Kodaikanal
Monday, July 25, 2011
Duration of the Trip: It was a 3 days and 4 night’s trip from Bangalore. We started at 9:20 pm on Friday and returned back to Bangalore on 6:40 am on Tuesday.
Transportation: We traveled through train from Bangalore to Kodaikanal and back to Bangalore. We board Tutikorin Express (16732) from Bangalore City station at 9:20 PM on Friday and reached Kodaikanal Road station in the next morning at 7:30 am. The scheduled time for the train to reach Kodaikanal Road station is 6:23 am. But it was late by 1 hr. due to fog.
For returning back to Bangalore we had board the same train i.e. Mysore Express (16731), at 8:35 pm from Kodaikanal Road station and reached Bangalore City railway station at 6:40 am.
Ticket cost Rs 197/- for Sleeper classes, Rs 522/- for 3 tiers AC and Rs 714/- for 2 tiers AC for each.
Details of the trip:
Day 1: After getting down at Kodai Road Railway, we hired a mini bus from outside of station to reach Kodaikanal which cost us Rs 4000/-. We were a group of 10 including elderly people and a kid. We didn’t want them to face any trouble caused by shared vehicles, so booked the bus. But there were plenty of other options like shared-vehicles, route-busses and small cars.
We had a halt on the way to have breakfast in “Eden Garden Restaurant”.The food was authentic South Indian and normal like other roadside restaurants.
View Opposite to the Restaurant |
Eden Garden Restaurant |
We visited Silver Cascade on the way to our hotel. That’s a 55-metre (180 ft) waterfall formed from the outflow of Kodaikanal Lake. The impressive waterfall is a popular stop for the first-time visitors. There are a few souvenir and fruit vendors and many monkeys.
Entrance of Silver Cascade |
Silver Cascade water falls |
We had done advance booking in
Hotel Tamil Nadu
#47, Fern Hill Road,
Kodaikanal - 624 101.
Phone Number: 04542-241336, 241337, 241338, 241339
Room Description | Season May | June&April | Off Season |
Suite | 2200.00 | 1800.00 | 1300.00 |
Family Room Cottage(5 Beds) | 2500.00 | 2000.00 | 1500.00 |
Deluxe Double Room | 1800.00 | 1500.00 | 990.00 |
Kurunji Cottage | 2700.00 | 2200.00 | 1700.00 |
Double Room Cottage | 2200.00 | 1800.00 | 1300.00 |
Hotel Tamilnadu |
Way to Cottage |
Outside of the Cottages |
Inside view of our Cottage |
The hotel is quite good, clean and hygienic. They have other facility like restaurant, bar, conference hall and parking as well. The amenities they provide in the rooms are sufficient. They provide extra necessary facilities in case you need it in emergency; we had my 1 year old nephew with us and for him we needed a room-heather as it was quite cold in the night. They arranged that for some extra money i.e. Rs 100/- per night.
We went to our respective rooms and got freshen up. We had our lunch in the restaurant of the same hotel. By the way it was a family outing for us. We didn’t go out that day because it was quite late and the elders were tired too. So we stayed in hotel and chatted all the evening.
From our hotel reception we got a travel agency’s information.
Travel Inn Tours & Travels
Address: Opp. Bus Stand, J.C. Complex,
WoodVille Road, Kodaikanal.
Phone Number: (04542) 240880, 241880, 240747
They had numerous number of travel packages like,
Tour 1 (Valley Tour)
- Coaker’s Walk
- Green valley View
- Golf Corse
- Pillar Rocks
- Devils Kitchen (Guna Caves)
- Pine Forest
- Moier Point
- Pambar Falls
- Upper Lake View
- Lake or City Drop
This package costs Rs: 120/- per head. Timing is 9:30 am to 2:00 pm.
Tour 2 (Park Tour)
- Kodai City View
- Kurinji Andavar Temple
- Palani View
- Chettiar Park
- Jain Temple
- Brayant Park
- Lake or City Drop
This package costs Rs: 85/- per head. Timing is 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm.
Tour 3 (Picnic Tour with Trekking)
- Bear Shola Falls
- La Saleth Church
- 500 years Old Tree
- Dolphin Nose
- Mountain Beauty
- Vattakanal Falls
- Fairy Falls
- Lake or City Drop
This package costs Rs: 175/- per head and booking a car will cost Rs: 950/- . Timing is 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.
Tour 4 (Picnic Tour with Wild Ways)
- Silent Vally (Echo Point)
- Fire Tower
- Caps Fly Valley
- Berijam Lake View
- Medicine Forest
- Berijam Lake
- Lake or City Drop
This package costs Rs: 200/- per head and booking a car will cost Rs: 1200/- . Timing is 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. For this particular package you need to have special permission from forest department of Kodaikanal.
Tour 5 (Picnic Tour with Village)
- Observatory Pine Forest (Shooting Point)
- Gundar Falls
- Mahalakhsmi Temple
- Poombarai Village View
- Mannavanur Lake View
- Mannavanur Lake
- Vattakanal Falls
- Lake or City Drop
This package costs Rs: 200/- per head and booking a car costs Rs: 1200/- . Timing is 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.
For all the packages, they pick the tourist from the respective hotel and after the completion of the trip, drop at hotel or lake side and guide charge is Rs 10/- per head.
We decided not to go with those packages and hired a separate car for us only. We booked a Tata Sumo for Rs 1500/-.
Day 2:We had our breakfast in our hotel itself. The Tata Sumo came at 9:30 a.m. and we started by 10:00 a.m. The places we visited were-
Coaker’s Walk is a magnificent gift of Mother Nature to Kodaikanal and its tourists. It derives its name from Lt. Coaker, who had prepared the map of Kodaikanal. The 1 km walk, winding around Mount Nebo, starts in front of the Van Allen hospital, running parallel to the Van Allen Hospital Road and joins the main road beside St.Peter's Church, providing a stunning panoramic view of the plains. On a clear day one can view as far as Dolphin's Nose in the south, the valley of the Pambar River in the southeast, Periyakulam town and even the city of Madurai. There is a telescope house in this place. Ticket for the telescope house is Rs. 20/- per person.
Entry fees for this place is Rs. 10/- per person, normal camera Rs. 50/- and movie camera Rs. 100/-
Coaker's Walk |
View from Croaker's Walk |
View from Croaker's Walk |
Kodaikanal Lake view from Upper Lake View Point |
Kodaikanal Golf Course |
Kodaikanal Golf Course |
Green Vally View Point |
Pine Forest |
We didn’t have the view of the rocks as those were fully covered by fog. There was a small water fall as well in near the Pillar Rock.
Entrance of Water Falls in Pillar Rock |
Water Falls in Pillar Rock |
You will find some shops selling handmade flower with beautiful scent. They claim that flower and scent will remain as it is for 6 months at least.
Entrance of Devil's Kitchen |
Devil's Kitchen (The Cave was covered due to Fog) |
Handmade Flower available in Devil's Kitchen |
Moir Point |
The implausible Pambar falls is otherwise called as the "Grand Cascade". Flowing down Pambar River is meandering lively stream dropping over a chain of rock formations. The town water reservoir overflows southwards forming the Fairy Falls which continues to join the Vaigai River forming the Pambar Falls through its course. The Pambar Falls has a pretty glorious view. The unvaryingly cut step-like rock formations give bonus beauty to the cascading effect of the plain waters. There is a pond like formation at the foot suitable for bathing. Three or four adjacent small cascading falls can be seen as you go downstream.
This falls is also locally addressed as 'Liril Falls' after the famous Liril Soap Advertisement filming in 1985.
Pamber Falls |
Pamber Falls |
Kurinji Andavar Temple |
Inside Kurunji Andavar Temple |
Entrance of Chettiar Park |
Chettiar Park |
Kodai Lake is the most popular place in Kodaikanal. It is a non-natural; close to star-shaped widely spread across 45 ha (60 acres) lake developed in 1863. Rowboats and pedal boats are available for hire at the Kodaikanal Boat Club. Horses and bicycles can be hired next to the lake on an hourly rent. The 5 kilometer (3.1 mi) path that evades the margin of this exquisite lake is a favorite walk for the locals and tourists alike. The boat charges vary from Rs 50/- to Rs. 100/-.
Kodaikanal Lake |
Boating at Kodaikanal Lake |
Boating at Kodaikanal Lake |
We were not able to visit the park as it started raining heavily.
From the Coaker’s Walk view of the city is available after sun set. It’s an awesome view. The city looks like a necklace. But because of rain we had to miss that as well.
Day 3:
On the third day we went for shopping in Kodaikanal’s local market. Kodaikanal is famous for glass made goods, wooden goods and homemade chocolates. Any one should not miss those things, especially chocolates.
We came back to our hotel and had lunch. We started for Kodaikanal Road railway station at 5’o clock. We board our train at 8:35 pm and reached Bangalore next day at 6:40 arm.
Disclaimer: We went for this trip on Oct’2010. There are chanced that rates and timing have changed. Please check with hotel, travel agent and Indian Railway about current timings and rates.
I have tried to provide as much details as possible for the trip. For any further clarification please feel free to contact me @ dutshilpi@gmail.com.