Kodaikānāl

Worth seeing in and around Kodaikānāl

7 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.

1. 01
   Palani Hills

   The Palani Hills are a mountain range in the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The Palani Hills are an eastward extension of the Western Ghats ranges, which run parallel to the west coast of India.

   4 km · mountain range in India · Wikipedia
2. 02
   Kodaikanal Lake

   Kodaikanal Lake, also known as Kodai Lake, is a manmade lake located in the Kodaikanal city in Dindigul district in Tamil Nadu, India. Sir Vere Henry Levinge, the then Collector of Madurai, was instrumental in creating the lake in 1863, amidst the Kodaikanal town which was developed by the British and early missionaries from USA. The lake is said to be Kodaikanal's most popular geographic landmark and tourist attraction.

   800 m · lake in Tamil Nadu, India · Wikipedia
3. 03
   Kodaikanal Solar Observatory

   The Kodaikanal Solar Observatory is a solar observatory owned and operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics. It is on the southern tip of the Palani Hills 4 kilometres from Kodaikanal.

   1.7 km · Indian astronomical observatory · Wikipedia
4. 04
   Guna Caves

   Guna Caves, also known as Devil's Kitchen, is a set of cavernous passages and narrow crevices leading to deep and alleged bottomless pits located in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the most prominent attractions for tourists who visit the place.

   3 km · cave in Tamil Nadu, India · Wikipedia
5. 05
   Mother Teresa Women's University

   Mother Teresa Women's University, a state university of the Government of Tamil Nadu, is situated at Kodaikanal, in the Palani hills of South India. It was established in the year 1984 by the enactment of Tamil Nadu Act 15.

   3.1 km · state public university in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, India · Wikipedia
6. 06
   Silver Cascade Falls

   Silver Cascade Falls also known as Velli Aruvi is a waterfall located in Kodaikanal, Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu, India.

   3.6 km · waterfall in Tamil Nadu, India · Wikipedia
7. 07
   Shembaganur Museum of Natural History

   Shembaganur Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum located in the Kodaikanal region of Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu, South India. Established in 1895, the museum houses an extensive collection of exhibits across the fields of anthropology, botany, zoology, and handicrafts.

   2.2 km · natural history museum in Tamil Nadu, India · Wikipedia

Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What Wikivoyage says to see

1. 01
   Kodai Lake

   If you are going in winter, go boating in the evening, as it's an amazing experience to boat through fog settling on the lake.

2. 02
   Berijam Lake

   Perhaps the most pristine of the three lakes in Kodai.

3. 03
   Bear Shola

   But during some seasons there may not be any water there.

4. 04
   Silver Cascade

   It's a nice waterfall on the road side from Kodai Road, just before 4-5 km from Kodaikanal.

5. 05
   Vattakanal Water Falls
6. 06
   Fairy Falls

   A cave known more to the locals, First being "Green Valley View" and "Pillar Rocks" and then finally "Guna Cave".

From Wikivoyage: Kodaikānāl, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Things to do

Boating at the Kodai lake - paddle and row boats are available at the lake. Entrance is via the Kodaikanal Boat Club. 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. It is possible to cycle to other places although cycling one way will be difficult due to the hilly terrain. Do check the cycles before setting out.

From Wikivoyage: Kodaikānāl, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Where to eat

Astoria Veg Reasturant - a vegetarian restaurant in Kodai. Chocolate factory (near Petrol Station). A good collection of home made chocolate. They also have a good varieties of fruit syrup filled chocolate. Try the hot chocolate, ₹60 per cup. Cloud Street, PT Road. 8:30-8:30. Serves pasta, sizzlers, Continental food and other international cuisine.

1. 01
   Altaf's Cafe

   Dolphin Nose Road, Vattakanal (near Dolphin's Nose),.

From Wikivoyage: Kodaikānāl, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Getting to Kodaikānāl

Airports

Coimbatore (CJB), 101 km · Cochin (COK), 118 km · Tiruchirappalli (TRZ), 148 km

• Coimbatore → Kodaikānāl

  103 km · quickest by road, 3h 36m · ₹1,030–1,280
  GuideToday
• Kochi → Kodaikānāl

  139 km · quickest by road, 6h 10m · ₹1,710–2,140
  GuideToday
• Tiruchirappalli → Kodaikānāl

  147 km · quickest by road, 4h 28m · ₹1,220–1,530
  GuideToday
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Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.

No local-transport research exists yet for Kodaikānāl

Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Kodaikānāl. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.

If you know how people move in Kodaikānāl – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.