Hills

Nilgiris: tea, toy train and shola

நீலகிரி: தேயிலை, மலை ரயில், சோலைக் காடு

Up the Nilgiri Mountain Railway to Coonoor, three nights at a Kotagiri eco-cottage, tea estates and a shola forest walk.

Duration: 4 days · 3 nights
Start → end: Coimbatore → Coimbatore
Pace: Easy pace
Best season: October to June; the monsoon (June to September) is wet and misty

Take the UNESCO-listed Nilgiri Mountain Railway from Mettupalayam up its rack section to Coonoor, then settle into an eco-cottage in Kotagiri, the quietest of the three Nilgiri hill towns. The days alternate tea and forest: a heritage tea bungalow in Coonoor, an organic estate with Kurumba art in Kotagiri, a tea walk and tasting near Ooty, and the Longwood Shola, a protected patch of the native shola forest, on an official Forest Department trek. Book the toy train well ahead on Indian Railways; it is often full. The last day comes down to Coimbatore for a Kongu home lunch.

நாள்வாரியாக

Day by day

About 213 km of travel in all

Day 1
Toy train to Coonoor
- Coimbatore → Mettupalayam · ~40 km · ~1 h by road
  The train leaves Mettupalayam at about 7:10 am.
- Visit · 07:10
  Nilgiri Mountain Railway
  Ooty
  Reserve seats on Indian Railways; the rack section climbs through 16 tunnels.
  entry ₹205
- Mettupalayam → Coonoor · ~28 km · ~3 h 30 min by train
- Experience · 14:00
  Coonoor Heritage Tea Bungalow High Tea
  Coonoor
  ₹3,200 per person
- Coonoor → Kotagiri · ~20 km · ~45 min by road
- Stay
  Kotagiri Eco-Cottage in the Nilgiris
  Kotagiri · 3 nights
  ₹3,500 a night
☾ Overnight: Kotagiri
Day 2
Kotagiri tea and shola
- Experience · 08:30
  Kotagiri Organic Tea & Kurumba Tribal Art
  Kotagiri
  ₹2,200 per person
- Forest trek · 15:00
  Longwood Shola
  The Nilgiris
  An official Trek Tamil Nadu walk with a Forest Department guide.
  ₹699 on Trek Tamil Nadu Book on Trek Tamil Nadu ↗
☾ Overnight: Kotagiri
Day 3
A day in Ooty
- Kotagiri → Ooty · ~30 km · ~1 h by road
- Experience · 09:00
  Ooty Tea Estate Walk, Factory Tour & Tasting
  Ooty
  ₹2,800 per person
- Timed tickets · 14:30
  Ooty Lake Boat Ride
  Ooty
  tickets from ₹120
- Ooty → Kotagiri · ~30 km · ~1 h by road
☾ Overnight: Kotagiri
Day 4
Down to Coimbatore
- Kotagiri → Coimbatore · ~65 km · ~2 h by road
  Leave by 7:30 am for lunch in Coimbatore.
- Experience · 10:00
  Kongu Cuisine Home Meal Experience
  Coimbatore
  ₹1,500 per person