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Berijam Lake
Visiting forest-fringed Berijam Lake, 21km southwest of Kodaikanal, requires a Forest Department permit (₹250). Taxi drivers will organise this, if asked…
Getty Images/Flickr RF
Kodaikanal (Kodai)
There are few more refreshing Tamil Nadu moments than leaving the heat-soaked plains for the sharp pinch of a Kodaikanal night or morning. This misty hill station, 75 miles (120km) northwest of Madurai in the protected Palani Hills, is more relaxed and intimate than its big sister Ooty (Kodai is the ‘Princess of Hill Stations’, Ooty the Queen). It’s not all cold either; days feel more like deep spring than early winter.
Centred on a beautiful star-shaped lake, Kodai rambles up and down hillsides with patches of shola (virgin forest), unique to South India's Western Ghats, and evergreen broadleaf trees like magnolia, mahogany, myrtle and rhododendron. Another plant speciality is the kurinji shrub, whose lilac-blue blossoms appear every 12 years (next due 2030).
Kodai is popular with honeymooners and groups, who flock to its spectacular viewpoints and waterfalls. The renowned Kodaikanal International School provides some cosmopolitan flair. Visit midweek for peace and quiet.
Explore Kodaikanal (Kodai)
- BBerijam Lake
Visiting forest-fringed Berijam Lake, 21km southwest of Kodaikanal, requires a Forest Department permit (₹250). Taxi drivers will organise this, if asked…
- CCoaker’s Walk
Assuming it isn't cloaked in opaque mist, the views from paved Coaker’s Walk are beautiful, all the way down to the plains 2000m below. The stroll takes…
- PPillar Rocks
About 7km west of town, these towering boulders have jaw-dropping views to the Tamil Nadu plains below.
- SSacred Heart Natural Science Museum
In the grounds of a former Jesuit seminary 4km downhill east of town, this museum has a ghoulishly intriguing miscellany of flora and fauna put together…
- DDolphin's Nose
A narrow rock lookout overhanging a precipitous drop, with views of the valley below. Follow the trail to it for 15 minutes from Vattakanal, or walk all…
- BBryant Park
Landscaped and stocked by the British officer after whom it’s named, pretty Bryant Park is usually full of tourists and canoodling couples.
- KKodaikanal International School
Set up in 1901, the renowned Kodaikanal International School lends Kodai a bit of a cosmopolitan air, with students from around the globe.
- MMoir's Point
Less visited than other nearby viewpoints, Moir's Point is 13km west of town and has lovely views across the plains.
- GGreen Valley View
Green Valley View, 6km southwest of Kodai centre, has spectacular views to the plains far below.
Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Kodaikanal (Kodai).
- See
Berijam Lake
Visiting forest-fringed Berijam Lake, 21km southwest of Kodaikanal, requires a Forest Department permit (₹250). Taxi drivers will organise this, if asked…
- See
Coaker’s Walk
Assuming it isn't cloaked in opaque mist, the views from paved Coaker’s Walk are beautiful, all the way down to the plains 2000m below. The stroll takes…
- See
Pillar Rocks
About 7km west of town, these towering boulders have jaw-dropping views to the Tamil Nadu plains below.
- See
Sacred Heart Natural Science Museum
In the grounds of a former Jesuit seminary 4km downhill east of town, this museum has a ghoulishly intriguing miscellany of flora and fauna put together…
- See
Dolphin's Nose
A narrow rock lookout overhanging a precipitous drop, with views of the valley below. Follow the trail to it for 15 minutes from Vattakanal, or walk all…
- See
Bryant Park
Landscaped and stocked by the British officer after whom it’s named, pretty Bryant Park is usually full of tourists and canoodling couples.
- See
Kodaikanal International School
Set up in 1901, the renowned Kodaikanal International School lends Kodai a bit of a cosmopolitan air, with students from around the globe.
- See
Moir's Point
Less visited than other nearby viewpoints, Moir's Point is 13km west of town and has lovely views across the plains.
- See
Green Valley View
Green Valley View, 6km southwest of Kodai centre, has spectacular views to the plains far below.
