Coaker's Walk, Kodaikanal

Any tourist interested in morning walk will definitely have to visit Coaker's walk which is about 1 km from the lake and it provides very picturesque view of the plains as well as scenic valleys that is sure to bring a joy in the minds of the visitors. Coaker's walk is named after Lt. Coaker, who prepared the map of Kodaikanal.

A telescopic view house is there at Coaker's walk that will provide a panoramic view of the valley, plains and the nearby towns and should not be missed by the tourists visiting the place. The ideal time to visit this place is before 2:30 pm in the afternoon as mist will start to set in over the valleys by late afternoons.It is a narrow pedestrian path, constructed by Lt. Coaker in 1872, a one kilometer mountain road which runs along the edge of steep slopes on the southern side of Kodai road which is 1/2km away from Kodai. The walk winding around mt. Nebo starts near van Allen hospital and joins the main road above St. Peter's Church provides a wide-angle spectacular view of the plains. On a cloudless, clear day one can have interesting sights, such as.... Dolphin's nose in south, valley of the pambar river in South East, birds eye view of Periyakulam and even city of Madurai.

One must be aware of a fascinating phenomenon called 'Brachem Spectre' . A very lucky person can see his shadow on the clouds with a rainbow halo, when sun is behind and cloud and mist is in his front.

The valley views along paved Coaker's Walk (admission Rs 2, Camera Rs. 5, Time: 7 am to 7pm) are superb when the mist clears. There's an observatory (admission Rs. 3) with telescope about halfway along. You can start from either end, near Greenlands Youth Hostel or Villa Retreat, and the stroll takes all of five minutes.

The views from Pillar Rocks, a 7km hike (one way beginning near Bryant Park), are also excellent. Greenlands Youth Hostel and Villa Retreat can organise guided walks, and guides can also be arranged through the tourist office (Rs. 50 to 70 per hour).

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