Ooty
Tamil Nadu · 297 km from Bangalore
- Distance
- 297 km
- Ideal duration
- 2–3 days
- Best season
- Oct–Jun
- Avg cost
- ₹5,900
About Ooty
Udhagamandalam has been the summer capital of the Nilgiris since the British moved the Madras Presidency up here, and the parts that make it worth the drive are still Victorian: the botanical gardens, the boat house on the lake, and the UNESCO-listed Nilgiri Mountain Railway that grinds up from Mettupalayam on a rack-and-pinion track. The smarter play is to base in Coonoor, 20 km down, where the tea estates are prettier and the crowds thinner — and to take the toy train at least one way. **Getting there.** 300 km from Bengaluru via Mysuru and Bandipur (7 hours) — a spectacular drive through the reserve and the 36 hairpins at Gudalur. Two hours from Coimbatore. **Where to stay.** Heritage hotels and homestays in Ooty and Coonoor; tea bungalows if you book ahead.
Things to do
- • Nilgiri Mountain Railway toy train
- • Doddabetta peak and telescope house
- • Botanical gardens and Ooty lake
- • Coonoor's Sim's Park and Dolphin's Nose
- • Tea factory and estate walk
- • Pykara falls and boating
Best time to visit
October to June. April and May are peak season with heavy crowds; October to December is quieter and just as green.
How to reach
300 km from Bengaluru via Mysuru and Bandipur (7 hours) — a spectacular drive through the reserve and the 36 hairpins at Gudalur. Two hours from Coimbatore.
Where to stay
Heritage hotels and homestays in Ooty and Coonoor; tea bungalows if you book ahead.