Kodaikanal Forest Tour

₹ 200/person

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Silent Valley View

Another breath taking sightseeing place in Kodaikanal is the Silent Valley View Point. On the Berijam Lake road, it is located near to the Pillar Rocks. A popular place among nature lovers, it offers mesmerizing view of the valley. Its calming atmosphere and lush greenery add on to its charm while the view, from here is sure to leave to awestruck. The best time to visit Silent Valley View point is early mornings and evenings or late afternoons. During this time of the days, the valley can be sometimes seen covered in white mist that passes between the trees, crossing its refreshingly green meadows. The view of clouds passing through you, the sight of greenery till your eyes you could see is an experience worth remembering. Silent Valley View Point is located on the Berijam road that is well connected by road. As there are no auto rickshaws in Kodaikanal, tourists can walk to the view point or travel by taxi. Cycling or bikes are also available for rent. So if interested one can just cycle to the point while admiring the surrounding scenic beauty.

Fire Tower

This Fire Tower built by Forest Office to monitor the forest fire. Public is allowed to see the forest from this Tower. Views from this tower are breathtaking. The forest guards can have a clear view of the forest to check for forest fires if any.

Fire Tower

Cap's Fly Valley

Just a couple of feet's off the trak is the Silent Valley Viewpoint (also known as Cap's Valley View). You can see the emerald valley below from here occasionally blanketed by the cotton bales of white fog, is above picture perfect. The panoramic view of this point assures that the sightseers expend a substantial amount of time watching the lovely beauty. Wear good footwear on this trip. It's very wet around Kodai and the mountain trails are quite slippery.

Berijam Lake View

Berijam Lake is a reservoir near Kodaikanal town in Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu, South India. It is at the old site of "Fort Hamilton", in the upper Palani hills. The lake, created by a dam with sluice outlets, is part of a micro–watershed development project. Periyakulam town, 18.7 kilometres (11.6 mi) to the SE, gets its public drinking water from the lake. The lake’s water quality is excellent. Berijam is located at the end of Pillar Rocks Road (old SR-18), 21 km (13.0 mi) southwest of Kodaikanal Lake. map There were two roads from Berijam, the Kodaikanal–Munnar Road to Munnar town, about 40 km (24.9 mi) west and another going to Kavunji village, 9 km (5.6 mi) north. The old roads are now overgrown with vegetation and used as walking trails by local villagers and trekkers. Encounters with wild animals including bison, elephants and leopards sometimes occur on these trails. The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has restricted entry into the Berijam Lake area to between 9.30 a.m. and 3 p.m. for the general public. Entry permits are issued at the Forestry Department Office in Kodaikanal. Only a limited number of visitors are allowed in the park each day. There is a forest check–post which prohibits unauthorized entry through the road leading to Berijam Lake. Beyond km marker 13 on the Berijam road there is an observation tower from where one may have a fine view of Berijam Lake and the surrounding forest. Berijam has a Forest Department Camp including an Eco-Education Center for visitors. Nature areas to be visited here include: swamp ecosystem, fresh water ecosystem, nature trail, bridge, medicinal demonstration garden, museum, nature walk, grassland and shola.(guide map) Site visits are organized for authorized researchers. Trekkers can get permission to stay overnight. There is a forest rest house with limited accommodations which serves as an overnight base camp for Forestry Department staff, researchers and trekkers. Visitors must bring their own provisions.

Mathikettan Forest View

"Mathikettan Solai" which means the forest where one loses his mind.). This is preserved as on of the many endangered shola forests in Kodiakanal. There is also a possibility that your sight might catch up the glimpses of some fauna like Bisons, Nilgiri Lemurs, flying squirrels and deers. people believe that this area spoil's a person’s memory and sense of absent mind leading to wrong route, as this hill trees are very tall and fully covered with no sunlight reaching the ground. It is believed that the Sithars (ancient medicine men) lived, researched and meditated here in the caves inside the sacred groves. There is also a popular belief among the locals here that a person could lose his mind while entering certain areas of the dense forest where the Sithars lived. No one knows where exactly these areas are, but these pockets, known as Mathikettan Solai are believed to completely wipe out a persons memory. A common explanation to this phenomenon is that it could be due to the effect of the concentration of so many highly potent medicinal plants in one place. But this is not scientifically proved and still remains to be a mystery.