Bengaluru to Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu
Kodaikanal sits at over 2,000 metres in the Palani hills, a lake town wrapped in pine, eucalyptus and shola forest, where the cliffs on its southern edge drop almost straight to the plains. Mornings are crisp, mist comes and goes by the minute, and the views change with it.
We drive through Friday night and climb the ghat from Batlagundu at dawn. Saturday covers the forest road to the pine forest, Guna Cave and Pillar Rocks, with an evening by the lake; Sunday walks out through Vattakanal to Dolphin's Nose and Echo Point before the drive home. Entry fees for the listed sights are part of the price.
Day by day
Drop-off: Bengaluru (same pickup points, dropped back after the trip)
Day 1
An overnight drive to the Palani hills and a dawn climb into Kodaikanal. After breakfast, the forest road's best stops, then a slow evening at the lake and dinner together.
Board the Tempo Traveller (Friday night). First pickup at RMZ Ecospace, Bellandur, then Silk Board and Electronic City (near M5 Mall); exact spots go on the trip WhatsApp group. Pack a warm jacket; Kodai mornings are cold.
Tea stop near Batlagundu. Coffee at the foot of the hills. Take motion-sickness tablets now if you need them; the ghat is long and winding.On your own
Arrive Kodaikanal, breakfast and check in. Breakfast, then check in to rooms on triple or quad sharing and freshen up.
Pine forest. Tall pines planted in straight ranks on a hillside, the light filtering through in shafts. Paths are soft underfoot and steep in places.
Guna Cave. Deep, narrow fissures in the rock between the Pillar Rocks, now fenced for safety, so you view them from walkways. The walk in passes gnarled roots and shola.
Pillar Rocks. Three sheer granite pillars standing about 120 metres tall, often swallowed by cloud and revealed again minutes later. Wait for the gaps.
Lunch in town. Pay-as-you-go. Try a Tamil meals plate or a plate of hot bajji.On your own
Kodai Lake. A star-shaped lake ringed by a five-kilometre path. Walk it, cycle it or take a boat out; bikes and boats are optional and paid on your own.
Free time in town. Browse homemade chocolate and eucalyptus oil stalls near the lake, or warm up with a hot drink.On your own
Dinner and overnight in Kodaikanal. Dinner together, then an early night before tomorrow's walk.
Day 2
Breakfast, then a walk from the hamlet of Vattakanal down to Dolphin's Nose and Echo Point, lunch and the long drive back to Bengaluru.
Breakfast and check out. Breakfast at the stay, then pack up and load the vehicle.
Vattakanal. A small village below the town, set among cypress and eucalyptus, with the Vattakanal falls on the way in. The walk to Dolphin's Nose starts here.
Walk to Dolphin's Nose. About 2 km each way on a rough, rocky path to a flat ledge jutting over a drop of hundreds of metres. Going down is easy; the climb back is steep, so pace yourself.
Echo Point. A short step from Dolphin's Nose, a lookout over the valley where calls bounce back off the cliffs. Clouds often pour over the edge here.
Lunch in town. Pay-as-you-go lunch before the descent.On your own
Depart for Bengaluru. Down the ghat to Batlagundu, then via Dindigul, Karur and Salem, with a tea break on the way.
Dinner stop en route. Pay-as-you-go dinner at a highway restaurant.On your own
Arrive Bengaluru, trip ends. Drops at Electronic City (M5 Mall), Silk Board and RMZ Ecospace. Sunday-night traffic at Hosur can shift this a little.
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