By road
~120 km from Madurai
South India · Tamil Nadu
Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu
Misty lake town in the Palani hills · ~120 km from Madurai
Getting there
By rail
Kodai Road (KQN), ~80-100 km
By air
Madurai Airport, ~120 km
Best time to visit
September to May — avoid the heaviest monsoon months
Don't miss
Kodai Lake
Coaker's Walk
Pillar Rocks
Bryant Park
Things to do
Cycling the lake loop
Kayaking
Forest waterfall hikes
Where to eat
Sources: open-meteo, wikimedia, Photo: Challiyan at Malayalam Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 2.5
What to pack
Warm layers, rain shell, walking shoes for the cliff paths
A quieter corner
Vattakanal village and Dolphin's Nose at dawn before the mist lifts
About Kodaikanal
- Hills
- Lakeside
Where it is
Kodaikanal is a hill town in Tamil Nadu's Dindigul district, built around a star-shaped lake at about 2,200 m in the Palani Hills, an eastern spur of the Western Ghats north-west of Madurai.
History
The Palaiyar people lived in the Palani Hills long before Kodaikanal was established in 1845 as a refuge from the summer heat and diseases of the plains. It became a regular summer retreat for American missionaries, the lake was created in 1863, and the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory began its observations in 1901.
People
Kodaikanal's people speak Tamil, and the town mixes old mission schools and colonial bungalows with busy markets for hill produce. Terrace farmers in the surrounding villages grow plums, pears, vegetables and Kodaikanal hill garlic, which carries a Geographical Indication tag.
Known for
- Kodai Lake and its lakeside loop
- Coaker's Walk and Pillar Rocks
- Homemade chocolates and eucalyptus oil
- Kurinji flowers that bloom every twelve years
- The Kodaikanal Solar Observatory
Did you know?
At the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory in 1909, the astronomer John Evershed discovered the outward flow of gas in sunspots, now known as the Evershed effect.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.