A beautiful hill-fringed hideaway, three hours’ drive below Kodaikanal, seven-room Cardamom House overlooks bird-rich Lake Kamarajar (which you can admire from the pool). It's run with love by a retired Brit and local staff, and delicious meals (₹400 to ₹700) are made from locally sourced ingredients. Book well ahead. It's 5km west of Athoor Village, off the Dindigul–Batlagundu Rd.
Cardamom House
Kodaikanal (Kodai)
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
29.55 MILES
Visiting forest-fringed Berijam Lake, 21km southwest of Kodaikanal, requires a Forest Department permit (₹250). Taxi drivers will organise this, if asked…
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21.94 MILES
Assuming it isn't cloaked in opaque mist, the views from paved Coaker’s Walk are beautiful, all the way down to the plains 2000m below. The stroll takes…
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24.2 MILES
About 7km west of town, these towering boulders have jaw-dropping views to the Tamil Nadu plains below.
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Sacred Heart Natural Science Museum
21.5 MILES
In the grounds of a former Jesuit seminary 4km downhill east of town, this museum has a ghoulishly intriguing miscellany of flora and fauna put together…
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22.81 MILES
A narrow rock lookout overhanging a precipitous drop, with views of the valley below. Follow the trail to it for 15 minutes from Vattakanal, or walk all…
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22.06 MILES
Landscaped and stocked by the British officer after whom it’s named, pretty Bryant Park is usually full of tourists and canoodling couples.
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Kodaikanal International School
22.14 MILES
Set up in 1901, the renowned Kodaikanal International School lends Kodai a bit of a cosmopolitan air, with students from around the globe.
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25.31 MILES
Less visited than other nearby viewpoints, Moir's Point is 13km west of town and has lovely views across the plains.
Nearby Kodaikanal (Kodai) attractions
20.83 MILES
Dedicated to Murugan, this nondescript temple 3km northeast of town affords beautiful panoramas of the surrounding hills and the plains miles below.
2. Sacred Heart Natural Science Museum
21.5 MILES
In the grounds of a former Jesuit seminary 4km downhill east of town, this museum has a ghoulishly intriguing miscellany of flora and fauna put together…
21.94 MILES
Assuming it isn't cloaked in opaque mist, the views from paved Coaker’s Walk are beautiful, all the way down to the plains 2000m below. The stroll takes…
22.06 MILES
Landscaped and stocked by the British officer after whom it’s named, pretty Bryant Park is usually full of tourists and canoodling couples.
5. Kodaikanal International School
22.14 MILES
Set up in 1901, the renowned Kodaikanal International School lends Kodai a bit of a cosmopolitan air, with students from around the globe.
22.81 MILES
A narrow rock lookout overhanging a precipitous drop, with views of the valley below. Follow the trail to it for 15 minutes from Vattakanal, or walk all…
23 MILES
Compact Bear Shola Falls are in a pocket of forest on the northwest edge of town.
23.5 MILES
Green Valley View, 6km southwest of Kodai centre, has spectacular views to the plains far below.