For most of us, holiday is dictted by the children’s school, which usually means summer. April and May are the “season” months in Kodaikanal. The weather is mild and dry, plum trees are red with fruit and there is carnival-like atmosphere in town. If you are crowd hater, stay away at this time or plan to stay at a hotel far from the bazaar circuit; there are plenty of hotels away from the town. By regulating your timings a little, and choose excursions off the beaten path, you can “beat the tourists”. For example, heading for Coaker’s Walk on a Sunday morning at 10 is to avoided if are looking for peace and quiet!
There is another “season”; September-October, between the south-west and north-east and north-east monsoons. There is less of a tourist frenzy at this time. Avoid November if possible, because although there are some beautiful dry blue-sky days, the north-east monsoon is on its way. There are sometimes long periods or non-stop rain when clothes don’t dry, children are cooped up inside, and the electricity goes off (but most hotels have generators). In short, a November or December visit can be wonderful; on the other hand it can be pretty wet as well. January manages to shake off the rains but it gets very cold, with frost on the lake; you must come equipped with warm clothing and bedding. February and March are delightful, though the air is still a little nippy.
Travel Documents
All visitors are required to carry a passport valid at least for the next 6 months. Visa exemptions include:
- Bhutanese and Nepalese visitors who are staying for less than 3 months,
- Nationals from the Maldives, if they are staying for a maximum of 90 days (this includes any periods they may have spent in India up to 6 months prior to the visit in question),
- Transit passengers who have a follow-on ticket within 72 hours of arrival as long as they are not going to leave the airport.
Special restrictions apply to Pakistani and Afghan nationals.
