Kodaikanal Diaries : A Photo Walk

This was my first trip to South India. I have mostly visited North India, but had never been to the Southern parts of India. I wanted to visit the beautiful & so popular Ooty, but being popular the place is supposed to be crowded, especially at this time of the year. I chose Kodaikanal instead.

Crowd parameter proved me wrong when I reached there. The place is not off beat anymore. The place actually looked like very popular among South Indians. I did not spot many North Indians though.

I could not contain my excitement upon seeing the tall, green & lush trees welcoming me with open arms. There were birds every where singing their own tunes, the birds that are now extinct in Delhi now due to the increased number of mobile towers since we need high speed network. 🙁

The hotel was situated at the outskirts of the town. We stayed away from the usual air & noise pollution. I forgot my fatigue & refused to stay indoors. I went for an evening walk just after having a welcome drink offered by the hotel.

Coakers Walk

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The next morning we were off to Coakers walk which is a nice footpath around the hill about 1km long. This stretch gives a very nice view of the valley beneath. The day was little foggy & the scene was delightful to eyes. Fog was flowing through us. The place also has an observatory offering paid telescope view of the valley. Since there were a lot of people in the queue, we skipped the observatory.

Pine Tree Forest

Pine trees every where. The tall, lean & happy pine trees. Monkeys playing around & hoping to catch some food from the visitors. The forest attracts lots of crowd.

Pillar Rocks

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I was in awe when I saw them. I felt so connected to them. I don’t know what was that. But I could not stop staring at them. They were there, standing straight, shoulder to shoulder & head in to the clouds, ahh. I just could not get enough of those rocks. Later, I saw some old photographs of those rocks, in the hotel that I was staying into, they have not changed much in the last 100 years. They are just the same.

Bryant Park

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

It is a beautiful park showcasing a large number of species of flowers. From the much known roses to never seen by commoners species. One could expect every single type of flower in that park. The rare ones are inside a nursery and prohibited to be photographed. The park is quite big & offers a lot of space for the locals to come and have a picnic.

Kodai Lake

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

In the heart of Kodaikanal, lies the kodai lake, a star shaped lake. The day we opted to boat in the lake, the town was receiving showers of rain which made our boating experience more pleasant. We hired a row boat instead of hiring a compact paddle boat, to experience the classic boating.

Lake View

There are several points in the city from where one could see the lake. One such point is known as the Lake View. It presents a nice view of the Kodai Lake as well as the surroundings of the lake. You can spot the nice bicycle track around the lake from the point.

Chettiar Park

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This was another park, not as big & diverse as Bryant but is beautiful. We passed a nice afternoon there under a few showers of rain. It felt really refreshing. The park had lots of swings to entertain children.

Green Valley View

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Honestly, I was not much impressed with the Green Valley View. To reach the view, there was a long walk through a narrow passage with shops on both sides. Crowd made it more unpleasant. Monkeys bothered a lot. I found Coaker’s Walk presented much better & clear view of the valley.

Silver Cascade Fall

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The only fall that still had some water. Most of the falls dry up in the hot season. Silver Cascade was a nice view, but we did not specially pay a visit to it since it was down the hill while on our way to the airport. We stayed at it for 5-10 minutes & took off.

These were the highlights of my trip to Kodaikanal. I shall be writing more about the trip & the hotel into which we stayed. Stay tuned.

Love.