Neyveli to Kodaikanal Taxi

Neyveli to Kodaikanal Taxi — 326 km from the Lignite Township to the Palani Hills

A one-way taxi from Neyveli to Kodaikanal covers about 326 km and usually takes 6 to 7 hours, door to door. Most of that is plains driving across central Tamil Nadu; the last part is a slow ghat climb into the Palani Hills. Families from the NLC township tend to book this trip when the heat around the mines becomes hard to bear, in school holidays, or for a short break when leave comes through. Because it is a drop taxi, the car leaves you at your hotel or cottage and heads back, so you are not paying for a car to stand idle while you are up in the hills.

Starting from your block in Neyveli

The township is laid out in numbered blocks, so the easiest instruction is simply your block and quarters number; drivers who work this area know the grid. If you are a contractor family living outside the township, or staying with relatives in Vadalur, Panruti or Cuddalore, we can start from there instead. Virudhachalam lies on the way west, so a pickup there costs you almost no extra time. Shift timings at the NLC mines and power stations mean the township roads get busy around changeover, so tell us if you are leaving straight after a shift and we will plan the pickup around it.

The road west and the climb at the end

From Neyveli the car runs west and south-west through the farm country of Cuddalore and Ariyalur or Perambalur districts, reaches Tiruchirappalli, skirts the city and continues on the highway to Dindigul. From Dindigul the road goes on towards Batlagundu, where the plains end and the Kodaikanal ghat road begins. The climb has a long series of hairpin bends, and the Silver Cascade falls sit right beside the road on the way up, a natural place to stretch your legs and take photographs. Kodai Road railway station, which some people confuse with the town itself, is in the plains near Ammayanayakanur, far below Kodaikanal.

Because this is a ghat climb, a hill charge applies and is paid at actuals, along with the tolls on the plains section and any parking. The fare in the table above pays for the car, the driver, fuel and the driver bata. Tolls, the hill charge, parking, and a night allowance if the car is on the road between 10 PM and 6 AM are extra and settled at actuals.

When to leave Neyveli

Plan to be on the ghat road in daylight. A start between 5 and 6 AM puts you in Tiruchirappalli for breakfast and at the foot of the hills by early afternoon, before the mist that often rolls in later in the day. Leaving before 6 AM may attract the night allowance, so many families settle on a 6 AM departure. If you leave after lunch you will reach the hairpins at dusk, which is slower and less pleasant for anyone prone to motion sickness.

Food and rest on the way

Tiruchirappalli is the natural breakfast halt, with plenty of vegetarian tiffin places near the highway. Dindigul is known across Tamil Nadu for its biryani, and many travellers time their lunch there. Batlagundu is the last proper town before the climb; it is a good place for a tea and a restroom stop, and for anyone who gets carsick to take a tablet before the bends begin. Expect two or three halts in all; the driver will suggest clean stops he knows.

Kodaikanal through the year

• April to June (Chithirai to Aani): peak season, when plains families escape the heat. The summer festival and flower show at Bryant Park fall in May, and weekend traffic in town can be slow.
• July to September: cooler and greener, with passing showers; fewer crowds.
• October to December (Aippasi to Margazhi): the north-east monsoon brings heavy rain and mist; drive times can stretch, and nights are cold.
• January to March: clear, cold mornings and crisp days, good for walks around the lake and Coaker’s Walk.

The Neelakurinji, which turns the slopes blue, flowers only once in about twelve years, so do not plan a trip around it unless a bloom has been announced.

Where the drop is in Kodaikanal

Most of our drops are at hotels around Kodai Lake, homestays and cottages on the roads leading out of town, the Kodaikanal bus stand, or the school campuses for parents dropping or collecting children. Some cottages sit on narrow lanes with steep approaches; share the exact location or a map pin and the driver will get as close as the road allows. Local sightseeing such as Pillar Rocks, the pine forest, Guna Caves and Berijam is better done with a local cab once you are settled, since this booking is a one-way drop.

Choosing the car for a hill trip

Two adults with light bags will be comfortable in a sedan. A family with elders, woollens and a week’s luggage is better off in an SUV such as an Ertiga or in an Innova Crysta, which handles the hairpins with more room and a steadier ride for passengers who feel the bends. Groups of eight or more can ask about a Tempo Traveller.