Kodaikanal, where mountains stand tall

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Kodaikanal is known for its scenic beauty, rolling hills, fruit orchards, waterfalls, and pleasant weather. It's also known as the "Lover's Paradise". 

 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. 

There are many means of transport that can take you to your destination without any hurdles.

By Air: If you are travelling by air then the nearest airport from Kodaikanal is Madurai which is about 120 kilometers away. There are also two more distinct airports such as Trichy airport and the Coimbatore airport which are 150 kilometers and 175 kilometers away respectively from the Kodaikanal. After getting off from the plan you can easily find a bus to take you to your destination or even you can rent a taxi or book a car according to your comfort.

By Road: If you want to travel by road then you can find bus services that will take you to the place from cities like Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore, and many more.

By Train: If you are coming by train then you have to get down at the Kodai Road and then hire a taxi to reach 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. 

Stay at the Villa Retreat-  Situated right next to the Coaker’s Walk, the villa offers fascinating view of the Kodaikanal valley. 

Blooms and blooms, everywhere: Everywhere you set your eyes in Kodaikanal, there are flowers and flowers everywhere. All the flowers are multi hued and available in a massive range of colors like red, purples, oranges, white, reds and pinks. 

Pine Forest: The aroma of the pine forest is something that you’ll never regret. It will elate your lungs and give your senses a natural orgasm that they deserve.  

Food: Food here is authentic. They have traditional flavors of South India that you’ll keep gushing about after eating just once. Do try some South Indian dishes in the restaurants around. 

Sunrise/sunset: When you are on a holiday in the place which is a visual paradise in every way, how can you not experience the scenic beauty of the sunrise or sunset.  

The town of Kodaikanal is home to raw and fresh products that are easily available in any store around the place. The famous and best market places like Anna Salai and ‘Eco nut’ markets will provide you with every sort of thing that you want to buy:

-The Anna Salai Market place is popularly famous for its excellent and fresh vegetables and fruits which are available at very cheap price.
-The Eco Nut Market site is the home to homemade chocolates, marshmallows and cheese that are easily available in any bakeshop in the town.
-The street side located small stores and shops will surprise you with a wide range of woollen products, beautiful and fresh flowers, handmade articles, hot snakes, toys, medicinal herbs and oils and many more such products to go banana over.
-One can also find best aromatherapy products which are natural and effective in the town of Kodaikanal. 

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. 

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. 

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.