Coaker’s walk is named after Lieutenant Coaker who in the year 1872, cut the steep south east facing side of the ridge to create a walkway for people. Coaker’s walk is around 1 Kilometre (0.6 miles) and as the name suggests, is a long walk around the edge of the valley.

The place opens at 7:30 AM and since we were staying very close to this place, we were one of the early birds to visit this place. It was not crowded and we had a great time walking through the walkway which was covered with fog. The place is around 15 minutes walk from the central market and thus can be accessed easily. Coaker’s walk is very close to Kodaikanal lake and Bryant park – which are other key tourist attractions in Kodaikanal.

Read my blog on Kodaikanal lake and Bryant park for more details

You need to buy a ticket (entry fee is very nominal – if I remember it corrected it was around Rs 10) and take a leisurely stroll while admiring the natural beauty.

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Coaker’s walk in the year 1900 (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kodai_Coakers_Walk_1900.jpg)

 

You will find mixed reviews about this place when you surf the net. Some of the tourists would be raving about this place, highlighting it as a must visit and some would not recommend this place. What I have realized is that your experience would depend upon couple of factors – the month that you are visiting Kodaikanal and the time of the day you choose to visit this place.

We visited Kodaikanal in the month of February and which is an ideal time to visit this place. The North-East monsoon eases out by February and the summer would have not yet set-in. Moreover, the tourist season starts picking up from March and every place that you visit in Kodaikanal gets crowded. If you end up visiting this place during summers, you might get overwhelmed by the number of tourists. The serenity of the place is lost and this place would look like “Just another” walkway. Also, the uniqueness of this place is all about walking through the clouds – so ensure that you visit this place before 9 AM.

There are many shops that you will find all along the walkway selling stuff like hot beverages, snacks, water, cold drinks, carrots etc. There is a telescope station at the other end of the walkway which gives uninterrupted view of the valley – you need to spend few extra bucks to access the telescope station.

All along the walkway you will find a number of neatly laid benches where one can sit and spend their time watching the fog and clouds roll up. Morning views are pretty foggy, but in Kodaikanal fog can come at any-time. On a bright sunny day you can see the Dolphin’s nose in the South and the valley of the Pambar River in the South-east.

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Neatly paved pathway at Coaker’s walk
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Coaker’s walk in the morning. We reached this place at around 7:45 AM
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The entire place was filled with fog and mist. Since we reached pretty early, there were very few people around.
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The valley was invisible as fog had reduced the visibility.
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Another shot of the trees – barely visible behind the mist
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Neatly laid benches all along the walk.
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We found vendors at 7:45 AM setting up their stalls
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Since we visited in the month of February (post monsoon) – the was Greenery all around us
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Something mystical about this shot. A barren tree hanging over the cliff bathing in the early morning mist
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The sit-out area near the telescope station
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The telescope station which provides a great view of the valley on a clear day 🙂
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Another shot of the telescope station
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The area around the telescope station.
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The neatly laid out benches around the telescope station
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Vendors and more vendors. You can find them selling hot beverages, snacks, carrots etc.

 

Recommendations

  • Visit this place during winter – avoid summers.
  • If you wish to catch the scenic valleys, the best time to visit the place would between 10 AM to 2 PM.
  • If you want to experience fog and clouds (only during winters) which form a white carpet over the valley, reach the place during sunrise 7:30 AM to 9:00 between 3 PM and 6 PM.

The walkway commands one of the most spectacular view of the valley and is an ideal destination for anyone who loves strolling through the clouds.

 

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