City: Tamil Nadu
Top Things to do in Tamil Nadu
Top 10 Things to do for Honeymoon in Tamil Nadu, India
^# Jana Gana Mana is the national anthem, while "Invocation to Tamil Mother" is the state song/anthem.
^† Established in 1773; Madras State was formed in 1950 and renamed as Tamil Nadu on 14 January 1969
^^ Tamil is the official language of the state. English is declared as an additional official language for communication purposes.
Restaurants in Tamil Nadu
1. Cook With SundariKrishna
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 154 reviews
Continuous interaction with a number of International visitors to Chennai, India during the last few years, has encouraged me to provide a platform where guests are not only in a position to enjoy the nuances of Indian fine dining but further learn the art of cooking depending on their interest. The guests can choose from a variety of menu lists which will be provided through email on booking. I also teach Ayurveda and Vegan recipes
Reviewed By S6469NUalid - Longreach, Australia
Walking into SundariKrishna's house is like walking into a warm hug. I went to a private cooking class and came out with so much knowledge about traditional south indian food and culture, not to mention some great new skills that I've been trying out back home! There were so many options for food and I got to try some vegetables and spices that I've never tried before. I attended the class on Diwali and was so accommodated and spent the evening eating the food we had prepared and enjoying the company. This was such a unique and amazing experience, I highly recommend this for couples, families and solo travellers alike
2. Kolukkumalai Tea Estate
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 639 reviews
Kolukkumalai tea is one of the premium tea in South India. Kolukkumalai is the World's Highest Elevation Tea Plantation. Our Kolukkumalai Tea has been a winner of the "Golden Leaf" award given by UPASI (The United Planters' Association of Southern India) for the best quality Tea. Contrary to the other usual CTC tea produced by the other plantations, we are using Orthodox methods to process the tea leaves.
Reviewed By BENZON99 - Noida, India
Heaven on Earth - Kolukkumalai : Even after spending close to 30 years in Delhi, we have never decided to settle in this capital city due to various reasons – blame it on the extreme climate or the boring life inside the flats and apartments or the high crime rates…. So whenever we get an opportunity to travel, we would never miss it – be it alone, or with my better half or with our friends.. I called up Vincent - my childhood friend (who is practicing in the Cochin High-Court) in one of those boring days from my office and discussed about taking a short break to beat the boredom and we decided to travel to “Kolukkumalai” from where one can trek upto “Meesapuli Malai” which hosts one of the high altitude tea-plantations in the world. We are normally lone travelers and did various trips in my old “Wagon R” in the past. This time Vincent got a relatively new car and we decided to take Beena, Vincent’s wife along-with my father and father in-law for the trip. I landed at the Cochin International Airport in the wee hours of March 6 2020. I started the journey from Delhi after a hectic weekend day at my office to catch the evening flight – now a days there are a few night flights from Delhi which reach Cochin in the late hours and all these flights are jam packed with passengers who wanted to take advantage of night travelling and getting a “full length day” the next day. Angamali Railway station is just 15 minutes drive from the Airport. Some times the drivers will take a short cut thru a railway crossing which may take an additional 5 minutes in case the crossing is closed for passage of the trains. I took a Uber to the Railway station @ Rs. 350/- (Airport Taxies charge Rs. 550) and waited for “Guruvayur Express” which will drop me at Kayamkulam – the station near to my home early morning. It was the beginning of the Covid 19 scare and I deliberately avoided the blankets and sheets offered by the train attendant. I set the alarm on the “Rail Yatri” application and got into a deep sleep forgetting the surroundings…. The train was late by around 30 minutes and arrived at Kayamkulam Station in the early morning of 12th March. I called up Shyju – (a good Samaritan who stays with my father who is alone for the last few years after my mom’s sudden demise) Shyju did not respond to my call initially as he was in deep sleep inside the car giving me some anxious moments at the deserted station in the night…. He called me back after some time and we reached my home after 15 minutes. I took a bath before going to the bed to wash away the hectic day and went into a deep sleep. After around 4 hours sleep, I got up early morning and got ready by 6.00 at my first floor room. Downstairs, my father and father in law – despite of their age (around 80) were ready by 6.30. Vincent promised me to pick-up us by 6.30am and as usual he was late by almost an hour and half ! making me slightly frustrated and angry. So, we started our journey from Kattanam (my hometown) at 8.00 towards Chinnakanal. Google map calculated 5.30 hours for the journey of around 170 kms. From Kattanam via Erumeli, Wagamon, Nedungandam and Kattapana. The problem while travelling thru this route is the difficulty in finding good restaurants till we reach Mundakayam or Neungandam. Many of the restaurants are seasonal in nature and will be operational only during the Sabarimala Season which is from November to January every year. We reached Ranni by 9.15 and found a small restaurant for breakfast. It was an average breakfast with limited offerings like Kerala Paratha and Appam. Since there are only limited options on this route it is better to have something from the options available en-route. We resumed our journey after a 30 minutes break and crossed Erumeli in another 30 minutes. The route from Erumeli to Wagamon is very scenic and slightly adventurous. The gorges near Wagamon are very deep and the sudden mist that appears on the road makes the journey enchanting and equally dangerous !. From the Wagamon round about we took the route for Nedungandam and reached Nedungandam by 1.00 pm. Nedungandam is one of the hill towns in the Idukki District having lot many shops on either side of the road selling provisions, textiles bakeries, spices etc. We decided to have our lunch here as chances of getting good food is less when you are climbing up the hills. We resumed our journey at around 2.00 pm after having lunch. After Nedungandam, you will be welcomed by the fresh tea plantations on either side of the road. Tourists who crosses this town towards munnar, stop and take a few pictures before proceeding further. We also stopped for a while for taking some beautiful snaps of the plantations.. People who see the plantations for the first time will be awestruck at the beauty of the plantations and the way its maintained. In between the tea plantations, you will see lots of cardamom plantations which gives a different beauty to the landscape. More than 60% of India’s cardamom is grown in Kerala – mainly in Idukki District. The place Kumily is the largest cardamom market in the world. The Cardamom plants are planted below big trees which gives shade to the plants. By 3.15 we have reached “Anayirankal Dam” road and decided to visit the Anayirankal reservoir which can be reached thru the property of Harrison Plantations for which one need to pay entry fee. Since it was evening time and there was some waiting time for the boating activities, after spending around an hour, we decided to reach the hotel – Sterling Resorts by 5.00 pm. We completed the check-in formalities within 10 minutes of arrival and got into our rooms for refreshing ourselves. Sterling has a beautiful property at Chinnakanal which is neatly maintained. The cottages are built on the downhill just beside the forest. It’s an ideal place for people who want to rest on the lap of the nature for a few days… Even though the journey was more than 6 hours including the breaks, the elders with us did not show any form of fatigue throughout the journey. The evening was pleasant with temperature around 20 degrees. We enjoyed the glasses of whiskey which washed away all the tiredness of the long journey. The next day – we three – Vincent, Beena and myself went out for morning walk and to book the jeep for “Kolukkumalai” visit. Some of the tea shops opposite to Sterling was already open and we enjoyed the morning tea from one of the tea shops. I always like the tea served at the local tea stalls in Munnar and surroundings for it’s unique taste. The tea is made of tea dust and is strong in nature. The tea which is brewed thru the samovar enhances its taste a lot. After the tea, Vincent brought the car and we set out to the Suryanelli town for morning walk. After parking the car on the roadside near the post office, we went for the walk thru plantations on either side and clear blue skies above us. The tea plantation workers stay inside the plantations in small clusters called “layams” in Malayalam (small stables or similar) Since it was a Sunday, many of the workers were having off and they were getting ready for going the temples and churches nearby. While walking thru the plantation, we met this lady – Kanchana - Beena started talking in Tamil and she was eager to understand the lives of the plantation workers. Kanchana is widow of around 30 years and have two kids of ages 15 and 13. Her husband died a few years back due to heart attack now she has to take care of the kids with an average income of Rs. 200/- per day for an eight hour job. Life is actually tough for the tea plantation employees and they get into a trap which they find it difficult to break due to lack of other opportunities nearby. Beena took note of the phone no. of Kanchana and promised to be in touch with her in future. After spending nearly two hours in the plantation, we returned to our rooms and got ready for the “Kolukkumalai” drive after finishing our breakfast briskly. “Muthu” owner cum driver of the jeep was ready at the entrance of the hotel and we started our journey to one of the highest tea plantation in the world. The rate for the journey is 2000 rupees which is pre-fixed and printed and pasted in front of the hotel to avoid any arguments or bargaining between the visitors and jeep drivers. Muthu is a good talkative driver who has his Tamil routes. His parents and forefathers were plantation workers and Muthu bought this second hand Police Jeep some years back for a lakh and half rupees thru auction. He does repair of the jeep himself to save cost. Since the road towards Kolukkumalai is only rubble road, the tyres get damaged very fast after a few thousand kilometers and need to be replaced. Kolukkumalai peaks need to be reached thru Harrison Plantations and the jeep rent need to be deposited at the entrance of the plantation. The driver will collect the money on return from the gate (Harrison plantations charge some amount for using their property). I seated myself on the front seat of the jeep to take some pictures en-route. Both the parents were seated on the side seats with Vincent and Beena backing up them to prevent any fall from the jeep when it climbs up the hill. The route to the peak is so narrow that only one jeep can go at a time. The turns are so sharp that some times Muthu has to reverse the car and turn it again before climbing up. En-route there were many jeeps returning from the peak for which giving side was a difficult task. Some times the tyres of the jeep were almost on the edges of the road which I thought will take us down to the deep valley below. The beauty of the Kolukkumalai drive are these rough paths and sharp turns and the risks it offers on the way !. We reached the peak within an hour and Muthu parked the jeep at one corner of the peak. After walking some steps towards a view point, we asked our parents to wait there and we continued our walk to the “Lion rock” which is a lion shaped natural formation. Thank God ! it is a clear day and the mist coming from the depth were getting disbursed within seconds of appearance due to the strong winds coming from the depths of the valley. At one side of the peak, the depth is more than a Kilometer and you need to hold your breath to balance yourself on the narrow strip of land. Cumbum and Theni - the hamlets under Tamil Nadu are on this part of the peak. On the other side which is under Kerala, the beauty of the valley opens up in front of you when the wind blows and mist is vanished. This is one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever experienced in my travels so far. The neatly cut tea plantations play hide and seek with the misty clouds as the wind blows. We posed near the lion rock for a photo op. Vincent put his hand onto the mouth of the rock and stood carefully on the edge against strong winds coming from the depths - A minute diversion will be very fatal and irreversible !. Some of the other visitors didn’t opt for the photo after looking into the depths. After spending almost two hours at the top we started our descent. My parents were waiting impatiently for us near the parking area – thanks to the group from Cochin who spend time chatting with them. On descent, Muthu hardly put the engine running and controlled the descent with his breaks and gear box – Thanks to the manual operations of the Jeep ! (no power breaks – no power steering) Hats off to this guy for his guts !. On the way to the hotel, we stopped for a late lunch at “Appunnoos Hotel” which serves the best food on the Chinnakanal – Sooryanelli route. We started the return journey from Sterling at 4.00 pm reached Kattanam by 00.30 hrs. next day.
3. Pichavaram Mangrove Forest
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 351 reviews
Reviewed By Monu8501 - Chandigarh, India
This is a must visit place if you are around Pondicherry This is the second largest mangroves in india The Tamil Nadu tourism department has maintained it well with clear instructions and advices for tourists You have two options to enter mangrove 1) Row boat 2) Motor boat Row boat is the best choice, you get a lot of time to enjoy the scenery Water in the mangroves is barely 3-4 feet deep You can spot few birds here and there
4. 32-km Loop Road
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 641 reviews
Reviewed By AdarshTraveldharma - Mumbai, India
One of the best drives we have been on.. We did not expect much from the small hill station but this beautiful route is just out of the world. The road intertwining through the Shevaroy Hills is lined on both sides with the Silver Oak and white Eucalyptus trees eclipsing the warm sun keep the breeze cool. The distinct view here is that these trees are covered with pepper climbers that make the ambience of these forests very surreal. As we drove around on the winding road, there were many spots where we just could not stop ourselves from taking a break and engulf in the serene environment. The road runs through large coffee plantations making the entire region embrace a lush dark green demeanor unike light green tea plantations.
5. Avalanche Lake
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 477 reviews
Reviewed By rashmimilan - Bengaluru, India
Bored by the usual crowded tourist spots of Ooty, this time we enquired with our tour operator to take us to a not much visited place away from the hustling-bustling crowd. He suggested us Avalanche. We decided not to Google and find any detailed information as we wanted to experience it all fresh. And was quite surprised that we were not disappointed at all. The Jeep drive from the pick-up spot to Avalanche was so exciting through scenic forests and valleys with a stop-over in between by a small stream overlooking a beautiful temple which stood a top of a valley. We were suggested to drink the water directly that was oozing out from a point of small rock which they believed was the starting point of a river which converged into the valley to become the massive river. Avalanche - absolutely no words. A heaven on earth. With wild yellow and pink flowers strewn across the valley. I almost dropped my plan of visiting Valley of Flowers in the Himachal for a moment. The century old pine trees added to a perfect bollywood scenic destination. Must-visit if you want to cherish your trip to Ooty.
6. Mannavanur Lake
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 336 reviews
Reviewed By 130684130684
Don't miss this place. This is 34km from kodaikanal town. (Lake, Rabbit shed & Sheep shed) Best to reach: Car or Two wheeler Best time : Start morning 8A.M from kodaikanal town and you can comeback to room before 3P.M To buy from farmer: Carrot, Beans,Mountain Garlic Don't Buy: eucalyptus oil (They will say high price)
7. Nallamudi Viewpoint
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 81 reviews
Reviewed By lotuswildfire - Alappuzha, India
Has to walk around a kilometre from parking place Its a private estate view point which falls in anamalai estate Has to be there before 4pm There is an adi muruga temple too You can have a view of anaimudi highest peak in kerala side Lot of waterfalls also seen
8. Berijam Lake
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 780 reviews
Reviewed By amitac14 - Mumbai, India
It is located inside the forest. Limited number of vehicles are allowed per day thus better to go here early in the day.The place is simple and beautiful.
9. Government Botanical Garden
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 3,636 reviews
Reviewed By ragulk2019
We loved visiting garden it's really beautiful and we enjoyed seeing flower show in Ooty and enjoyed a lot had fun.
10. Yercaud
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 525 reviews
Reviewed By vasanthkumarr - Salem, India
Wonderful hill station near Salem. Lots of places to visit and good for photography too. The Boat house is the best. Also try the street style Roasted Corns. Go to Pagoda point, ladies seat, sterling resort. Also enjoy the view from Hairpin bends. This is a wonderful place where flower show is conducted every year
