[venkatt1800]

Hi guys. It has been quite a few months since I received membership of this esteemed forum. Despite spending quite a bit of time going through the wonderful travelogues on this site, I haven't been able to quite find enough patience and time to contribute my own. To be honest, there was always the doubts if my pictures and words can match up to the very high standards set on Team-BHP.

So, better late than never. Let me take the plunge. This is an account of a short trip I made to Kodanad on April 2013. My hometown is Tiruppur in Tamilnadu and as everyone knows March, April and May are unbearably hot in the southern states and me along with my wife wanted to get away from the heat, even if for only a day. Thankfully, we have the Western Ghats and the pleasures of Ooty,Yercaud and Kodaikanal very near home.

The summer vacations had just began and visiting any hill station in Tamilnadu on the weekends would have been a nightmare because of the crowds and the traffic. So, we decided to do a day trip mid week. I got a day's break from work and since Kodai would have been too hectic for a single day trip, it was Ooty we were headed to. Since my better half has a severe vomiting problem on riding in the hills on cars/buses, I usually do these rides on my bike, Apache.

We started at 7 in the morning to avoid the heat. We had our breakfast at a small yet famous restaurant in Avanashi-Thirumoorthy Restaurant. It serves only veg breakfast items(it is a tea stall for the rest of the day). The taste of Vendhaya Idlis and Dosas accompanied with home made Chutney and Thakkali Kozhambu(Tomato gravies) will definitely make you mark this place for a repeat visit.(If any other members have tried out this place, your reviews are welcome).

After the tasty breakfast we started from Avanashi at 8 am. Since, we had visited the usual tourist spots of Ooty umpteen times, we this time wanted to have a look at places we hadn't seen before. We take the relatively peaceful Kotagiri route every time on our climb to enjoy the views and the chilly weather minus the traffic.

This time we decided to visit Kodanad view point, a detour of 15 kms to the east of Kotagiri. We reached Kodanad at 11 AM. To cut the story short, it was almost as hot as the plains and the heat created such a haze that we could barely see the Moyar river down below. We spent around 45 minutes at the place taking the customary snaps and having tea at the stall there. Let the pictures take over from here:

[S2!!!]

You really need to flood the thread with more pictures I must admit that I do not know much about Kodanad. What is the place famous for?

So you rode on your Apache to Kodanad? How far is it from your home town? The roads seem super smooth and they must have been a joy to ride on.

[mpksuhas]

The road towards Kodanad is a delight to drive. However when I visited the place this Feb views were not as good as in your pics due to fog.

Also, Kodanad is in Tamilnadu and not Kerala as mentioned in thread name.

[Ddrive]

Never been to Kodanad yet, though it is a very popular name in Tamilnadu.
Would like to drive there once very soon.
Nice travelogue thanks for posting.

[philgrac]

Confusion started as and when i started reading this thread . As i had visited Kodanad twice before, never knew it was so close to Ooty(45Kms) and Kotagiri (15Km). Then after seeing the comment from npksuhas realized the place is located in Tamilnadu and not in Kerala where i had been twice! Now, i left the thread and checked the Google map to find out as follows:
1. There are two places with the same name and spelling "Kodanad".
2. One is 15 Kms NNE of Kotagiri in Tamilnadu as mentioned in the thread, famous view point.
3. Other one is in Kerala near Malayattoor on the banks of River Periyar, famous for the Wild elephant training center.
And the Kodanad which i had been to is the Kerala one.
However, a word of information; For the Kerala Kodanad, if you proceed to Malayattoor by road, you will not be able to reach Kodanad because there is no bridge across River Periyar at Malayattoor. Therefore, in order to reach Kodanad by road, you have to cross the river at Kalady.

[venkatt1800]

Originally Posted by S2!!!

You really need to flood the thread with more pictures I must admit that I do not know much about Kodanad. What is the place famous for?

So you rode on your Apache to Kodanad? How far is it from your home town? The roads seem super smooth and they must have been a joy to ride on.

Thanks S2 for your comment. Kodanad is known as a tourist attraction near Kotagiri, on the eastern side of Niligiri Hills with a viewpoint of Rangasamy peak and the Moyar river down below. But in Tamilnadu, it is more famous as the second home of Chief Minister Jayalalitha. Unfortunately, these are all the pictures I took of Kodanad view point. As I had mentioned in the post, it was as hot as the plains I had come from and I left Kodanad quickly and climbed up to Ketti and returned via Katteri and Selas(the post will follow).

Kodanad is just 100 kms from my hometown, Tiruppur. The ghat roads right from Mettupalayam in the plains to Kotagiri and onwards to Kodanad are a drivers' delight. Infact, I would suggest anybody driving to Ooty from Mettupalayam should take the Kotagiri route though it is some 10 kms more.

[venkatt1800]

Originally Posted by mpksuhas

The road towards Kodanad is a delight to drive. However when I visited the place this Feb views were not as good as in your pics due to fog.

Also, Kodanad is in Tamilnadu and not Kerala as mentioned in thread name.

Thanks Suhas for your comment. Hope I had driven to Kodanad in Feb. The weather would have been much more chilly and enjoyable.

[venkatt1800]

Originally Posted by Ddrive

Never been to Kodanad yet, though it is a very popular name in Tamilnadu.
Would like to drive there once very soon.
Nice travelogue thanks for posting.

Thanks for your comments, Ddrive. Much appreciated.

[Horizon81]

I'll be driving to Kotagiri in Oct first weekend, thanks to your travelogue and pictures. Kodanad is definitely on the itinery. Thank you for sharing, Venkat.

[YaeJay]

Lovely pictures. Kodanad view point has been there for ages. Cabbages are new though. Glad you had a wonderful time. How long does it take to reach kodanadu from kotagiri bus stand these days? I see the road has improved so much!

[venkatt1800]

[quote=Horizon81;3539645]I'll be driving to Kotagiri in Oct first weekend, thanks to your travelogue and pictures. Kodanad is definitely on the itinery. Thank you for sharing, Venkat.[/QUOTE

Thanks, Horizon. Kotagiri and surroundings will be at their best in early October. The rains have subsided for the last few days in the Nilgiris and heavy rush is expected because of the extended Pooja holidays. Better have your bookings ready !

[venkatt1800]

Originally Posted by YaeJay

Lovely pictures. Kodanad view point has been there for ages. Cabbages are new though. Glad you had a wonderful time. How long does it take to reach kodanadu from kotagiri bus stand these days? I see the road has improved so much!

From Kotagiri Town to Kodanad view point is around 15 kms. Even a relaxed drive will not take more than half an hour. Ever since, CM Jayalalitha made Kodanad her summer abode, the maintenance of roads in these parts of Niligiris has been exemplary!

[venkatt1800]

A Day Trip to Kodanad- The Return Journey

Thanks for all those who read and commented on my travelogue on the Kodanad trip. This is an account of the return journey from Kodanad back to Tiruppur. As I found Kodanad too hot, we decided to leave the place quickly.

We came back to Kotagiri and instead of taking the usual route to Doddabetta and Ooty, decided to visit some places we hadn't seen before. And soon, images from Lalu's travelogues Swifted: Ooty came flooding into my thoughts. We thought why not we visit some of the famous, quaint little Railway stations along the Nilgiri Mountain Railway route? Despite living 60 kms from Mettupalayam,we have still not enjoyed the thrill of riding in the Mountain Railway even once. So, naturally we didn't have an idea about these stations. Hence, it was decided that Ketti Railway was to be our next destination.

From Kotagiri we reached Coonoor and had a light lunch of parottas and chicken curry at the S.A.P.Hotel which is adjacent to the Petrol Station near the Junction at the town entrance. From Coonoor, Ketti is an uphill climb of around 12 kms. We reached Ketti Railway Station around 2.30 PM and already the weather had turned for the better and we started to feel the chill of the mountains for which we were so desperate.

We were lucky enough to reach the station, just as a train was about to arrive. We had our first look of the world famous Mountain Railway at close quarters. After the train left, we took a relaxed stroll by the railway tracks. This was to be the best part of this trip as the chilly weather and the greenery made it a memorable afternoon.

Then followed the mandatory photo session on the Station made famous by Kamalhaasan and Sridevi in the Tamil movie Moondram Pirai(Hindi remake: Sadma). There aren't any tea stalls or food joints near the station area. So, it is better to have your own snacks or food if one intends to spend some time at this station.

After almost an hour at the place, we reluctantly bid goodbye to the Nilgiris and started our ride wanting to reach Tirupur before dark. From Ketti we took the downhill route via Katteri and Selas and were rewarded with spectacular views of Tea Gardens. This road joins with the Coonoor-Mettupalayam main Ghat road around 4 kms downhill from Coonoor.

The road conditions are not too bad, apart from a stretch of few kms before Katteri(where road work was going on).The views will certainly not disappoint you. I would recommend this route to anyone seeking a departure from the routine(The truly adventurous should go all the way to Manjoor-Kundah and reach Mulli in Kerala). We stopped repeatedly for clicking photos. Riding on this route was a pleasure with almost non existent traffic. The following snaps will definitely vouch for this.

We had a coffee break opposite Black Thunder theme park and reached Tirupur around 7 PM.

[venkatt1800]

This is an account of a DAY'S TRIP TO KODANAD VIEW POINT IN Nilgiris Hill Ranges of Tamilnadu State.

Originally Posted by philgrac

Confusion started as and when i started reading this thread . As i had visited Kodanad twice before, never knew it was so close to Ooty(45Kms) and Kotagiri (15Km). Then after seeing the comment from npksuhas realized the place is located in Tamilnadu and not in Kerala where i had been twice! Now, i left the thread and checked the Google map to find out as follows:
1. There are two places with the same name and spelling "Kodanad".
2. One is 15 Kms NNE of Kotagiri in Tamilnadu as mentioned in the thread, famous view point.
3. Other one is in Kerala near Malayattoor on the banks of River Periyar, famous for the Wild elephant training center.
And the Kodanad which i had been to is the Kerala one.
However, a word of information; For the Kerala Kodanad, if you proceed to Malayattoor by road, you will not be able to reach Kodanad because there is no bridge across River Periyar at Malayattoor. Therefore, in order to reach Kodanad by road, you have to cross the river at Kalady.

Sorry the title of post has given you the wrong information. The title of this post was meant to be' A DAY'S TRIP TO KODANAD". I am not sure how the word Kerala got added up to the title. I request the moderators to kindly delete the word "Kerala" from the title.

Mod Note: Please use the EDIT or MULTI-QUOTE buttons instead of typing one post after another on the SAME THREAD!

To know how to multi-quote, click here.

[YaeJay]

Originally Posted by venkatt1800

From Kotagiri Town to Kodanad view point is around 15 kms. Even a relaxed drive will not take more than half an hour. Ever since, CM Jayalalitha made Kodanad her summer abode, the maintenance of roads in these parts of Niligiris has been exemplary!

It used to take a good 45 mins atleast in those days.