Courtallam Tour Packages from Coimbatore

How far is Courtallam from Coimbatore?

Courtallam is about 355 km from Coimbatore by road, around 7.5 hours of driving with stops. That is a full travel day each way, so it does not work as a day trip or a single night. In our plan we leave Coimbatore early on day 1, so you still reach in time for a bath at Main Falls and evening darshan in Tenkasi. The drive home on day 3 ends late at night. The Tenkasi district site puts Courtallam about 15 km by road from Tenkasi railway station, and the nearest airport is Vagaikulam in Thoothukudi district, about 120 km away.

Courtallam tour packages from Coimbatore

We run one Courtallam package, the Courtallam 3 days tour package, with both nights in Courtallam.

Day 1 is the drive, Main Falls, Five Falls and the Kasi Viswanathar temple in Tenkasi. Day 2 is Old Courtallam Falls and the Eco Park. Day 3 starts at Thirumalai Kovil, goes on to Papanasam and ends with the drive home. If the long last day worries you, ask for a third night and we split the return.

The price runs from ₹7,500 to ₹19,600 per person. It covers the AC vehicle, driver, fuel, toll, parking and both hotel nights. Meals, entry tickets and personal expenses are extra. Group size moves the rate most, since the vehicle cost is shared: 2 to 4 people usually travel in a sedan or Ertiga, 5 to 7 in an Innova or Crysta, and 10 to 17 in a Tempo Traveller.

Which Courtallam falls can you visit?

The Tenkasi district site lists nine falls around Courtallam: Main Falls, Old Falls, Five Falls, Shenbagadevi Falls, Honey Falls, Tiger Falls, Small Falls, Fruit Garden Falls and Palaruvi, which is across the border in Kerala. Not all of them are open to visitors. These are the ones the district describes as open to the public.

• Main Falls (Peraruvi). The biggest, about 50 m wide, near the bus stand and the Courtallanathar temple, with good parking. The district says it stays open 24 hours in peak season.
• Five Falls (Aintharuvi). About 4 km from Main Falls, where the water splits into five streams. It is next to the Courtallam Eco Park, run by the Horticulture department.
• Old Courtallam Falls. About 8 km from Main Falls, managed by the forest department, with two children's pools in front of the falls.
• Small Falls (Chitraruvi). Close to Main Falls inside the forest area, run by the forest department for a small fee. The flow is thin, and children like it.
• Tiger Falls. About 1 km from Main Falls on the way to Old Courtallam. It is an artificial fall that has water only in peak season.

Honey Falls is closed to tourists for safety. Shenbagadevi Falls lies within the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, and the public is not allowed in. Fruit Garden Falls, the old 'VIP falls', is under the forest department and closed too. We do not plan around any of these. At the open falls there are separate queues for men and women, so bring a change of clothes in its own bag.

What else is there to see near Courtallam?

The Kutraalanatha Swamy temple stands by Main Falls. The district site says it is mentioned in Sangam age Tamil literature and in the Devaram hymns of Thirugnana Sambanthar, and it holds the Chitra Sabha, one of the five halls where Nataraja is said to dance. In Tenkasi town, the Kasi Viswanathar temple is the one most visitors come for, and we time it for evening darshan on day 1. Thirumalai Kovil is a Murugan shrine on a hillock at Panpozhi with the Western Ghats around it. Papanasam, on day 3, has a dam and the Agasthiyar Falls. Banatheertham, deeper in the forest, depends on forest department access on the day.

When is the best time to visit Courtallam?

The Tenkasi district site gives mid June to September and October to January as the best time to visit Courtallam. The June to September stretch is the saaral season, when the falls run fullest and a fine drizzle hangs in the air. It is also when weekends get crowded. In the dry months some falls slow to a trickle, so we do not suggest a waterfall trip then. Authorities close the falls at short notice when floods make them dangerous. If that happens, we move you to an open fall, the Eco Park or a temple, and go back when bathing reopens.

For a waterfall closer to home, see our Coimbatore day trips or the Pollachi, Aliyar and Monkey Falls day tour. The Tamil Nadu page lists every trip we run in the state.