Kodaikanal

Kodaikanal contains a moderate climate throughout the year as it is a hill station, so one can easily plan a visit whenever they want. Apart from it, each season in Kodaikanal gives you a different experience.

-Winters:
During the winters the place becomes most pleasant to visit with an average temperature between 30c to 8c, making it the most romantic time for the couples. During this time you can also be a part of their festive culture of pongal.

-Summers:
The month from March to May is most suitable for sightseeing along with different outdoor activities.

-Autumn:
But among all the months the month of September is the most preferable for tourists as the minimum rain and ideal weather makes the place best for both couples and also for sightseeing.

1. Boating in Kodaikanal Lake: About the activity: Home to Shimmering water and loaded with a vast variety of marines, this lake attracts a number of tourists every day. Surrounded with benches and shady trees, Kodaikanal lake also offers beautiful spots to plan a picnic too. A session of boating here adds much required thrill to a trip as you traverse the glistening waters and row towards its every corner.

Location: Kodaikanal City, Dindigul District, Tamil Nadu.
Price: INR 40 to INR 200.
Timings: 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM.

2. Explore Guna Caves: About the activity: Famous among the adventure seekers for being a haunted place, these caves offer some of the most thrilling sights of the cave openings located between the three rock boulders. Made of deep dark rock formations, these caves are visited by numerous tourists every day and offer the much required adventure on a trip.

Location: Pillar Rocks Rd, Tamil Nadu 624101.
Timings: 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

3. Trek to Dolphin’s Nose: About the activity: Offering you a small trek of just 1 KM, this place lets you experience the panoramic view of the surrounding areas. Having a moderate level of difficulty, this trek takes around 3 hours to get complete.

In addition to the beauty from the top, the trekking trail also takes you through many viewpoints and provides some of the best backdrops to take pictures around. Having a moderate level of difficulty, this trek takes around 3 hours to get complete.

Location: Dolphins nose Rd, Adrlei, Burliyar, Tamil Nadu 643103.
Timings: 9:00 AM to 6:15 PM.

4. Take a Night Safari: About the activity: Home to immensely Beautiful Plantations and thrillingly surreal surroundings, Kodailanal offers some of the best places and areas perfect for a safari. The lush green woods and the beautiful sceneries here get some extra charm in the night-time, thus making it a must-do activity. Places like the Mango temple and the Palani Hills can be best enjoyed on a safari.

Location: Kurinji Andavar Temple Road, Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu 624101.
Price: INR 3000 to INR 5000.
Timings: 8:00 PM to 12:00 PM.

5. Go on a Bike Tour: About the activity: Being such a small town, reaching multiple tourist destinations here is easy, and taking a bike tour to these famous places adds some extra fun to the trip. One can easily rent a bike here and can go on traversing the beautiful lanes of the town on their own. As you pass through the steep slopes and undergo the lush forests, the much required thrill on a trip can be experienced.

Location: Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu 624101.
Price: INR 1000 to INR 3000.
Timings: 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

6. Visit Caps Fly Valley: About the activity: Just 15 KM away from the centre of the city is a beautiful place known as “Caps Fly Valley”. Offering you a chance to play boomerang with your caps, the flow of air in the below gorges makes sure that anything thrown into them flows back, thus the name “Caps Fly”. Not only this, the valley is also surrounded by the high standing hills which offer some charming sceneries.

Location: Cap Fly Valley, Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu 624101.

The best trails offering some thrilling treks in Kodaikanal are:

1. Bear Shola Trek: Best experienced during the monsoons, this small trek takes you towards the gushing waterfalls offering a sight to behold. The trail is of low difficulty, but the uphill track is a bit difficult and holds many rocky paths too.

2. Pine Forest Trek: Taking you to the heritage pine forest reserve of Kodaikanal, a trek here will surely add enough thrill. These lush, thick and well maintained forests have attracted loads of tourists and offer numerous picnic spots too. Trekking around here lets you enjoy many beautiful sceneries and one can easily cover the distance in two or three hours.

3. Pillar Rock Trek: These vertical and pillar shaped rocks take around 4 to 5 hours to reach and once you are here, the beautiful sceneries of the clouds cutting through them is totally mesmerising.

4. Dolphin’s Nose Trek: Getting its name for being shaped like a dolphin’s nose, this point offers the beautiful and panoramic view of the valley below. Also known as the echo point, the trail of this trek is considered easy for the beginners and takes three to four hours to get completed.

Best places where one can stay in Kodaikanal are:

1. Hotels: Loaded with all the basic amenities and offering a number of facilities straight to your room, the hotels of Kodaikanal let you enjoy a holiday, that too at ease. In addition to the facilities, many hotels here are located amidst the beautiful sceneries, thus adding some extra stars to your staycation.

2. Resorts: Resorts like the Sterling Kodai and the Tamara Kodai are the most famous stay options here and are loaded with all top notch amenities. Be it a pool or jacuzzi, here one can easily find the best facilities that too at a reasonable price.

3. Homestays: Offering you a home like experience, the homestays of Kodaikanal are loaded with amenities like kitchen, garden and wake-up call services. In addition to the, one can easily find two or three room bhk homestays here and can reside peacefully in the serene surroundings.

4. Tents: Offering a chance to camp within the serene surroundings, the tent stays here to make sure that you are provided with all basic amenities, that too at a low price. In addition to this, many tent-stays here offer barbeque and bonfire options, thus adding some extra fun to the trip.

Nightlife in Kodaikanal include the following activities:

1. Camping at Bear Shola Falls: Offering the much required thrill, a night camping around this falls offers you a chance to gaze at the twinkling sky, that too while enjoying the gushing sound of the waterfall hitting the rock below.

2. Explore the Guna Caves: What can be a more offbeat way to enjoy a night other than visiting a place known to be haunted. In general, the caves are dark, thus many people believe that these are haunted. However, loads of people visit this place to enjoy the sights of this natural marvel.

3. Caps Fly Valley: Known to be a magical place, it is believed that if you throw any light thing from the cliff, it will fly back to you. This happens due to the flow of wind below and the magnetic field around the place, but the phenomenon still amazes loads of tourists. A night here can be best enjoyed while camping around a bonfire with your friends and family.

4. Night Safari: Taking a night safari in Kodaikanal is the best way to enjoy the serenity and lush green vegetations of this place. The safari takes the route which consists of many natural wonders like the hidden waterfalls and if lucky enough, you might also spot many animals like deers and racoons.

The best sites for camping in Kodaikanal are:

1. Dolphin’s Nose: Offering a birds eye view of the scenic landscape, this place can be reached by trekking for a while and once you reach here, a whole night can be spent here enjoying the sceneries and the shining night sky. Located at an elevation of 6600 feet, this place offers the best camping experience, that too with all basic amenities.

2. Kodaikanal Lake: This beautiful man made lake offers some of the best sceneries of the shining waters and is home to a number of marines. The area around it is covered with kush green and manicured lawns, thus being the best place to camp overnight. A number of tourists rush here to enjoy a fun-filled evening with friends and family.

3. Bear Shola Falls: This small waterfall can be enjoyed once you complete a short trekking route from the forest. Located in a remote area, camping here does not provide top notch facilities, but the nature and surroundings here are surely untamed and beautiful.

4. Silver Cascade Falls: Being a very steep waterfall, this place offers a sight of fast gushing water hitting the rocks below. The mesmerising sight can be best enjoyed while camping around and glancing the flow shining in the moonlight.

The best waterfall treks in Kodaikanal are:

1. Pambar Waterfall: This tiny waterfall can be reached by trekking for 5 KM from the Kodai Lake. Being a multi tiered waterfall, Pambar offers a mesmerizing view of the gushing water hitting the button rocks and making a small pool of bubbles. A trek to this falls is of moderate difficulty, and one can easily complete it.

2. Bear Shola Waterfalls: Offering its route from the forests, this waterfall is believed to vanish in the summers, thus offering a perfect spot from rock climbing. To reach here, one needs to trek for 2 KM and the distance is smooth and can be covered by anyone.

3. Silver Cascade Waterfall: Sitting in the middle of lush green woods, this waterfall has been challenging nature and thrill lovers since ages. The gushing water here is so clear that many locals use it for drinking too. Its location amidst the hilly forests adds some extra starts to your trekking experience.

4. Liril Waterfalls: An ideal destination for a number of adventurous activities, these falls take around 2 to 3 hours to reach and trekking towards here takes you through many steep and rocky slopes. The serenity of the surrounding hills and the gushing sound of water here make sure that the trek is worth it.

This all-natural town is home to many beautiful areas and hills where heavy public transport cannot reach, thus here you will only find two types of public transport:

1. Taxi: Finding a taxi in Kodaikanal is easy and one can easily move from one place to another without any hassle. Offering such ease, a ride in these taxis are costly and if you take them towards the hills, the price rises up considerably.

2. Mountain Bikes: If you have got your licence of a two wheeler and are looking for some thrill, then opting for a mountain bike to move from one place to another can be the best for you. They can be availed at hourly basis and will cost you less as compared to the taxis.

Places which are known to be the best rock climbing spots of Kodaikanal are:

1. Perumal Peak: Located amidst the hills of western Ghats, this beautiful peak offers many steep slopes perfect for a session of rock climbing. Many people come here to enjoy this extreme sport as in addition to the rush in adrenaline, one can also enjoy the beautiful scenery surrounding them.

2. Bear Shola Falls: Getting its name due to being a place for bears to drink water, these falls completely dry up in the summers and provide the visitors with a challenging spot to exercise rock climbing. The path to reach this location is also challenging enough, and requires one to climb many heights.

3. Kukkal Caves: Now an archaeological site, this place is surrounded by a number of small hills where one can easily work out a session of rock climbing. In addition to the thrill, the surrounding beauty also invites a number of tourists from all over the country.

The list of things one can buy in Kodaikanal consists of the following items:

- Brass utensils
- Leather Items
- Walnut wood articles
- Handicrafts
- Shawls
- Silver Jewellery
- Items made of bones
- Eucalyptus oil
- Spices
- Natural oils
- Coffee
- Kodai Cheese
- Handmade chocolate from Kodai chocolate factory
- Organic fruits and vegetables
- Khadi Products.

Be it the natural beauty or organic food items, Kodaikanal is famous for numerous things:

- The handmade chocolates of Kodaikanal chocolate factory
- Dolphin’s Nose - offering a panoramic view of the whole town
- Caps Fly Valley - known to be a magical place due to the ability of flying low weighted items
- Eucalyptus oil
- Guna Caves - a haunted natural structure.