"That 'hill station' feeling everywhere!"
Written on : 26 July 2018
Visted During : January 2018
Some more Information
My Experience and Opinion
Kodaikanal is deservingly one of the top-rated honeymoon destinations in South India. But, like any other famous tourist spots, this one is very crowded. Some view point seemed like a bee hive surrounded by hundreds of bees. When I visit these kind of places, my feeling to work on weekends and take off on weekdays gets stronger. How I wish I could do that!
Kodaikanal city is an extremely crowded tiny city around a lake. Narrow roads and weekend vehicle crowd creates a traffic chaos in the city. So, my advise to anyone travelling to Kodai is – Take a round in the city by 8 am and leave to outskirts by 9 am. Do not miss to visit Berijam lake as that is the only place in Kodai where entry is restricted to fixed number of people.
Few miles away from the city is a village that looks village of lilliputs from the view point. The famous Poombarai village view point is some thing not to miss. Stop your curiosity there. Do not visit the city just because it looks fascinating from the view point. The village is just like any other Indian village and if you visit, the amazing feel goes away. Writing this out of experience and hence a tip to anyone who gets carried away because of curiosity while seeing the village from view point.
Kodaikanal has extremely chill weather. Do carry your cold weather gears. Nights are very cold. The blankets get cold and wet due to cold and hence carry your own warm cloths to beat it.
Berijam Lake
Berijam lake resides amidst a thick reserve forest. Entry to this area is restricted to only a few hundred people a day. To take your vehicle inside the forest area, you need to take a vehicle entry permit on the previous day. On less crowded day, you can take chance by directly going to the entry point (Moir Point). Less than 50 vehicles are allowed per day and hence you should be there before 8.00 am if you want to take your vehicle. We were just a little late to Moir point so we could not take our vehicle. The forest department has safari vehicle to the lake. We were lucky to get the last 2 available seats in the safari. The only disadvantage of going in Safari vehicle is - you get only 10-15 minutes to spend near the lake. But, the Safari drivers give short breaks in multiple view points on the way. They also explain about different forests that you come across. One such point is the view point from where you can see the 'Silent Valley'. The driver/guide explained us that the Silent valley forest is pitch dark inside and only boneless animals are found inside. *(He meant - only snakes, leaches etc are present and not any mammals.)
Kodai City tour
There are over 20 view points in the Kodai city including the lake view. I would rate all these view points as average and you can skip multiple of them. If you are on your own vehicle, do take a ride inside the city early in the morning. You get the perfect feeling of a hill station visit during the city tour.
Drive experience from Bangalore to Kodai
The route to Kodaikanal from Bangalore is one amazing stretch. Maximum of the distance is highway and you can cruise at more than 140Kmph. Ghat section is present near kodai and is a beautiful experience again. We gave a flying visit to Yercaud on the way and hence reached a bit late to Kodai. You can reach Kodai in 9 hours from Bangalore with short breaks. However, during long weekends, pain points are the Toll collection points. While returning from Kodai, we had to wait in queue for more than 2Kms in 2 tolls and all the fun of driving was taken away in Tolls. Avoid rush hours especially near Krishnagiri. Have a safe drive and nice trip.
Photos
Picturesque Berijam lake
Safari vehicle to Berijam lake
View from one of the view points
The rays..!
Take photos... Then run if Safari Vehicle is honking :)
Early morning view from our Hotel
The Signature
Twin Rocks from a view point
Silent valley in another mood
Poombarai Village View
Kodai full day plan guide - 1
Kodai full day plan guide - 2
