A RollerCoaster Ride with JIPMER Undergrads @ 360 Inn !

Anyone interested in watching videos of this trip can check the 360 Inn Facebook page.

A group of 80 undergrad students, just a day to execute the trekking programme and the institution being JIPMER !!!

 We had many reasons not to take this one up (short notice, too large a group !) but just one reason for taking the challenge and that being a reference from a happy customer !!! That did it !

So, once we got a call from Mr Prassanna  (JIPMER) on 22nd Jan 2012 for a trekking adventure on 23rd, we got to work assembling our team with just 24 hours to go. We decided to go with our veteran guides who have been with us for more than 3 years Mr Muthu and Mr Shivaraj.


The mandate was to take these “future doctors” deep into the jungles completely out of civilization and provide them the greatest healing of all – NATURE ! Ofcourse we still wanted to get the entire group of 80 back in one piece and so we set out on the adventure with a total of 5 guides (6 including me) to get the ratio to 13:1 .

We had instructed the group to be ready with packed lunch by 8am on the 23rd. We left for our destination in 2 buses 35 kms away from Kodaikanal town.

On the way the group had a very close sighting of a lone Bison .















Iam not describing the adventure anymore with words since as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words !!!!

 Gradually watch them slide away from the luxuries of the city and getting caught offguard by the intensity of raw wilderness !!!!

AND FINALLY REACH THE POOL OF PARADISE !!!

Spot Treks with 360 Inn !!!

With this newyear 360Inn is launching what we call "spot treks" . Call us from anywhere in Kodai @9486148466 and we will arrange a trek guide (during new year availability will be a bit limited !) . If you book a guide through Internet Funds Transfer to our account at least 2 days in advance our charges will be Rs 500 per person. Since 2008 when we launched 360Inn, we have always provided trekking only for guest who have stayed with us (we have made a few exceptions ofcourse!).

One such exception was for a group of 7 friends who contacted us a few days before reaching Kodai. They had already booked their accomodation in the city after which they came across our website. But after speaking to them over the phone and sensing their eagerness for trekking we decided to offer our trekking services to them.

They absolutely enjoyed the adventure as can be seen from the photos including a sighting of a dead bison ! SO feel free to contact Us@360inn.com just for trekking even if you have booked your accomodation somewhere else !

2012 Newyear Bash at the Campfire with 360 Inn !!!

For the last few months we had been working on a few exclusive agreements to acquire farmhouses for the coming new year. However there were a few delays and we had almost given up the hope of having them operational by Newyear 2012 !

However we are happy to inform you all that we are opening up reservations for the coming new year (sorry for the late notice !) . As usual we have our team of guides who would make your new year memorable. If you are a group of no less than 10-15, please contact us and we will work out a deal that is not just mouth watering but adrenaline pumping as well !!!

The key elements of the new year bash would be night treks, dinners cooked by campfires and as usual our cosy/rustic cabins !!!

Mountain Bicycling with 360 Inn this New Year 2012 !!!

Everyone makes new year resolutions and so do we ! Over the years our focus has always been on offering eco-friendly vacations as much as possible.

We launched 360 Inn in 2008 with simple treks. Our next step was to provide pseudo-camping experiences in rustic brick cabins. Gradually we built an experience around accomodations without electricity, just campfires and the stars (and ofcourse hot water provided for bath).

With this new year we are launching truly eco vacations with mountain biking to 360 Inn cabins. While cycling is common in many metro cities , biking through the breathtaking jungles in Kodai (along with our knowledgeable guides) and enjoying nature at your own pace on your own is an altogether different ball game.

The bicycling experience will take you though 30 kms of pure nature at its best and will give you an opportunity to ponder the past year and prepare yourself for the coming new year !

Private Waterfall Bonanzas with 360 Inn

Now that the Kodai peak season has come to a close, the 360 Inn season begins !!! Given the persistent rains that have just begun in Kodaikanal we are rolling out 360 Inn Waterfall bonanzas on popular requests from customers. So whats so special about 360 Inn waterfalls, you might ask ? When you type in Kodai Waterfalls in Google you will typically see the Silver Cascade falls listed. There will also be a link to 360 Inn. However when you contact us asking for a Waterfall vacation , we will deploy our human search engines who would scour every inch of Kodaikanal within a 30 km radius to identify waterfalls that meet your requirements.

The Waterfall Bonanza vacation is for those whose idea of a vacation is to spend their entire day at waterfalls. Depending on specific requests we would research and identify at least 3 different kinds of waterfalls where you could have a bath, lunch and relax untill you want to head back to 360 Inn cabins. Your lunch could be packed or cooked in front of you at the waterfall based on what you want.

360 Inn waterfalls would be classified as

View Only Waterfalls/Lake - If you would like to stay by a lake where you could possibly see wild dogs or Sambhars, we could arrange for that as well. Also, some waterfalls are so high and steep that accessing them from near quarters is pretty much impossible. You could spend an evening looking at the falls (first photo above and photo below)and hearing the sound of gushing waters from your 360 Inn cabins.

 

Jungle Waterfalls - Located deep in the Jungles (a 4-6 km trek). Due to their dense nature , these waterfalls are not meant for a bath. You could sit around and have lunch , explore the forests and watch around for Bisons

 

Bath Waterfalls - These waterfalls are good for taking bath given their flatter terrain and clearer water. Here you could spend time getting into the water and refreshening yourself. You could also have lunch at the waterfall

Please mention "Waterfall Vacations" in your subject title when you write to us so we can get back to you with specific details of your itinerary.

Two new camping experiences from 360inn.com

360inn.com is happy to announce 2 new camping experiences. One coupled with a homestay for beginners and the other an out-and-out camping experience deep in the woods next to a waterfall.

For more details please mail us@360inn.com.

Lost In The Kodaikanal Jungles with 360 Inn

Kodaikanal is typically associated with fond memories. However there is a dark side of this hill station that has seldom been explored. Places where a misjudgement by a few steps can make a difference between day and night. 4 friends from Chennai realized this the hard way after being lost in the jungles of Kodaikanal for an entire day. What started off as a trek turned into an adventurous battle against nature alone into the jungles.

Hiking to the temples of yore with 360 Inn

When we look back at the end of the current year there is a pall of gloom with all the recent terrorist attacks. As much as there is gloom there is hope!




A group of 5 friends from chennai decided to bid goodbye to the year 2008 with us @ 360 Inn. They wanted an unforgettable and memorable experience that would last a lifetime ! Last but not the least they wanted to be left alone and temporarily cut off from the outside world and venture into uncharted territory !

SMOT Business School Outbound Programme - Living it out rustically in the misty jungles with 360 Inn

In one of the most intriguing moments of this trip we were at the slippery edge of an overflowing river that we had to cross in the midst of pouring rain. Unfortunately my camera couldn't capture that river crossing moment. A slip might have cost me a fracture, a risk that i decided not to take !
A group of 40 students arrived from Chennai on the 6th Of September to live it out rustically deep in the Kodaikanal jungles. You could call it an outbound activity or an offbeat adventure. As fun as it might sound, the group was just not prepared for what they faced for the next 2 nights.



A relentless onslaught of nature's fury in the form of leeches, persistent rains, overflowing streams and slippery terrains that put to extreme test their mental strength, team work, determination and resilience.

Venturing into Leech infested jungles of Kodaikanal with 360 Inn

There are times when so much frustration creeps into our everyday lives that we long to take off to a place where there are no signs or traces of human habitation.


Places where few or no human beings have ventured before and where even sunlight doesn't get through ! If at all there are living beings they are 'blood sucking Leeches' .


Kodaikanal is not exactly known for leeches ! On the fringes of the Indira Gandhi National Forest ( a bio-diversity nature reserve famous for tigers, bisons etc) lies a beautiful village nestled in the midst of ancient caves and the almost extinct shola forests. We are always on the lookout for village natives who have been to such places and who are very familiar with the environment since they are the ones who we have to rely upon during the trek. Last week we had a group of 4 people coming from Chennai ( 2 men and 2 women).

They were looking for a fairly adventurous trek . So we decided we will take them into a few areas that were unexplored.