The 360 Inn

Our backgrounds

Just a glimpse into our backgrounds. I, Shyam Krishnamurthy, quit a lucrative job as a product manager of a software firm in Bangalore before packing my bags to Kodaikanal. My wife is a self-practicing chartered accountant who was born and brought up in Mumbai.

Why 360 Inn?

So why 360 Inn? 360 inn was founded on the concept that vacations need to be as insightful as they are adventurous and enjoyable. With 360 Inn we hope to bring back those precious and nostalgic memories associated with sleepy towns such as Kodaikanal where you will spend your nights camping in luxury under the stars, wake up to the sound of gushing waterfalls and trek across foggy villages tucked away in the scenic mountains.

Your daytrips will be tailored to your unique interests. We will however focus on aspects of Kodaikanal that have rarely been explored, the beautiful villages nestled in this hill station, camping outdoors and trekking activities within Kodaikanal.

So we call ourselves the 360 Inn, your 'old style' countryside home against a 360 degree backdrop of endless valleys and dense forests where you get to unwind listening to the silent hum of nature. We see this as a small contribution from our side to the global efforts in building awareness on the importance of natural landscapes, alternate lifestyles and bio-diversity spots.


What we don’t do

Rather than give you a list of services that we provide, we thought it had be better if we tell you what we DO NOT provide. We love Kodaikanal NOT FOR its so called 'exotic' tourist locales but FOR its simple lifestyle. We WILL NOT undertake trips to regular tourist places that Kodaikanal is 'supposedly' famous for. But if you are still interested in visiting regular tourist spots we would be glad to recommend a few hotels that provide excellent accommodation and tasty food.

How can we help?

We believe planning a vacation is a very personal choice and involves a primary question - "What do you enjoy doing? " The secondary aspects regarding your accomodation, food and travel are things that we will take care of based on your preferences. What this essentially means is, we take care of all logistics so you can enjoy your vacation without having to bother about going in for a 3Night/4Day package in a specific hotel which leaves no scope for any kind of activity like camping or trekking.

What can we bring to the table, you might ask? We understand the needs of city dwellers having spent most of our years in the city. On the other hand, we realize that all of you have a pretty busy schedule which makes it very difficult for you to research and organize a good vacation. We will do it for you in the same way as you would do it for yourself. We hope to use our professional background in delivering an experience that not just meets your expectations but exceeds it! Last but not the least, we share a very special relationship with village locals and natives as a result of which we have access to places in Kodaikanal that are pristine and unknown to the outside world.

If you are interested in planning your vacation with us, we would request you to call us 5 days before your trip so we clearly understand your holiday preferences. Based on this we will prepare a detailed itinerary which will include accommodation and a list of activities during your stay in Kodaikanal. As i said before, our goal is to deliver a Kodai experience that is enjoyable (a nice place to stay outdoors or indoors), adventurous (activities during your vacation, hiking or trekking or sightseeing) and insightful (a valuable perspective of the kodai lifestyle, its agricultural diversity and the supporting eco-system).

Do count on us ! We have been let down before and know very well how it feels !


If the following is your idea of a good vacation,


Honeymooners, Trekkers and Campers who would like to enjoy their stay here far away from the crowds and the nagging agents in Kodai city

Organizations interested in planning an adventure for your employees

Schools that would like to offer an insightful experience for your students

Anyone who would like to throw an exclusive party to celebrate a specific occasion such as an anniversary or a new year


you are almost at the right place (literally though, you need to be WITH US in Kodai )!!!


Having been tourists ourselves, we have often been frustrated by dubious agents and the unrelenting crowds, the very reason we escaped city life to come to the hills. So we decided we will focus on providing a vacation experience that is

Insightful

Rather than seeing typical tourist spots that have lost their significance, we will offer a glimpse into the lifestyles and cultures of the 30-40 villages nestled in the Kodaikanal hills. If you are interested we will work with village locals so you can
stay at specific villages and understand their life from close quarters

One aspect of Kodaikanal that has rarely been explored is its agricultural diversity. Every village, due to its unique climactic characteristics, supports the growth of a variety of vegetables and fruits such as potato, carrot, beans, peer, plum etc. You can spend a couple of days trying your hand at farming or visiting organic farms

Vegetation in Kodaikanal also comprises trees that are a source for products such as sandalwood, mint (to name a few) as well as flowers that are very rare to find. We will get you knowledgeable guides who are specialists in this field.

Adventurous

Having worked with most of the locals and native people in Kodai we are aware of all routes within the hill station.


Trekking - Depending on how adventurous you are we will prepare an appropriate trekking plan for you.

Village to Village - If interested, you can hop from village to village on foot. We will provide you a trekking guide


Enjoyable

We will offer you outdoor accommodation far away from the city where you get to see the "real" kodaikanal with its lush forests and misty mountains.

Camping - We will provide all equipment that you will need for camping like tents, sleeping bags, blankets. Other games such as carom boards or chess

New year, honeymoon, anniversary - having been in Bangalore and Mumbai we realize how much all of you miss those old days when you used to throw a new year or anniversary bash. We want to bring those das back to you with an element of SURPRISE (if you want to surprise your significant other!!). We will set things up according to your preferences to make your bash memorable

A few interesting tidbits about Kodaikanal


This section will be updated regularly

Do you know that local women in Kodaikanal can walk down a a 80 degree slope (full of rocks) while holding a pot over their head and on bare feet

Locals travel average distances of about 30km per day by foot

There is a restaurant “Cloud Nine" that serves amazing pizzas and pastas