Poombarai Village. You’ll find step farming, pig farms, Munnavannur Lake, Berijum Lake and have village food.
- Trek the Rat Falls trail (adventourous and require fitness, so prefer it only if you are with friends or are a young group of people).
There are a few other places you can visit in Kodaikanal – Shembaganur Museum, Kurinji Andavar Temple, La Salette Church, and Wax Museum.
Kerala (Munnar) is quite nearby i.e. 90 KMs by road. Since there were many illegal activities being carried out in the past, the forest department has closed the route for vehicles. The forest department does give permission to trek the route but it’s a rather ambitious trek with a 90 KM trail length.
Stay
There are a variety of stays available in Kodaikanal. Ranging from budget-friendly to expensive ones. I’ll list down the ones I checked –
- Hotel Grand Palace (we stayed here – costed us 2200 INR for 2 rooms; 5 people).
- Sterling Kodai Lake.
- Hotel Kodai International.
- Lots of cottages are available in AirBnb (2.5k-15 INR/day).
For a group of friends, you can look out for –
- Zostel.
- Camping.
Restaurants
- Astoria Veg Restaurant.
- Altaf’s Cafe.
- Dominos.
- Annaporna (driver said us that the food is not nice).
- The Hamuse.
- Punjabi Dhaba (Good food but bad ambience).
Also, here’s the contact of the driver we hired, Ravi – 9943741286.
Best Time
Kodaikanal is a place that offers respite from the city’s bustling and humid life. One can visit Kodaikanal throughout the year. People visit it in the summer months to get away from the heat. In winters, it becomes quite chilly and misty. It offers a winter feel without having to fly off to Manali or Mussorie. Ideally, after the monsoon when the winter kicks in, i.e. October – March, Kodaikanal feels much better.
The month of December and January will mostly be covered in dense mist and single-digit temperature while October & November will give you the lush green feels and the falls will flow in their full force which kicks in just after the monsoon period ends. February and March are like the tracing out winter months where the temperature would still remain cold enough for you to enjoy.
I hope this blog would make you want to visit Kodaikanal if you haven’t already been there or remind you of all the scenic places and re-live them if you’ve been there. It is one of the hill stations which you can visit often; so do plan your visit once the pandemic settles down. One another request is, please keep the place clean and do not litter around. We need to protect the natural beauty so that we can enjoy it in the coming years as well as our next generation can also enjoy it. Have a safe trip!
Check out the blog version of my Kodaikanal trip –
Stay tuned for more travel experience blogs. Keep traveling and keep exploring!
