Kodaikanal was on our ‘Places to go’ list for long. We planned one in November 2022 but it got called off due to inconveniences to my friends Hafeez & Asli. Once again we planned our trip to Kodai as Jewel was interested in going somewhere in the Independence Day long weekend. Due to some confusion with dates, Jewel & Helen cancelled their journey 2 days before the planned date.
Me and Rajna were determined to go for this Kodaikanal Ride even if others were not coming, as we wanted a getaway so badly. As part of preparations for this tour, we bought a few products from Vaidyaratnam store, which helped us throughout the journey to stay healthy and safe from health issues.
Shadow – A Loving Memory from Now!
The sad part is that our cat ‘Shadow’ was dead while we were on this tour. He got unwell due to an attack from a street cat. We treated him so well before going on this tour and even admitted him to the pet hospital in our absence. On the second day of our tour, the hospital informed us that Shadow was dead. We asked them to do the burial by themselves as we were not in the city. As I don’t want this blog to be a sentimental one, we’ll stop talking about Shadow here. He’ll always be in our hearts.
Table of Contents
1st Day – Start – August 12 Saturday
We packed all our stuff and started at 4:30 AM in the morning. By 8 we reached Palakkad and by 9 we reached Pollachi. We just had tea from a local teashop while passing through Palakkad. We missed taking an underpass deviation towards Pollachi which made us travel 2-3 km more.
As we passed through Pollachi we saw many coconut tree farms and also a large area of windmill farms. By 11 we reached Palani. Riding towards and near the Palani Hill temple was a good experience. After that point, the road was so green and shady. Palani to Pollachi highway was under construction so we touched Udumalpet as well.
Kodaikanal Entry
After 10-15 km of ride through a forest-like lush green road, we reached the checkpost towards the entry to Kodaikanal. As I didn’t have any documents printed, they asked for a 100 RS fee (which doesn’t have any receipt).
There were around 15 to 25 hairpin bends on the next 30 kilometres. The roads were good and the scenery was nice. Slowly it started to get cold. There were many riding groups on the way. Once we started to approach the Kodaikanal main toll point and city, it started drizzling. It was like a light spray of rain in the beginning. There was a long line of cars on the way to the toll gate as well.
Upon entering the town, the rain became heavy. It became a tough challenge to ride the steep roads in rainy conditions. The city was also witnessing a traffic jam due to a bus which broke its axle in the middle of a major road. We had lunch at an empty restaurant. Just bought 1 meal and we shared it. The rain was still not over but we decided to keep going as we wanted to travel 40 more km to reach Kilavarai before dark.
Rain ride towards Kilavarai
As soon as we started rain started pouring. The riding jacket and helmet saved our upper body from getting completely wet. Rain and cold conditions made us shiver and freeze seriously. The road was not perfect but it was ok after a point.
There were thick pine forests, mountains, farmlands, tiny villages, cliff sides, and foggy trees in between this 40 KM ride but we could see it properly as the rain made it mandatory to focus completely on the road for a safe ride.
By the time we reached Mannavanur & Poombarai rain was lightened. We stopped at some viewpoints but it was completely covered with fog, blocking the view. There were also leeches in the grass which made us cautious.
Reaching Kilavarai
We went through some nice farmlands, pine trees roads, and villages. After Poondi, we reached Kilavarai by 5 PM. The view from the cottage where we stayed was excellent. Soon after check-in, the rain started again. Fog covered our cottage soon after the rain. I wasn’t able to enjoy it completely as the cold and wet clothes made me vulnerable to triggering my allergic condition in a cold climate.
The cottage people brought us hot water to bathe and also black tea to freshen up. After getting ready, we went out for a walk towards the tea shop just 200 meters away from our stay, towards the top.
Kilavarai @ Walk During Sunset
We got out for a walk once the rain is over and the fog covering lightened. It was cold and our jackets and the woolen hat made us feel comfy. The roads were wet and the flowering plants on both sides of the road welcomed us with cheer. There was a light golden sky on one side and a deep white shining cloudy mountains on the other side. The long views towards the villages placed on hills were so good to see. We walked up the road to reach a small junction-like space in Kilavarai where there was 2 or 3 small tea shops. The tea and snacks were fresh and tasty.
We had a short chat with the local people in the tea shop. We asked whether they watched ‘Jailer’, Rajnikanth’s latest movie which was released 2 days back. None of them had watched the movie as there were no theatres in the area. The nearest theatre is in Kodaikanal, 44 km away. Most of them were not very interested in Rajni movies though. Some of them were Surya, Dhanush, Ajith and Vijay fans. They think Rajni is old now. Which is a fact but his charisma will never fade I think. As the light started to go off, we went back to the stay.
Now the far away mountains are completely dark and there are a group of lights at the top of each hill which shows the houses there. It was a cloudy day so no stars were visible at night. The dinner was served late but we had a good sleep that night.
2nd Day Morning – Towards Kookal
Woke up seeing a nice and bright sunrise. We went to the same tea shop visited yesterday to have breakfast. After having a snack and tea we started towards Kookal. Today’s plan is to visit Kookal, Mannavannur, Poombarai, Mannavanur, and Poondi. The road towards Kookal was really nice with amazing-looking farmlands, houses, mountain views, and flowering plants all over, and there were also horses grazing around. We took a left deviation to enter the road to Koakal.
The road to Kookal was one of the best routes in the Kodai journey. With big eucalyptus trees on both sites, that ride was so satisfying. Kookal Lake was also nice with lots of water lilies. We then visited Kookal village and entered a farmland with permission. We walked barefoot in between carrot and garlic farmlands. Had a detailed chat with the farmers there to get an idea about the farming process there and their lives. We then left the place and headed towards Poombarai.
Poombarai – The Most Beautiful and Unique Place in Kodai
The road to Poombarai was good. The view of the Poombarai village from the top is so amazing. The houses here are very good-looking and colourful. Unlike other villages here, Poombarai is more beautiful in terms of building architecture, paint jobs, farmlands, landscape, facilities, etc. We had lunch from a non-vegetarian shop there. We got to eat Biriyani, which was surprisingly tasty. We also got some food to eat at night as well. Even the view of the farmlands from the restaurant was so cool.
The colony of houses here was similar to what we get to see in Mattanchery, Kochi. The main difference is the traditional Tamil architecture we get to see in High-altitude areas. They are using clay, stones, terracotta tiles, wood etc for most of the works. That gives the houses a very unique and traditional look. There are also concrete houses which are newly constructed but they are spoiling the essence of these colonies, otherwise look so beautiful.
We walked through these houses placed too close to each other. There is hardly space for two people to walk through these paths between houses. There are plenty of kids walking and playing around these colonies and that’s a graceful sight. Their behaviour is funny as they will shy away if we take pictures. We even got a chance to talk to some of the local men and women. I think some of the most precious moments in this tour were those interactions and pictures we clicked with them.
We also met a couple from Thrissur there. Had a chat with them and we started towards Mannavanur.
Mannavanur Sheep Farm Visit
We decided to go to the Sheep farm in Mannavanur next as we saw the board while coming to Kilavarai yesterday. As there was so much space inside the compound for parking, there was no congestion like in other tourist places. After arriving at the farm, we also found that there was a beautiful lake view there which is the shooting location of a good list of movies. Mammooty’s Perambu is one among them.
First, we saw a horse standing near the farm gate waiting for visitors. We just took pictures with it as kids were waiting to ride on it. Going forward we saw a rabbit den with plenty of varieties kept inside a building. There were some interesting rabbit species as well, like the one we see with Mohanlal in the movie Uncle Bun (Giant Rabbit Breed).
Next, we moved towards the lake and there were sheep folks grazing on the hillsides. We could see them like white lines or scattered dots far away. We stood next to the gate waiting for the sheep’s arrival. As we hadn’t seen them close before, it was a good experience. Unlike the normal goats, these were cuter and fluffy. A shepherd accompanied each group of sheep. When they opened the gate after a short wait, the sheep rushed towards the top of the hill which was a good sight. We witnessed around 2 to 3 groups of sheep entering in a similar fashion. After enjoying the place a bit more we decided to go back to our stay as it was already 6 PM.
Poondi Village and the People
While going back to the stay we passed through the Poondi village. The view and rainy conditions made us stop here for some time. The view was good so we spent some time there. Upon seeing a small colony nearby we decided to give a quick visit to the place. It was a normal colony of houses. By seeing us, people started looking at us out of curiosity.
An elderly person approached us and asked what we were looking for. We said we wanted to see your village. He asked us to walk around and see. While coming back, he again asked us how was our village and we shared our thoughts and gratitude. We spent around 10 to 15 Minutes talking with them about their place, transportation, MGR influence etc. We took a picture with them as well.
On the way back we stopped at one more spot where there were some farmer ladies working on their land. We had a chat with them. Took photos of the place as it was so beautiful during the sunset. We had the food we bought afternoon for dinner. Slept early as we wanted to visit the Kilavarai and Polur villages in the morning before heading back to Kochi.
3rd Day Morning – Polur Morning Visit
Even though it was our last Morning in Kodaikanal, we were still feeling happy as we explored the places to the level where we felt really satisfied and relaxed. After having idli and chatni for breakfast we headed towards Polur first. The fresh feeling of Morning made the ride so good. The roads, places, mountains, and trees were all glowing in the morning rays. The view was one of the widest we have seen these days. The landscape of farmlands and mountains was also nice. We first went to the village and went inside through the concrete path. Met some people had a chat and talked about the political parties and their activities there. Polur was one of the villages that didn’t have much facilities.
Still, they had a school, political party offices, and also a few local shops. We bought 2 Laddoos and Murukku from there. We found a few interesting wall murals there. After spending some time and taking photos we came back to Kilavarai.
Kilavarai Village and its Post Office
Kilavarai is the last village of Kodaikanal on that route. There is a 15-kilometre forest road to Vattavada from here but it is closed due to some government-level disputes. Even though we stayed here for the last 2 nights, we haven’t visited the village yet. The route to this place is beautiful with a steep climb right after the small town-like junction. Like in all other places, the mountain and farmland view from the place is exceptionally beautiful. The people are nice as well but the village is not much developed. Our main intent was to find the post office in this village and post a letter to our uncles and aunties.
The time of the post office was from 6 Am to 8 AM in the morning. As the person in charge left just before we arrived, we contacted a few local people to post the letter, which they did after a few days. After spending some time there we went back to the stay and packed our bags to head back to Kochi. We managed to pick a few flowering plants from the area. We also wanted to visit the ‘Guna Caves’ before leaving Kodai.
Visiting Guna Caves
We started off right away and took some time on the pine forest road to take some photos. The road to Guna Caves was flooded with heavy traffic. After some time we reached the entry point. Luckily this was a one-way route and we had to exit the place from another road. We met the couple from Thrissur, whom we met yesterday in Poombarai here. The place had a nice forest vibe but it was crowded.
As the famous Kamal Hassan movie Guna was shot here, Rajna wanted to visit this place. Otherwise, our plan is to avoid such popular spots as we don’t want to be in heavy traffic in such rides. We took photos of the famous tree root spot and the path towards the cave. The cave is closed as it is too steep and dangerous to enter.
After getting out of the Caves, we took the other route and had lunch at a restaurant at the exit point. We also went through the lake. There were cyclists coming from Palakkad and Mannarkad as well. After lunch, we headed straight to Palani. The intent was to get out of the mountain path before it was dark. Once the city roads were covered, there was almost zero traffic in most areas. By evening 5 we reached Palani. Rajna was tired as this day was too hectic for us as we already spent some time visiting the village early morning.
Back to Kochi
We had dinner from Palakkad and reached back at Kochi by 12:30 AM. This tour was really satisfying and showered plenty of great experiences. The experience was similar to our Munnar – Marayoor ride last year, but this was completely different though. The places were really unique and the interaction with people went really well. With plenty of good memories, we were happy to be home again.
