Kodaikanal

Date: 11-Apr-2015 to 13-Apr-2015

We wanted to celebrate our first wedding anniversary somewhere away from Bangalore. With the summer heat becoming increasingly unbearable that year, a hill station was our obvious first choice. Since April 14th was also Thilak’s birthday, we decided to take an extra day off and turn the occasion into a three-day getaway.

After exploring a few options, we decided on Kodaikanal. Often referred to as the Princess of Hill Stations, Kodaikanal is a popular hill station in the Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu, located approximately 465 km from Bangalore.

Planning the trip

Since I had some free time before the trip, I immersed myself in planning. I spent hours researching tourist attractions, reading travelogues, and gathering information about the places worth visiting in and around Kodaikanal. Thilak jokingly declared that I would be the official guide for the trip and that we would follow the itinerary I created. I took the responsibility seriously and carefully planned the places we wanted to cover during our three days in Kodaikanal.

The next step was booking accommodation. As usual, our priority was exploring destinations rather than spending time relaxing in a luxury resort. We therefore focused on finding a comfortable, budget-friendly place to stay. After comparing several options, we finalized Spring Valley Residency, which perfectly matched our requirements. We booked the same cottage for two nights and three days and were quite happy with the choice.

Planning the route

The next major decision was selecting our travel route. The most common route from Bangalore to Kodaikanal is via the well-maintained NH7 highway. While it is the fastest and most straightforward option, we wanted to make the journey itself more interesting.

This was entirely Thilak’s idea. Whenever possible, he prefers taking different routes during onward and return journeys instead of repeating the same road both ways. Apart from the standard NH7 route, we identified two alternative routes:

• Route 1: Bangalore → Mysore → Bandipur → Ooty → Coimbatore → Kodaikanal
• Route 2: Bangalore → Chamarajanagar → Sathyamangalam (NH209) → Avinashi → Palani → Kodaikanal

The first option was considerably longer than the second. Therefore, we chose route 2, through Sathyamangalam. Since the Sathyamangalam forest road remains open only between 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM, we did not want to risk travelling through it after dark and as our return journey would begin later in the day, we decided to use this scenic Sathyamangalam route for the onward journey and return via NH7.

Although the Sathyamangalam route was expected to take slightly longer than the conventional highway route, we believed it would offer a far more scenic and memorable driving experience.

Looking forward to the journey

With the itinerary finalized, accommodation booked, and routes planned, all that remained was to begin the trip.

We were excited not only because it was our first wedding anniversary but also because it gave us an opportunity to explore one of South India’s most beautiful hill stations together. The combination of a scenic road trip, misty mountains, pleasant weather, and three days away from the city’s routine made this trip something we eagerly looked forward to.

Travel snapshot

• Onward: BTM Layout > Kanakpura > Malavalli > Chamarajanagar > Sathyamangalam > Avinashi > Palani > Kodaikanal
  Return: Kodaikanal > Batlagundu > Dindigul > Karur > Namakkal > Salem > Dharmapuri > Krishnagiri > Hosur > Electronic City > BTM Layout
• Total distance (To & Fro): 1012 km
• Mileage (Car): 23 km/l
• Fuel expense: 2904 Rs
• Total expense: 8120 Rs

The complete day-wise travel experiences from this trip are covered in the following posts:

• Day 1 – Beautiful Drive to a Beautiful Place
• Day 2 – Journey through the Clouds
• Day 3 – Nature Trek to Dolphin’s Nose

Route Map