I always remember Kodaikanal from childhood films and books. Usually if hero and heroine get married and discuss about the prospect of honeymoon, they would invariably mention Ooty or Kodaikanal or both. Kodaikanal was not just famous, it was almost the one of the very few options available back then.
Times have changed. Now not just affluent, even upper-middle class families prefer foreign trips over local. That does not mean the popularity has come down; Kodaikanal is still popular as a honeymoon destination and a relaxed getaway.
I am not sure whether I have stated before, but hill-stations are more of an experience than sightseeing. If you go with expectations of seeing “SOMETHING”—you will be disappointed. ( I have few friends who complained that they found nothing). Hill Stations are for enjoying the weather where you have to hug yourself (or the other person), enjoying the sights from a great dome of hill overlooking an amphitheatre of rich and desolate sunsets or golden sunrises. Here is the list of places from Kodaikanal where you can enjoy the above poetically mentioned things.
(This is not an order of preference.)
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Dolphin’s nose : A valley where the a rock projection shaped like dolphin nose. You have to walk a bit in Dangerously monkey infested area to reach this.
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Kodaikanal lake – Beautiful man made lake. Offers a relaxing walk or tiring boat rides.
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Pillar rocks : I would consider them to be kinda iconic of Kodaikanal
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Suicide point : It was some cruel person who named this awesome view point as suicide point. It was given a delightful name as Silent valley view point.
Is not it delightful? -
Guna caves: Got its name after the Tamil movie Guna was shot here. This place many small scale food vendors who serve steaming, spicy food in that awesome, chilly weather. Stay safe from our dear monkey friends.
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Silver cascade waterfalls: This was the first thing which greeted us on entering Kodaikanal. As it was summer, the falls was not in its full potential. Still, a lovely watch.
It was summer, so falls were slim -
Bryant Park: It is more of botanical garden almost at the heart of city. It has a beautiful flower garden. You can even buy plants.
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Croaker’s walk: This is located at the ridge of a vast valley offering mind blowing views. Buy some snacks and enjoy the walk.
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Berijam Lake: This is situated in Berijam forest and you need special permission for it. I am planning to write an entire post about the visit.
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Chettiyar park: We spent way too much time in Kodaikanal, visiting the same places again and again. After multiple visits to each place, we started exploring other options and found this lovely park.
Bonus two
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Kurinji Adayar Temple: It doesn’t matter whether you are religious or nonreligious person, this temple is going to please you: with its breathtaking location.
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This and that: Kodaikanal is a beautiful, cozy town. If you get time to stroll around those sloppy streets, you get to see many colorful structures. We had chance to roam around and visit this particularly beautiful locality with lovely houses. We spent an entire hour walking up and down the streets.
