Day 3 - Nature Trek to Dolphin's Nose - Steps Together

Date: 13-Apr-15
We have completed one year of our wedding on this day. What an year !! It was filled with wonderful memories, learnings, and experiences. Thanks to Thilak for making this year so awesome. The day kick started with anniversary wishes from family. When we looked out from our balcony, a line of cloud was on top of the mountain which gave a beautiful beginning for our last day at Kodaikanal.

Kodaikanal

Our plan for today was Dolphin’s nose trek and then return journey to Bangalore. Since we were not sure about the time that might take for the trek, we decided to checkout from the cottage in the morning itself and after the trek, directly start our return journey to Bangalore. We quickly got ready, checked out from the hotel, had breakfast at Hilltop Woodlands, and proceeded towards Dolphin’s nose view point.

Dolphin’s Nose View Point
As Thilak planned yesterday, Thilak parked the car near La Saleth church in St Mary’s road and we started our trekking at around 9.15 AM. From this point, the Dolphin’s nose view point is around 3 km. Nowhere in travelogues, people have mentioned about the exact route to Dolphin’s nose. So, Thilak chose this route as the best route using Google maps and yes, this proved to be the best route for us. Even though, there is no well maintained roads and the path is a very narrow forest path, it is one of the most scenic roads I have ever walked.

I was very scared about this road as this was going through the forest and also we did not anything about this route. But, I was completely wrong. The road was completely safe and we had a great time trekking through this. We followed the route shown in Google maps and proceeded. It was not a tar road and was going through the dense forest. The amazing cloudy weather made our trek smooth.

Vattakanal Falls

After some distance, we saw Pambar stream and near that, we saw a junction which connected another road to our route. That road was well constructed and many vehicles were coming from that route. This road was the other side of Upper Shola road which was shown as a walk path in google maps. For a moment we felt bad for not coming in that road in car but the road that we took was so scenic that we felt walking on this heavenly road was better than sitting in car. Immediately after Pambar stream, there is Vattakanal falls which actually became a surprise package for us. As we walked, once again the clouds started to touch the roads. The heavenly road became even more amazing with clouds. After around 1 km, the well constructed road got ended and we could see the vehicles parked in the parking lot.

Trek path to Dolphin’s Nose

After this point, everyone has to walk to go to Dolphin’s nose view point. There were few small shops also at the parking lot. We asked direction to Dolphin’s nose with a shopkeeper and proceeded. The road was very steep and was not at all in a good condition. It was a mud road filled with boulders of various sizes. In some places, the path was completely filled with roots of trees. There were few houses and shops also in that route which had benches to take rest. Since we were descending, I did not feel tired at all. But, thinking about return trek made me bit worry. There were many families who were going in front of us which included some kids and women. Looking at their energy, I got inspired.

On the Way to Dolphin’s Nose

The cloud density started to increase as we were nearing our destination. The place was looking magnificent. At around 11 AM, we reached the view point. The view of the Dolphin nose shaped huge rock was breathtaking. Both of us were scared to go till the edge of the rock, so we did not take risk. The place was completely covered with clouds and the feeling was just unforgettable. Thanks to Thilak who insisted on visiting this place. We enjoyed the nature, the beauty, for around half an hour and started from there at around 11.30 AM.

Dolphin’s Nose

The difficult part was returning as we had to ascend the steeply path. But, surprisingly I did not feel that tired (may be because of the weather). It started to drizzle when we were still the half way. Luckily, we had one umbrella. It started to pour like crazy when we were about half km from La Saleth Church. We almost completely got wet in the rain. But, we did not feel bad, instead we felt that, that was the perfect end for our anniversary trip.

Since we were drenched, we decided to have lunch somewhere near Dindigul instead of Kodaikanal and bid farewell to fabulous Kodaikanal.

Route Map:

Return Journey

View on the Way (from Kodaikanal to Bangalore)

While returning, our route was through NH7, so we had to take Kodai road. The journey through Kodai road was too good. The road was very very well maintained and the weather, my God, was awesomest. Both of us thoroughly enjoyed the drive through this road. At around 2 o’clock, we entered Batlagundu town and we had lunch at a small hotel and started towards Bangalore. The journey through NH7 was not as boring as I thought because of the pleasant weather. The speed of our little nano did not come below 100 km throughout. Only sad thing with this road was the toll fees. We paid 412 Rs for toll during this journey. At 9 PM, we reached home and ended our amazing trip.

At the end of the trip, both of us felt happy for choosing the perfect destination for our anniversary. We will always cherish each and every moment spent at this awesome place. The green roads, the cloudy weather, the romantic rain, the nature trek, misty mountains, everything will hold a very special place in our memories.

Route Travelled: Spring Valley Residency > Hotel Hilltop Woodlands > La Saleth Church > Dolphin’s Nose
Return Journey: La Saleth Church > Kodai Road > Batlagundu > Dindigul > Karur > Namakkal > Salem > Dharmapuri > Krishnagiri > Hosur > Electronic City > BTM Layout
Photos: Day 3 at Kodaikanal Photos