Trail access · Tamil Nadu

Kodaikanal Hills

Can you drive here right now — which routes are open, which need a permit, and what's private or closed.

Caution· Verified 18 Aug 2026

Before you rely on a trail listing

Watch out: The access status, permits and open/closed details shown here are our reading of public and official information as of the last-checked date — not verified live by us and not a guarantee the route is open, legal or safe today. Rules, zones and fees change without notice, so always confirm current access with the Forest Department / landowner / local authority before you travel.
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Current access

Caution

Last verified 18 Aug 2026

The main approach is open, but some places inside are restricted or have a reported closure.

Verification

Public sources — not officially confirmed

Permit

Public roads need no permit, but forest / private / closed sections inside do — see below.

Inside this area

2 open · 6 restricted · 3 closures

Closure reported — Berijam / Moir Point / upper shola; Poombarai / Mannavanur / Poondi corridor; Kodaikanal off-road / forest-jeep crackdown. Status as of 18 Aug 2026. Conditions change — reconfirm the current status with the Forest Department / authority before you travel.

Routes, drives & experiences here

Scenic drives1

Restricted
Poombarai ↔ Kookal
Scenic drive
hill / red earth
A quiet hill drive via Poombarai village toward Kookal (Reserved Forest); a village checkpost fee is reported. Confirm locally.
Source: compiled from public information

Off-road trails4

Forest permit Official
Berijam Lake forest drive
Off-road trail
forest track
A forest-track drive down to Berijam Lake through the Upper Palani shola. A forest pass from the Kodaikanal DFO is required; boating on the lake is banned.
TN Tourism — Berijam Lake (official) (opens in new tab)
Closure: Periodically closed to tourists at short notice when elephants/tigers are moving — reconfirm with the Kodaikanal DFO before travelling. Not a standing official notice.
Forest permit
Anjuveedu Falls → Vilpatti forest climb
Off-road trail
rocky forest track, narrow wilderness climb
A reported, community-sourced off-road climb from the Anju Veedu waterfalls area (in the Vilpatti Range / Elephant Valley foothills, ~27 km SE of Kodaikanal) up through forest and misty hill sections to Vilpatti village, ~9 km north of Kodaikanal town. Described by a single creator video as a wild, isolated 4x4 (Thar) trail of rocky climbs and untouched forest paths — NOT officially documented. The falls sit inside forest (a river-crossing forest walk), so this corridor almost certainly touches Reserved Forest: treat access as permit-controlled and confirm with the Kodaikanal DFO before attempting. Do not assume it is freely drivable, and do not attempt an illegal or unsafe route. Route compiled from a community video — carry an offline map and confirm on the ground.
Source: compiled from public information
Restricted
Poondi → Kumbur (Kumbur Falls)
Off-road trail
hill road / red earth, broken in patches
A back-road / light off-road hill drive on the western Poombarai–Mannavanur–Poondi side of the Kodaikanal hills (~18 km west of Kodai town), running the short link from Poondi village down toward Kumbur Falls at the shola edge. Reported on local jeep-safari itineraries. Compiled from community sources — carry an offline map and confirm on the ground. The corridor sits against Reserved-Forest shola and tourist vehicles to Poombarai/Mannavanur are periodically banned (forest-fire season / wildlife movement) — reported, confirm current access with the Kodaikanal/Dindigul DFO before travelling; do not attempt if restricted.
Source: compiled from public information
Closure: Tourist vehicles to Poombarai/Mannavanur (and the Poondi side) are periodically banned at short notice during forest-fire season or wildlife movement — reported in TN news, not a standing official notice. Reconfirm with the Kodaikanal/Dindigul DFO before travelling.
Restricted
Adukkam forest / shola off-road corridor
Off-road trail
shola / Reserved-Forest track & river beds
Reported — an unofficial off-road/jeep corridor through the Adukkam shola below Kodaikanal (the Adukkam side of the Palani Hills, ~7 km WSW of town). This runs through Reserved-Forest / protected shola: a Forest Department permit is legally required and private off-roading in protected forest is prohibited. Confirm with the Kodaikanal / Dindigul DFO. This route may be unofficial, illegal or closed — we do NOT endorse it and you should not attempt it without authorisation. Note: the separate Theni→Periyakulam→Adukkam→Kodaikanal 'Adukkam road' is a legal public tar road but is narrow, steep and dangerous (avoid after ~7 PM; mist, no streetlights).
Source: compiled from public information
Closure: Reported enforcement: on 10 Dec 2025 police fined 16 tourist-jeep drivers ₹1.03 lakh in Kodaikanal for overloading, reckless driving and operating without permits, and activists are demanding river-bed/forest off-road jeep runs be banned outright. The Kodaikanal DFO also periodically restricts tourist vehicles in the forest belt (e.g. Berijam Lake) and has moved entry online-only. Treat Adukkam-area off-roading as legally exposed and possibly closed — reconfirm with the DFO and local police before travelling. Not a standing official notice; conditions change.

Jeep safaris1

Private
Pepper (Pallangi) Falls jeep safari
Jeep safari
plantation track
Operator-run jeep safaris on forest/plantation land near Pallangi — go via the operator's permission, not free public entry.
Source: compiled from public information

Viewpoint drives1

Open
Pillar Rocks, Guna Cave & Pine Forest drive
Viewpoint drive
sealed hill road
The classic Kodaikanal viewpoint loop — Pillar Rocks, Guna Cave (Devil's Kitchen) and the pine forest. Normally open (nominal entry; cave interior fenced). Occasionally shut at short notice during wildlife movement.
Source: compiled from public information

Open to all: Kodaikanal town & main ghat roads — public access, no permit.

Not every access detail here is officially confirmed — some are compiled from public information. Always verify current permits and closures with the Forest Department / governing authority before you go.

Data & verification

General references (informational only — NOT official proof)

Dindigul District, Government of Tamil Nadu — Kodaikanal

Official resources — verify access & permits here

Tamil Nadu Forest Department — find the local DFO / Range Office / Wildlife Warden contact
Search: “Tamil Nadu Forest Department DFO office contact” for the range office nearest the trail.
Emergency: 112 (India’s national emergency number). Find the local forest control-room / DFO number on the department site above.

Rules, permits and closures change and vary by exact location. Always confirm access with the Forest Department / government department that governs this trail before you drive — the resources above are guidance, not permission.

Sources & attribution5 sources

This page was prepared using public and official sources. Sources are provided for transparency and verification. Attribution is provided where required by the applicable source licence. Source attribution does not imply affiliation, sponsorship or endorsement.