A Summer Escape to Kodaikanal: Our 3-Day Itinerary & Travel Tips

Tanu’s exams were just over, and I was looking for a place to visit. May is not a great time to travel in India—it’s super-hot and crowded. The Himalayas were an option, but we didn’t have a lot of time on our hands. So, South India it was. The only places in South India where the weather stays cool during summer are the hill stations of Ooty and Kodaikanal. Tanu hadn’t seen Kodaikanal, and hence, we decided to visit it.

In this post, I’ll talk about a few points that will help people plan their visit to Kodaikanal.

Reaching Kodaikanal

Kodaikanal is near Madurai in Tamil Nadu. It’s about 450 km from Bengaluru and takes around 10 hours to drive. We decided to take an overnight bus to reach Kodaikanal. Our reasons:

• Saves time – Driving would have consumed two full days. It didn’t seem worth it.
• Traffic – May is peak season in Kodaikanal. Like most Indian hill stations, traffic management is poor. I didn’t want to be stuck behind the wheel in such conditions. Also, there’s a new requirement to register and get an e-pass for private vehicles.

We took a KSRTC overnight sleeper bus. While the journey was comfortable, I felt the Rajahamsa buses KSRTC currently operates have seen better days.

Travel in Kodaikanal

We had booked a hotel near Kodaikanal Lake. This ensured that most of the attractions in town were within walking distance. For trips outside the town, we hired a car with a driver from a travel agency. Very easy. No need to worry about traffic jams or parking hassles.

Our Itinerary

We had three full days in Kodaikanal. Our sightseeing can be split into five parts:

1. Tourist spots within the town
   • Kodaikanal Lake
   • Bryant Park
   • Coaker’s Walk
   • Shopping
2. Valley Tour – basically a tour of viewpoints
   • Green Valley View (Suicide Point)
   • Pillar Rocks
   • Guna Cave (skipped due to crowd)
   • Pine Forest
   • Moir Point
3. Berijam Lake – A beautiful and serene spot that requires permission from the forest department. [I’ve written about it here.]
4. Village Tour – A trip to Mannavanur village, offering some lovely views.
5. Waterfalls on the way – Thalaivar and Silver Cascade falls.

Hotels in Kodaikanal

Kodaikanal is filled with hotels and resorts, catering to all budgets. You can choose based on your preference and proximity to tourist places. We chose to stay near the lake, which gave us the flexibility to walk around town.

Food is not a problem either—Kodaikanal has many restaurants offering various cuisines. However, outside the town, food options are limited to small, temporary shops.

Crowd in Kodaikanal

We visited during peak season, and as expected, the town was crowded. Most tourist spots had inadequate parking, resulting in traffic jams. Many roads in town are one-way to help with traffic flow, but even that didn’t help much.

Every tourist spot is surrounded by small shops and eateries, set up in a haphazard way that ruins the aesthetics. There seems to be no master plan for the town’s development. What surprised me most was how indifferent most tourists were to the chaos.

What We Did to Reduce the Impact of the Crowd

• Took a bus to Kodaikanal and used a tourist car locally—no stress about driving or parking.
• Visited local spots on a weekday—less crowd.
• Spent quality time at Berijam Lake—still untouched by the tourist rush.
• Stayed near the lake—avoided using the car in central areas.
• Visited some spots early in the day—before the crowd built up.
• Skipped places like Guna Cave, which were swarming with people. We weren’t trying to tick off a checklist.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I must say we really enjoyed the trip. The weather was perfect. While nearby Munnar was lashed by rains, Kodaikanal stayed pleasant—it lies in a rain shadow area.