In the South of India lies a destination regarded as “Heaven for Honeymooners”. Often called ‘Princess of hills ‘ Kodaikanal is one of the best places in India to visit. From dense forests, gushing rivers, turbulent waterfalls to dazzling hill slopes Kodaikanal is a wonderland. Kodaikanal Sightseeing takes you to green lush valleys, beautiful lake, and even devil’s kitchen.

Kodaikanal is a lakeside town of Tamil Nadu which is famous for its scenic landscapes. The beautiful climate and undulating valleys of Kodaikanal attract thousands of visitors every year. Kodaikanal is surrounded by beautiful valleys of parappar and Gundar. These valleys are beautiful and remain lush green all year around. Kodaikanal is at an altitude of 7200 ft and remains fairly cold all year round. Due to this unique landscape and weather conditions this place is a popular hill station in southern India. Also, Romantic couples also love sightseeing in Kodaikanal.

So let’s dive into Kodaikanal Sightseeing by finding out the best places to visit.

Kodaikanal lake

The lake of Kodaikanal is one of the most popular here and remains a very popular tourist destination. This star-shaped artificial lake was constructed in 1863. Kodaikanal is also known as Kodau lake and is located in the heart of town. Kodaikanal is best for boating and a bit of Kayaking. The place is very scenic and is surrounded by hills all around. Kodaikanal Lake was actually built on a marshy land by Sir Vere Hendry after his retirement. The lake is just 3 km from the Kodai bus stand. Kodai lake also offers fishing opportunities.

Green valley view

Another great place in the list of Kodaikanal sightseeing. The view from the top is breathtaking and unforgettable. The far-stretching plains and deep valleys can be seen from the green valley point. This valley is dangerous too as it is around 5000ft deep. Due to this it was earlier known as Suicide point too.

The green valley point is surrounded by dense forest. The flora and fauna of this place are mesmerizing. This point is only around 6 km from the heart of Kodaikanal. I would recommend you to trek up to this place. This short yet very beautiful trekking experience will be memorable.

Berijam Lake

Yes you read it right. Another lake and another beautiful place. Beriajam lake is a prominent place and remains a fairly popular tourist attraction. Berijam Lake is not only famous in southern India but in the whole of India. This extremely beautiful lake is surrounded by dense forest all around. This lake is so pure and clean that’s why it is used as drinking water here. Due to this Boating is prohibited in this lake.

The crystal clear water of this lake looks absolutely fantastic. This ecological hotspot is loved by nature lovers and birdwatchers. It is a very popular picnic spot and a perfect gateway from your busy city life. While you need permission for entering this beautiful place. This due to the fact that this is a forest conservation area. The forest department are responsible for giving out permissions. Getting permission is not hard as long as you don’t mess with beautiful nature.

Pillar rocks

The Pillar rocks l has now become a great place for Kodaikanal sightseeing. Pillar rocks is a lovely picnic spot which is just 7 km from Kodaikanal town. This fantastic place boasts natural beauty all around.

There are three rocks that stand very high, very high. The rocks have a staggering height of around 400 ft and they look like they will pierce the sky. The rocks are covered by fog and mist most of the time which looks absolutely brilliant. Not only this the scenic view from these hills is very alluring. This place is very magical and people love to come here. They come here to relax and see the beautiful world.

Coakers Walk

Coaker’s walk was built by Lt Coaker in 1872 and now it is a favorite place for Kodaikanal sightseeing. It is not only very famous but is vary magnificent to look at. The short trek to Coaker valley will make you happy and you will cherish these memories forever. This one-kilometer long beautiful track is built on the mountains. This lovely path offers some of the most astonishing views.

The lush green valley covered by clouds looks absolutely fantastic while walking on this plaza. The Beauty of this place is such that you feel like you are walking on clouds. These things are better experienced than writing. But whenever you are around Kodaikanal you must visit Coaker’s walk.

Kurinji Andavar Temple

While the place is for religious purposes only but the structure of the temple is extremely beautiful. The temple of Kurinji Andavar is dedicated to Lord Murugan. The temple is very peaceful and relaxing. Not only the temple is fantastic but the views itself are eye-pleasing. From the temple you can easily see the majestic view of Palani hills. The view of hills is very astonishing and the overall background of the temple looks absolutely fantastic. Also, from the temple one can see the Vaigai Dam.

Poombarai Village view

Well as you know how much we love hiking and trekking around. We make sure that we don’t miss an opportunity anywhere. So Poombarai village is another great small adventure near Kodaikanal. The small hike leads you to breathtaking scenery. While the village of Poombarai is famous for its terrace farming and valleys and the view of this village is very scenic. The small hiking takes you to the place from where you can see this beautiful place. It is one of the most beautiful things to see. The green lush valleys, farms and the scenic village is surely very enticing.

Thalaiyar Falls

Thalaiyar falls is one of the most famous place in terms of Kodaikanal sightseeing. Thalaiyar alls are located in the valleys of Palani hills. These lush green valleys are just 20 km from Kodaikanal. It also holds a record of being the 6th highest waterfall in India and highest in Tamil Nadu. The waterfall is 290+ m high and the cascading water is beautiful to look at.

The water is very clean and the valley is also very beautiful. The view of these falls is very scenic. It looks like a stream of milk is flowing. Though water is not safe for drinking but the area around is well maintained.

Moir Point

Just 8 km from the city’s heart is Moir’s point. Moir’s point is quite famous among locals here. The place is in the uphill and offers you the view of the serene landscape. As many places of Kodaikanal this Moir point was also a work of engineer Sir Thomas Moir. The lush green valleys of Kodaikanal can be seen from here. The place is also very clean and well maintained. There is a small park along with the monument. It is a fun place for locals of Kodaikanal.

Bear Shola Falls

When we are talking about Kodaikanal sightseeing how can we miss Bear Shola Falls?
Just 2 km from the city these falls are definitely a sight to behold. Bear Shola falls lies deep inside the forest reserve and the trek up to the falls is also very alluring.

While the falls are very turbulent in monsoon but in summers and winters the gushing stream narrows down. The water flowing from the hilltop makes way from this dense forest. The forest itself is wonderful and you can wander here too. The flora and fauna around the waterfalls are pretty good.

How to reach Kodaikanal ?

Kodaikanal has actually an excellent connectivity. From trains, air service to buses every sort of transport is available or is not very far.

By air

The nearest airport from Kodaikanal is Madurai airport which is 120 km from here. There are many taxis and buses available outside the airport for Kodaikanal. Madurai airport is very well connected with cities like Chennai, Mumbai, and Banglore.

By train

The nearest railhead is Kodai Road. Kodai Road railhead is 80 km from Kodaikanal. The railhead is connected to cities like Madurai and Trichy. While Madurai and Trichi have great connectivity for other parts of India. There are lot of transport means outside the railway station for Kodaikanal.

By road

Prominent cities of India like Chennai, Banglore, Madurai, Coimbatore, Munnar, and many others are connected to Kodaikanal. If you are starting from Madurai it takes 4 hours to reach Kodaikanal via NH 49. Also there are many buses available for Kodaikanal from nearby cities and states as well.

Best time to visit Kodaikanal

Kodaikanal is a hill station in the Summer and Winter season it remains popular. While the weather is pleasant all year round but Winters remains by far the best time to visit Kodaikanal.

In summers temperature ranges from 19 degrees to 36 degrees. This is actually very good comparing it to the temperature of Chennai which ranges from 27 degrees to 40 degrees.

In monsoon the weather remains very harsh and it receives good amount of rainfall. Though the temperature remains very pleasant but traveling around is a bit hard.

Winters is the favorite season for visitors as temperate ranges from 8 degrees to 16 degrees. Due to this moderate temperature traveling around is very easy.

For further information visit this Kodaikanal website here.