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-   -   Driving down Kodaikanal - The Adukkam Route (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travelogues/144376-driving-down-kodaikanal-adukkam-route.html)

This travelogue is all about the Adukkam Route, which we took while driving down Kodaikanal.


Please allow me to repeat these lines once again :)
People going to Kodaikanal usually take the Vathalakundu-Kodaikanal road or the Palani-Kodaikanal road, which are the two prominent and usual routes. The most sought-after 'Munnar-Berijam' route is no more open to public... we've already come across many discussions on this. One well-known trekking route, Kumbakarai-Vellahavi-Kodaikanal still remains reported as a walking trail and we do not know how many more trekking routes are there. Another lesser known Kodaikanal-Pannaikadu-Thandikudi-Sitharevu-Dindugul route was travelogued by me in Tbhp sometime ago, it was my pleasure driving the route, posting pics and sharing updates.


There is one more Adukkam Route which is more an uncommon and forsaken one. Though a few of us have reported driving/riding this earlier, we couldn't see any pictures or updates in this forum. So lately when we were in Kodaikanal, I was curious driving this and this is how things went off.


This is the route map: Kodaikanal - Perumalmalai - Adukkam - Kumbakarai - Theni Dindugul Highway


For the sake of posting this map here, I tried many times but couldn't draw it on Google using 'Driving Directions'. Seems like Google couldn't recognize a few sectors as driveable roads. Hence the above map shows the 'walking trail' which is 36.6 kms long and reported trekkable in 7.21 hours. Well, the walking trail and the drive route looks the same to me, as there could be no other way down.

If you wanna go direct on google, heres the link:
https://maps.google.co.in/maps?saddr...=12&via=2&z=12

11.11.2013 - Morning. We started off from Kodaikanal.

We drove around the lake for fun.


An old boat-house.


A cute Coffee-Shop.


Down Lawsghat Road towards Perumalmalai.


The turn-off point - Turn right to Adukkam - 11 kms

The board says "Periakulam - 35 kms". This nearly confirms that the drive-route and the walking-trail, both are same :D

There is another sign, just opposite to the forest check-post.


A closer look.


Road to Adukkam.

We drive through...


Just a kilometer down


And further down


The road gets muddy.


And Stony.


There were shades around...


Shades of Pink,


White and Purple,


Red and Yellow,


Green and ORANGE !


While.. I was busy clicking these, my wife keeps busy clicking me :D


Some pictures are clicked through the wind shield, please bear with us.


The milestone says "To Adukkam - 1 km"


The same stone on the other side it reads "To Vathalakundu - 56 kms"


Though the valley down couldn't be seen...


I could see this guy sitting pretty,


On a tree with a view.


Moving further...


The fog was thick as a brick.


Show me the way !


Up around the bend...


It was so scenic.


One for the FIATians


Beyond Adukkam,


The road gets narrow.


With bushes over grown...


And blocking the way.


Ooops Oh :eek:


We literally had to plunge through this.

Some more curves to handle.


But almost down.


We saw scary potholes much bigger than these.


It was Estilo's Day-out. Feels good we made it safe.


One for myself :D


Plains appear suddenly... we land amongst these mango trees.


Good ride !.. says my daughter.


Connecting the Theni-Dindugul Highway (Dindugul 50 kms).


Hitting the road back to Chennai.



Hope this travelogue could be of use to some of us :).


Thanks for reading.
Regards
Ddrive.

@Ddrive, that's insanely narrow roads to drive down. How did you get to the plains 'scratchless' ? I bet a full sized Sedan or SUV can't manage this route. How much time did you take to get to the plains ?

Thanks ddrive for exploring this new way and making it known to the fellow members and others. I had almost written off kodai, from my road trips after visiting it on more than seven occasions ,but now i have to make another trip to experience this route.From the pictures the scenery is great but, i wonder why the authorities make the road more drivable, which will enable a lot more tourists to experience it.

A full sized sedan, well, I am not sure, but my Bolero as trampled across these roads ! ;-)

Shyam

First question even before thanking you for this route...

How did you get your folks to agree to drive through this route. Please share that secret! I think in part the answer may don't tell them at all eh ? Let it be a surprise. While they are thinking to shout at you or let you drive to take them to safety you enjoy the drive and come down to the planes ?! :)

Simple is'nt it ? But lets see you try it next time!!

But seriously the route is amazing. Only if you really know locations inside out (I mean points around the geography) you can venture into such places. Else it is very easy for one to get lost. Because what one needs to have is a sense of direction.

Wow, amazing route and hats off to you for the courageous decision to try it with the family!
Literally no roads in some places and still you made it thankfully, seems like a nice adventure with a happy ending, I'm glad :)

Even another vehicle from the opposite direction in some of those narrow places could have been very challenging.

And of course extremely scenic and out of the world, in the end it was worth it I guess, thanks for sharing :thumbs up

We drove back from Kodai on Nov 4th. We went up via Palani route and came back via Batlagundu route. I saw this turnoff to Adukkam also!! But i can't imagine how narrow this route is :Shockked:

Great sir. Hats off for trying this with family and also in a small Hatch!

Hats off to your family to have explored that route.

And that spot where you had to squeeze through - I guess I would have turned back (well, I doubt my Storme would have made through that :)

Thank you Moderator Mobike008 for moving this thread.

Thanks for the first response sir. Ofcourse it got scratches, but its like.. kinda souvenir i take it :D
We took about 3.30 hours in this 22km stretch, leisurely with numerous breaks.

Thanks Vindrider. Kudos for the enthu to do Kodai again for this sake.
All the best.

Hi Shyamk, Thanks & How you been?
Remember we talked about this route in my last TL?

Thanks Ampere. Thats it when we go as a family, and thats the way it is. I'm unable to explain :)

Regarding directions, I admit i really do not know any locations or had any prior knowledge about the sector. I just followed the trails hoping we are going the right way.

Im some places there were forks climbing up or sliding down and those roads sure looked different, big and better, may be towards some private estates around here. There was no one for miles whom we can ask which or what.

Adukkam was one small village in between and ofcourse we saw two or three small settlings enroute. Nearby Adukkam we saw two or three big bunglows, probably properties of estate owners. Other than these it was lonely and quiet all through.

Thanks for the comments NPV sir. Untill Adukkam the roads were wide-enough and there were jeeps (2 or 3) and bikes (about 5) came from the opposite side and we had no big trouble going through. But after Adukkam it was really narrow in a few places because of over grown bushes and thankfully we never met anyone coming the other way. Only when it was about some 2 or 3 kms before touch down we came across a few bikers from the opposite direction. Believe me, even bikers had tough time giving us way at some joints. One biker moved backwards about 10 feet to find some space to lean and give us way.

D drive, Congrats for successfully completing such a thrilling ride ! Really the pictures of the road near Adukkam so narrow and scary. It would have been nice to know in detail about the condition of your family members midway through this drive. Even a biker would have been worried travelling this path. Kodaikanal-Adukkam-Periyakulam is another discovery on Team-BHP !

Thanks Rajesh KR. I wish you did it next time.
We too drove up through Palani route this time.
Will post some pics in this thread later.

Thanks sir. I think all cars and SUVs can easily do it, because it is a normal fourwheeler route but less-travelled as we have better fast roads now. IMHO, the over grown bushes are only due to the desertedness, other wise you can see the roads measure up enough width for two cars to pass by if the bushes are cleared up (except in few joints).

Luxury sedans with very low GC only have to take their own decisons before (if at all) going in, because the roads are severely stony and broken in many places. Otherwise, i believe all cars can go there.

Thanks for the comments Venkatt1800. I have read that 2 bhpians have informed driving/riding this route already and many others would have done it but haven't logged about it, i presume.

Ok i agree, this is the first exclusive TL about this route on TBHP ;), Pleaseure is mine, and thanks a lot for your statment :D