Kodaikanal is a beautiful, a very popular hill station in Tamil Nadu, India. It has picturesque views of valleys, lakes, waterfalls and grassy hills. While most of the people flock to the famous hill stations of Ooty and Coonoor, the crowd at Kodaikanal is relatively low. This is one of the reasons we absolutely fell in love with this place when we headed here. Here’s how to spend 2 days in Kodaikanal or a beautiful weekend in Kodaikanal.
Assuming you will be starting your trip to Kodaikanal from one of the nearby cities like Chennai or Bangalore, a road trip will be great. The road to Kodaikanal from Bangalore, that we took, is absolutely picturesque. The condition of the road is also great. And the cherry on top of this cake is the almost nil traffic on this route. If you start early in the morning, say around 6 a.m.,
Visit places near Coakers walk
Post lunch, visit Kodai Lake which is at a 200 meters walking distance from Coakers walk. The lake has a huge circumference of 5 kilometers. A beautiful road with stunning views surrounds the lake. There are options to cycle, walk or ride a pony around the lake. You can also enjoy boating on the lake. Take your time to explore this beautiful place leisurely. We had a leisurely walk around the lake along with our family. One portion of the lake side is lined up with shops selling handicrafts and woolen cloths. There are also many food stalls here. While you take a walk around the lake, you can find several vendors selling different kinds of street food. Enjoy an ice cream or a bhel puri (an Indian snack) while you walk around. There are benches at regular intervals where you can sit and relax for a while before continuing further. The Kodai Lake is actually our favorite. It has the most refreshing and energizing aura that one experiences. You can easily spend 2-3 hours here. From here, you can head to the Bryant Park Botanical Garden.
The entrance to this garden is located just near one end of the Kodai lake. The garden is lush green almost all through the year. It has beautiful beds of different varieties of flowers. This is one more place to leisurely spend your evening. Several photographers flock the place, who can give you an instant print of your snap if you decide to get one. The garden also houses a small nursery with different varieties of plants very reasonably..
Start your day early in the morning. Around 6-7 a.m. in the morning, take a walk on the Coakers walk. It is a one kilometer walkway on the edge of the hill which gives absolutely gorgeous views of the vast stretch of valleys beyond. Clouds might play hide and seek while you enjoy a crisp fresh walk here. The panoramic spread of the valley is such that you will find it difficult to take your eyes off it. You can walk till the other end of the walkway and then return back. Some vendors might be up by this time and you can enjoy a steaming cup of hot tea or coffee from them as you walk. Return to your resort for a hearty breakfast.
Pillars Rock, Guna caves & Dolphin’s nose
Post breakfast, head to Pillars rock. It’s a pair of twin rocks that stand tall like two pillars. They can be viewed from across a ridge in the hills. They are one of nature’s many marvels. As they are sleek and tall and yet so well balanced. From here, you can proceed to Guna caves.
These are natural caves in the hills. Earlier, you could enter the caves and explore them. To avoid accidents on this dangerous terrain, the entry is prohibited. Now, the caves are covered with wire mesh. They can be viewed from a distance. The trek from the road to the caves is a meadow covered with tall pine trees. It’s a refreshing walk through the meadow that makes the visit to the caves absolutely worthy. Next, head to Dolphin’s nose which is a viewpoint at higher hills. The place provides a bird’s eye view of the beautiful landscape surrounding it.
Bear Shola Falls
Post lunch, head to Bear Shola Falls, a beautiful waterfall, located almost 2 kilometers from Kodai Lake. Bear Shola falls gets its name from the fact that in the past bears used to come to this waterfall to drink water. Nowadays, spotting a bear here is unheard of. This is also known as Silver Cascade falls. Nevertheless, the falls provide a beautiful location to relax. Post visiting this fall, you can return to your resort. This would bring you to the end of the second day at Kodaikanal.
We know for sure that you will be able to make absolutely beautiful memories out of these 2 days in Kodaikanal trip. Every single place that you visit here is naturally beautiful. The place is not very touristy. The hills have untouched beauty. Soak in the lap of nature for 2 days in Kodaikanal before you head back to your daily life. Carry back some exotic plants, homemade chocolates and wooden crafts or kitchen wares with you. You can buy these items near the lake or from Kodai market which is also located at walking distance from Coakers walk. You couldbook holiday packages to interesting destinations over the weekend and go on a road trip. Hope you loved reading our post on 2 days in Kodaikanal.
