How We Spent Our 2 Days in Kodaikanal

Kodaikanal

Kodaikanal is a beautiful, 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.

How we spent our 2 days in Kodaikanal
2 days in Kodaikanal

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.

2 days in Kodaikanal – Day 1

Early morning drive to Kodaikanal

2 days 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., you will make it to Kodaikanal by noon!

Stay near Coakers walk

Book your stay near Coakers walk in Kodaikanal. This place is near to most of the tourist attractions. It also provides absolutely stunning views of the valleys beyond. We have been to Kodaikanal a couple of times. Both the times we stayed in resorts within 100 meters of Coakers walk. Once you reach Kodaikanal, check in to your resort and have lunch.

Visit places near Coakers walk

KodaiKanal

Post lunch, visit Kodai Lake which is at a 200 meters walking distance from Coakers walk. The lake has a huge circumference of 5 kilometres. 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 lakeside is lined up with shops selling handicrafts and woollen 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 favourite. 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.

2 days in Kodaikanal

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 to 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 priced. Exit the garden from the other gate, which is located just in front of Coakers walk. You can call it a day and return to your resort for a good night’s sleep.

2 days in Kodaikanal – Day 2

Valley view from Coakers walk
2 days in Kodaikanal

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-kilometre 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 to 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

2 days in Kodaikanal
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.
2 days in Kodaikanal

These are natural caves in the hills. Earlier, you could enter the caves and explore them. To avoid accidents on this dangerous terrain, 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

2 days in Kodaikanal
Post lunch, head to Bear Shola Falls, a beautiful waterfall, located almost 2 kilometres 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 Coaker’s walk. You could book 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.

This is a guest post by Neha. She and her husband Abhishek are travel enthusiasts & travel bloggers by passion and software engineers by profession. Neha is the planner and the writer. Abhishek is the executor and the photographer. They plan their family trips at the beginning of each year, putting good use to all holidays and extended weekends available.

Post the vacation, they share their experience through their travelogue Revolving Compass. When they are not able to travel physically, they travel virtually reading blogs of fellow travelers (and that happens daily!)

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Kodaikanal

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TA CJHow We Spent Our 2 Days in Kodaikanal

69 thoughts on “How We Spent Our 2 Days in Kodaikanal”

  1. We are also big fans of anywhere that’s not super crowded. The rocks nd waterfalls look amazing we love being outside and experiencing nature. We are headed to Iceland in January where hopefully we will see many waterfalls and experience some amazing nature

  2. Kodaikanal is such a naturally beautiful place to visit isn’t it! Botanical gardens to stroll around, Pillar’s Rock, Guna Caves, Bear Shola Falls – what is there not to love? This post by Neha has shown us a wonderful place to visit so thank you.

  3. I have yet to visit India and from reading this I realise I still have so much more to learn before heading there. I tend to think crazy traffic, people people and people. Obviously that is not the case. 6 hour drive from Bangalore to Kodaikanal and almost nil traffic, totally amazing.

  4. I love how you always share these lesser known places to explore. Awesome scenery and waterfalls. Looks like great hiking to me!

  5. What a beautiful place for spending a couple of days exploring. I love walking in nature, and Pillars rock looks like an amazing place to visit! Will be keeping this on hand for future reference…

  6. Wow–Kodaikanal looks like a gorgeous area to explore! Pillars Rock and the waterfalls look amazing. I’ve never heard of this region, but it definitely looks like an area that we would like to visit!

  7. What a beautiful place to spend a few days in India. My impression is that India can be very chaotic and crowded and this seems like a great place to escape the crowds and get into a bit of nature.

  8. I’ve seen so many pictures of Kodaikanal on Pinterest! I’ve always saved them, but never known someone that’s actually been. I love the fog with the pillars in the background. Absolutely stunning!

  9. Wow! the view is really nice! I’ve been to waterfalls recently and climbed up some easy mountains and I was amazed already. But seeing this, it seems that there is really a lot of places that are really good for experiences and lasting memories. Also, the landscape is nice for some photo shoot.

  10. Thank you for a detailed itinerary and tips for visiting. It seems that views there are breathtaking. It would be nice place to visit. Thank you for sharing!

  11. Oh my god that view of the Pillars rock, fantastic! I didn’t know there is such a place in India. How come I’m only hearing of it now. And there’s the Bear Shola falls. I am getting more and more convinced that India is the next destination to be.

  12. Wow, I didn’t know Kodaikanal existed! I didn’t even know there was such place in India. Those hills look like hill in China! One quick question, do you think if I use Couchsurf will work to stay near to Coakers walk?

  13. I have to admit, I had not heard of Kodaikanal before read your post. However, now I really want to visit. I love the beauty of nature and landscapes and this place really seems to fit the bill. The Bear Shola Falls looks fantastic, I could sit and watch it for hours. Thank you for sharing 🙂

  14. Brought back the memories afresh. I guess I will not be ever tired of visiting here. We have already done one more trip with our baby last year and it was as amazing as the first one done almost 5 years back

  15. Wow! First time hearing about this place and it’s just stunning 😀 😀 Would love to visit here one day. Maybe add it to my list of places to go before I turn 30! 😛

  16. What a wonderful itinerary of Kodaikanal in India. Your step by step guide is helpful and the photos are amazing. What a beautiful and peaceful place to visit. I have never been to India but this is one place I would love to visit. Thanks for sharing 🙂

  17. Perfect itinerary. What’s not to like? Boating on a lake, botanical gardens, and those wonderful views of the Pillars. I’d love to go here; India is such a stunning country.

  18. Kodaikanal has some seriously beautiful scenery. Those waterfalls are sweet. they look so powerful. I can imagine the roar when standing close. Great photos. Thanks for sharing this cool location.

  19. Everyday I’m glad that I’m discovering new about India and your country is really awesome! The pillars rock is magnificent and the bear shola falls is awesome. The current is too strong! So wonderful!

  20. Kodaikanal seems like a great place to go. It’s impressive there was so many great sights reletively close by so you were able to do some sight seeing and head back to the resort for food. I especially like the waterfall.

  21. The mists and clouds coming down over the mountains looks really eerie and atmospheric – looks like they cleared for the waterfall pic though which looks amazing!

  22. Last time when we visited Kodaikanal, we missed important places like Kodai Lake as we were staying bit away from Caokers View . Nice blog.. will revisit for more travel tips.

  23. Kodai for me is always special for that unusual trek that we did across Bear Shola falls. Time to revisit the hillstation – this time with family. Thanks for reminding me

  24. The pictures looks so mesmerizing and the way you guys have shared the story. Feels so real and beautiful. Kodaikanal is definitely on my bucket list now.

  25. Fantastic! After reading about the superb accommodation at Kodaikanal it was great to follow it up with some suggestions on what to do there. I love the superb natural attractions – walking around the lake and visiting the rock formations and waterfalls would be a great way to spend a weekend, and all that exercise means a good appetite for dinner back at the resort 😀

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