Palani Hills Trips & Tours

As you head inland, towards the foothills of the Western Ghats, the landscape of Tamil Nadu starts to change. Rice paddies and marauding rivers slowly give way to lolling hills wrapped in verdant forest blankets, and the lungfuls of cool, crisp air are delightfully welcome. These are the Palani Hills, renowned for their heavenly scenery and smattering of colonial, slightly eccentric, hill stations. One such perch is Kodaikanal, centred around a star-shaped lake and famous for its shimmering waterfalls and camera-flapping views. It’s probably the most popular (but still quieter than neighbouring ‘Queen’ Ooty), but there’s still plenty of scope for rambling forest hikes, wild swimming and even horseback trails in the surrounding mist-laden hills. After a week or two in the temple towns and scorching heat of Tamil Nadu, you know what to do…