Best time to visit : April to June and September to November
Kodaikanal, popularly known as the "Princess of Hill stations", has a rich legacy as a summer retreat and a tourist spot at Tamilnadu. Bestowed with a diverse topography comprising of meadows, shola forests and rocky inclines, Kodaikanal offers something special for everyone. A favourite tourist spot for adventure tourists, nature lovers and honeymooners alike, Kodaikanal has many intriguing surprises as well. Make sure that you have the latest tourist information in hand to make sure that you do not miss out anything.
Facts
Located in the fabled Palani Hills in Western Ghats, Kodaikanal enjoys an envious position of nearly 7200 feet above the sea level. One of the most popular honeymoon destinations in South India, Kodaikanal is famous for numerous reasons. The word Kodaikanal literally means in Tamil language as ‘gift of the forest’. True to its name, it has thick woodlands comprising of fruits and flowering trees like pear and magnolia. You have a slew of tourist places to explore including ancient edifices, religious places and natural spectacles like waterfalls, lakes and forests.
There are many popular restaurants to cater to the diverse taste buds. Royal Tibet makes an essential stopover for those who love Tibetan dishes while the budget conscious tourists would find ‘Tava’ a great choice for vegetarian dishes.
Kodaikanal is a shopper’s delight as well and some of the must buy items on your shopping list would be pears, plums, eucalyptus oil, woollen garments and homemade chocolates among others. There are many shopping avenues like Khadi Emporium, Corsack, Kurinji Mini Supermarket, and Handloom Co-operative Stores where you can shop for handicrafts and handloom items apart from shawls, jewellery and walnut wood items. Check out the Tibetan stalls along the road leading to the Lake for bargain buying.
Nearby Places:
· Palani: The popular temple town of Palani is about 65 km. from Kodaikanal. Famous for the hill top shrine of Lord Subramanya, which can be reached by climbing 659 steps, Palani is a very important tourist destination and a known Hindu pilgrimage site.
· The Annamalai Park (Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary): Set up in 960 sq. km., this park is home to rich wildlife including tiger, wild boar, elephants, panther, sloth bear and the Nilgiri langur among others. Trekkers need special permit and a guide. There is a forest rest house, where you can stay at night.