Hello Guys,
“Nature is the Art of God”. This statement never felt more true until I was lucky to visit Kodaiknal, well known by the name “The Princess of Hills” which forms the lower ranges of Palani Hills Forest Conservation Area in Tamil Nadu.
We were group of three friends visiting Kodaiknal during the cold weather in July with a min 18℃ and max 28℃
Lets go through the below details to find out more about this :
Source station : Bangalore ( Train- Tuticorin Express- 21:00) In General, fare is approx Rs. 170 /- and SL Coach Rs. 350 /-. We chose to go in the general coach. We were delighted to see many vacant seats and were even able to sleep well. So this outbound journey was very comfortable. We arrived at “Kodaikanal Road” station exactly at 6:40 am.
Kodaikanal Road to Kodaikanal (80 km):
On the platform there will be many taxi drivers making a rush to take us in their taxi to Kodaikanal which is about 80 km from the station. If you choose to take these taxis it will cost you around Rs 1500 to Rs 2000 /- depending upon the type of cab you are booking. We just came out of station and saw one small hotel, where we had Puri-Sambar for breakfast, but I must tell you, it wasn't that tasty. The Puri was very hard and the hotel wasn't hygienic. I wouldn't recommend you to go there.
We had to reach Kodaikanal. We didn't take the taxi because it was expensive. So the next best option was the private bus which goes towards Kodaikanal. But the taxi guys won't allow these private buses to stop here. They fight and create a scene as they don't want to harm their business. We were a little scared, to be honest. But remember to be patient, and wait for the public bus which arrives at 8:15 am. We waited for an hour and were relieved to see a bus coming.
This bus will take you from “Kodaikanal Road to Batlagundu” which is approximately a 20 km journey. Batlagundu has it’s own bus stand. You will get another bus for Kodaikanal from the same bus stand which is another 37 km ahead. This local journey will cost you only Rs 70 /-.
During this bus ride you can enjoy the road which passes through the Ghats and a forest on either side. Small villages in Kodai, their beauty and pleasant calmness of the Hills is breathtaking. As you travel and go towards Kodaikanal you will feel the weather getting colder.
We reached Kodaikanal near Lake around 12pm which is in the center of the city. We reached our hotel with the help of GPS.
Hotel :
We booked a deluxe room at “Hotel Wood Palace” online for Rs 900 /-. Since there were three of us, he arranged an additional bed for us at no extra cost (Remember to ask for an extra bed while booking itself). so basically it cost us Rs 300 /- per person. Pretty cheap deal huh?
This hotel is 400 m from city center and it’s ambience is really good as you are surrounded by greenery. If you are taking your own vehicle the hotel has its own parking too.
 |
| Hotel Wood Palace, Kodaikanal |
The hotel also has a good restaurant. There are many good restaurants outside too where you can have tasty food.
How to book a tour Cab :
There are affordable local tour taxis are available here if you are in a group. Almost all the taxi guys have a one day tour package which is similar to the one shown below. But be careful to make sure they don't over charge you. Let me also tell you that the amount printed in these tour package list is a little high and you can bargain with the drivers to get a cheaper deal.
One day tour package should not cost you more than Rs 900 /-
We found two really nice taxi drivers there named Bala and Satish. They were very helpful. We were able to decide upon a deal for Rs 1800/- for the first and third two day package in an Etios (4 Seater). Here are their contacts.
1) Contact Name : Bala Number : 8344806018
2) Contact Name : Satish Number : 9524384440
These two guys really made our day in Kodaikanal.
What to See :
DAY 1 :
 |
| Day 1 Plan |
1) Coaker’s Walk :
Coaker’s Walk is a lovely pathway built and created by Leigh tenant Coaker. in 1872. It’s built such a way that the beauty of valleys are visible while walking along the pathway.
 |
| Coaker's Walk |
2) Green Valley views and Pilar Rocks:
Green valley views is also known as Suicide Point. These points offer a breathtaking view of the plains, deep valleys and hills. You will love this place if you are a nature lover.
 |
| Pilar Rocks |
3) Guna Caves :
It is also popularly known as devil's kitchen. Here you will see large trees, roots buried under the ground and antique stones.
 |
| Guna Caves |
4) Pine Forest :
In pine forest you will get to see tall pine trees. It's also good photogenic place.
 |
| Pine Forest |
5) Moir Point :
This is one more view point where your eyes will be pleased to see beauty of Valleys, Hills and Forest.
 |
| Moir Point |
6) Golf Club :
On the way to the above listed view points, we came across a Golf Course. But only the Club members are allowed in. Ther isn't much to do but you can do a lot of beautiful photography here.
So Day 1 was done. We were satisfied our travel thirst and were looking for ward to the Campfire and music arranged for us at the Hotel Wood Palace for free:) This was really very exciting ambience. It was open for all guests and there were people dancing and enjoying their drinks.
As we were tired from all the travelling during the day, we had our dinner at the hotel's restaurant and hit the bed. We had an early morning the next day.
DAY 2 :
 |
| Day 2 plan, Kodaiknal |
1) La Saleth Church :
Day 2 started at 9:30 am. Our first spot was La Saleth Church which is 100 years old. We spent around 30 minutes at the church. It was peaceful and we also took a lot of photos.
2) 500 Years old tree :
This wasn't all that interested to us. We just took a glance from inside the taxi and moved towards our next destination.
3) Lion Caves and Bear Shola Fall :
Those who love trekking in the forest will love these spots. We need to be a little careful as the ground is slippery.These spots are about 300m apart from each other.
Those who love trekking in the forest will love these spots. We need to be a little careful as the ground is slippery.These spots are about 300m apart from each other.
 |
| Bear Shola Fall |
4) Eco point and Dolphin nose :
This requires a trek of about 1km along the rocks. Both are beautiful view points. It is a little scary to take pictures here as it is on the edge of the mountain. But wasn't any less thrilling.
This requires a trek of about 1km along the rocks. Both are beautiful view points. It is a little scary to take pictures here as it is on the edge of the mountain. But wasn't any less thrilling.
 |
| Dolphin Nose |
5) Upper Lake view :
Although this view point is nothing compared to going to the lake, it is still a beautiful place to view the Lake and Kodaikanal.
Although this view point is nothing compared to going to the lake, it is still a beautiful place to view the Lake and Kodaikanal.
 |
| Upper lake view |
End Of Trip :
We were also done with day2. We had a lot of fun and the beauty of the place was breathtaking beyond our expectations. This is one of the most luxurious trips with hotel and a cab but it wasn't that expensive as we had planned the trip way before we left Bangalore.
We were also done with day2. We had a lot of fun and the beauty of the place was breathtaking beyond our expectations. This is one of the most luxurious trips with hotel and a cab but it wasn't that expensive as we had planned the trip way before we left Bangalore.
Kodaiknal To Bangalore :
This is approximately a 460km journey. The bus fare is Rs. 450/-. Our taxi driver friend Satish booked our tickets along with a minor booking fee. The bus stand was close by and we bpoarded our semi-sleeper coach at 6pm and were in Bangalore the following day at around 5:30 am.
Overall Trip Expense per person:
Here is a breakdown of the trip expenses per person.
Train- Rs 170 + Local Bus-70 Rs + Tour taxi Rs 600 (2 days) + Hotel- Rs 300 + Food- 500 (4 time) + Return Bus Rs 450 = Rs 2100 /-
Gallery :
No comments:
Post a Comment