Kodaikanal Travel Guide: Lakes and Forest in the Western Ghats

Kodaikanal is the other old hill station of the Western Ghats, known for its lake, forest and pleasant air — the same kind of cool-climate break that Ooty offers, with a quieter, more wooded character.

• Kodaikanal Lake
• The wooded, misty crags around the town
• The pleasant hill-station air

A couple of nights is typical for a hill-station break, added to a Tamil Nadu itinerary as a change of pace.

Kodaikanal's hill-station climate stays cooler than the plains year-round; the November-to-March window that suits the rest of Tamil Nadu works well here, and it is a natural relief during the hotter April-to-June months elsewhere.

Kodaikanal is reached by private car, usually added to a temple-trail itinerary as a hill-station break, often as an alternative to or alongside Ooty.