Traveling is always a wonderful experience, but when you travel with your close friends and neighbors, the joy becomes double. A few months ago, a group of men from my neighborhood decided to plan a fun and relaxing trip. We are a men's only team, and we wanted to escape the daily routine, the noise of the city, and our busy work schedules to go somewhere cool, beautiful, and refreshing. After some quick discussions and sharing different ideas, we chose the "Princess of Hill Stations" in Tamil Nadu. Yes, we decided to visit the beautiful green mountains of Kodaikanal! We were all very excited about this adventure. We packed our bags with warm clothes, bought lots of snacks, and got ready for a highly memorable journey with our neighborhood group.
ISHABIL TRIP AT A GLANCE
- 📍 Destination: Kodaikanal, India
- 📅 Date of Journey: March 25, 2014
- 🚆 Transport Mode: Ambali Tourist Bus
- 👥 Companions: Neighborhood Men's Group
The Night Journey in the Ambali Tourist Bus
Our journey began at exactly 10:00 PM at night. We had booked a big Ambali Tourist bus for our large group. The bus was very comfortable, with soft push-back seats and a good music system. Everyone was in a great mood when we boarded. When the journey started, there was singing, joking, sharing of snacks, and lots of loud laughing. Slowly, as the night got deeper and the bus rolled down the highway, the bus lights were turned off. The music volume was lowered, and people started falling asleep one by one.
Because it was totally dark outside, we slept through most of the uphill mountain drive. Kodaikanal is located high up in the mountains, and you have to cross many sharp, dangerous turns to reach the top of the hill. These sharp mountain turns are called hairpin bends. Since we were fast asleep in the comfortable bus seats, we did not really experience the scary hairpin bends during the night time. We missed looking out the window at the deep, dark valleys below us. But do not worry, we definitely felt those thrilling curves on our way back down the mountain!
A Beautiful Morning at Kodaikanal Lake
We reached Kodaikanal in the early morning hours. The moment we stepped out of the bus, the cold, freezing breeze hit our faces. It was completely refreshing and woke us up instantly. After freshening up at our rooms and having a hot, sweet cup of local tea to warm our bodies, we went straight to our very first destination: the famous Kodaikanal Lake. This big, beautiful lake is the main attraction right in the center of the town.
Cycling Around the Star-Shaped Lake
Instead of just walking around, we decided to take bicycles on rent to explore the area. There are many friendly cycle vendors near the lake, and the prices are very cheap and affordable for tourists. We all took one cycle each and started our ride together. When you look at the lake from the edge where the boats are kept, it looks like a normal, simple lake. But this lake is actually not round or rectangle in shape. It is shaped like a giant star with many branches going into the land!
💡 ishabil fact
Kodaikanal Lake is completely man-made! It was created many years ago in the year 1863 by a British officer named Sir Vere Henry Levinge. He loved the natural beauty of this area and wanted a grand, beautiful lake right in the center for everyone to enjoy.
We started pedaling our bicycles very fast, thinking we would finish the full circle of the lake very quickly. But Kodaikanal Lake is full of surprises for first-time visitors. Every time we thought we were reaching the end of the path, a new, long curve would suddenly appear. Because of the unique star shape, the cycling path keeps going deeper and deeper into new corners of the forest and town. The cool wind blowing across the fresh water made the cycling very pleasant, even though our legs slowly started getting tired from all the pedaling.
😂 ishabil fun
Halfway through the long cycle ride, some of our friends were so out of breath and tired that they jokingly wanted to call a local taxi just to finish the lake round! We had a great laugh watching grown men struggle and sweat on small, rented bicycles.
Boating and Horse Riding
After we finally completed the exhausting but fun cycling round, we were ready for some more relaxing activities. We went to the boat house and bought tickets for a pedal boat. Sitting in the boat, pedaling slowly on the calm, quiet water, and looking at the thick green hills surrounding us was a truly magical experience. The water was so clean and peaceful. Some of our other friends who did not want to go boating decided to enjoy horse riding on the paved pathways near the lake. It was the perfect, energetic start to our group trip.
Exploring the Natural Wonders of Kodaikanal
Once we finished our amazing time at the lake, our bus driver took us to the next famous tourist spots. The local sightseeing in Kodaikanal is brilliant because raw, untouched nature is everywhere you look. For more simple travel stories and helpful guides, you can always check out my website at ishabil.com.
Walking Through the Pine Forest
Our very first stop in the deep forest area was the beautiful and famous Pine Forest. When you enter this place, you immediately see hundreds of very tall, straight pine trees standing very close to each other. The trees reach so high up into the sky that they almost block the sunlight. The entire ground is covered with a thick carpet of dried brown pine leaves. It feels like stepping straight into a magical movie scene. We took so many amazing group photos here. The natural smell of the pine trees was fresh, pure, and very relaxing for the mind.
📌 ishabil tips
The sloping ground in the Pine Forest is very slippery because of the millions of dry leaves covering the mud. Always make sure to wear good, strong sports shoes with nice grip when you visit this area to avoid falling down.
Moir Point and Guna Cave
Next on our list, we reached Moir Point. This specific place gives you one of the most stunning, wide views of the green valleys of Tamil Nadu. You can stand near the edge (safely behind the strong iron fences) and look down at the incredibly deep mountains and forests. The white clouds literally float up and touch your face here. The wind is very strong and cold.
After enjoying the views at Moir Point, we moved to the famous Guna Cave. The short walk to Guna Cave is very thrilling and slightly scary. Big, thick tree roots cross the walking pathways like giant brown snakes. In the past, this place used to be called the "Devil's Kitchen" because it is a set of deep, dangerous, dark caves hidden naturally between huge pillar rocks. You can only see the cave entrance from a safe distance now because going deep inside is strictly restricted by the forest department for safety reasons. But the mystery of the dark holes and thick roots makes it an amazing place to visit and photograph.
💡 ishabil fact
Guna Cave got its current, popular name after a very famous and super-hit Tamil movie named "Guna" starring the legendary actor Kamal Haasan was shot right inside these very caves in the year 1991!
Pillar Rocks and Green Valley View Point
We continued our nature journey and soon arrived at the famous Pillar Rocks. Here, you can see three huge, massive rocks standing straight up towards the sky like tall, unbreakable pillars. They are about 400 feet high! The most beautiful and surprising part of this specific place is the thick mountain mist. One minute you can see the big rocks very clearly against the blue sky, and the very next minute, thick white clouds come rushing in and cover the rocks completely. It was like watching a magic show by nature.
Just a short, easy walk away from the Pillar Rocks is the Green Valley View Point. The view from this specific point drops down very, very deep into the valley below. It is so deep that you cannot even see the bottom clearly. We spent a lot of time just standing there and looking at the beautiful, endless scenery. There are also many small local shops around this area selling delicious homemade chocolates, warm clothes, and beautiful wooden items. We also saw many naughty monkeys jumping around here, so we had to be very careful to hide our snacks and water bottles!
A Peaceful Walk at Coaker's Walk
Our final sightseeing spot for the day was Coaker's Walk. This is a specially made, one-kilometer long walking path built right on the edge of a steep mountain. Walking on this neat path was very peaceful and calming. On one side, you have the solid mountain wall, and on the other side, you have a beautiful, open, clear view of the plains sitting far below. The weather was absolutely perfect, and walking slowly here helped us all relax and calm down after a very busy day of sightseeing and taking photos.
The Return Journey and the Scary Hairpin Bends
By the evening time, we were all physically tired but our hearts were very happy. It was finally time to pack up and start our return journey back home. On our way down the big mountain, our bus driver kindly stopped the bus at the famous Silver Cascade Waterfalls. This waterfall is located right on the side of the main mountain road. However, because we traveled when it was not the rainy season, there was very little water flowing down the rocks. It was nice to look at, but not very attractive, powerful, or loud at that specific time. We got out, took a few quick group pictures, and quickly got back into the bus to continue the journey.
Screams on the Mountain Curves
Now came the most exciting and terrifying part of the entire trip. Because it was early evening and there was still natural sunlight outside, everyone in the bus was fully awake and watching the road. This meant we could finally see the dangerous hairpin bends we completely missed during our night journey upward. And oh my goodness, what a heart-stopping experience it was!
Our very heavy tourist bus had to make turns on extremely sharp, tight mountain curves. Every single time the long bus took a sharp turn on the narrow mountain road, we could see the deep, scary, dark valley right outside our glass windows. The bus tilted slightly, and the heavy brakes made loud, screeching noises. We finally realized how dangerous, steep, and thrilling the mountain road really was.
😂 ishabil fun
Whenever the big bus took a very steep turn right near the dangerous edge of the cliff, some of my bravest, strongest co-travelers got so scared they actually screamed out loud like little children! The whole bus was laughing, panicking, and shouting at the exact same time.
The journey down the mountain took a few long hours, but it was full of excitement and jokes about the screaming. Once we finally reached the flat plains at the bottom of the hills, the road became straight, wide, and smooth again. Everyone finally took a deep breath and relaxed in their comfortable push-back seats. We continued our night journey towards home and finally arrived back safely at midnight. We were completely exhausted, but our minds and hearts were full of beautiful natural memories, funny moments, and a much stronger bond of brotherhood and friendship.
A short weekend trip to Kodaikanal is highly recommended by me. Whether you go with your loving family or with a group of crazy, fun friends, the freezing cool weather, the beautiful calm lakes, and the tall green pine trees will definitely make you very happy. Always remember to respect nature, keep the places clean, travel safely on the mountain roads, and enjoy every single moment of your journey.
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