The popular attraction of Kodaikanal remains the Kodai Lake.If you are visiting Kodai in winter, schedule boating in late afternoon when the mist envelops the lake. It is an amazing experience. What will make your Kodai experience come alive is when you try to go beyond the obvious and unexplore the unknown. Here are some off beat ideas to try while you are at Kodaikanal.

Amazing Treks at Kodaikanal

Kodai offers amazing trekking trails – Some difficult and some easy. District Forest Office (DFO) has identified 17 trails and has published the details in an informative booklet.  I would urge you to contact DFO office located near Hotel Tamil Nadu (Phone:  91- 04542 –240287) and get hold of the booklet and obtain necessary permission. Some of the treks are simple and straightforward, while others may need a bit of prior experience and also assistance of a local guide.
(Example of a Kodai trek )

Cycling

After your mandatory tour of the common attractions at Kodaikanal, just hire a cycle and cycle aimlessly around Kodai taking care to avoid the common attractions. There are special cycles for couples and these are pretty romantic for honeymooners. Cycles can be hired near Hotel Carlton. Typically, tourists cycle around the lake, which in itself is interesting, but there is more fun when you venture just out of town

If you do not want to venture out, the common cycling trail is to start from Kodai Lake, go on to Pine Forest and then  Chettiar Park and finally Coaker's Walk

Golf Club

Kodaikanal golf club is quite an old one (started nearly hundred years back), is now well maintained and an excellent 18 hole Golf course. If you are a golfer, take temporary membership and enjoy golfing at an altitude of seven thousand feet. If not, you can always sign up for an introductory course!

Kodaikanal Observatory

A functional observatory that is open to public on Friday Mornings is a must visit if you are into astrophysics. Contact them at 91- 04542- 240217 before reaching there.

Berijam Lake:

This is at 25 Kms from Kodai lake and unsuspecting tourists are asked to pay Rs.1,000 for a car trip to Berijam Lake..You have to negotiate real hard to get a good bargain. Better alternative is to take a local bus to Kavunji village and trek down from there

Berijam lake is highly recommended. The lake is less crowded with absolutely no trace of pollution. The sights of the valley are picture perfect from Berijam lake. The lake is maintained by forest department and is open to public only till 4 PM.