Ooty, Kodaikanal & Coimbatore — Six Nights Across Two Hill Ranges

The trip opens with the drive from Coimbatore airport up into the Nilgiris. Hairpins lift the road out of the heat and through the forest belt to Ooty, on the plateau at the top. No sightseeing is planned for the first day; check in and enjoy the change of temperature.

A day of big views. Doddabetta, the range’s highest peak, is the first, followed by the long green trough of the Ketti valley seen from its roadside viewpoint. The third is Dolphin’s Nose, which lies down the ghat at Coonoor, so the outing takes in the tea country between the two towns before returning to Ooty for the night.

A full transfer day from one hill range to another. The car comes down off the Nilgiris, crosses the plains and climbs again into the Palani hills to Kodaikanal. Nothing else is scheduled. Plan on an early breakfast, relaxed stops along the way and an evening at leisure once you arrive.

Kodaikanal’s sights line the southern rim of the hill. Pillar Rocks are three great granite columns standing out from the cliff; nearby, Guna Caves lie among tangled roots in a deep cleft. Moir Point and the Pine Forest follow, and the day ends at Kodaikanal’s Dolphin’s Nose, a flat rock ledge over the valley, reached on foot.

The route returns to where it started, leaving the Palani hills after breakfast and driving back to Coimbatore. It is a transfer day with no sightseeing listed. Two nights in the city follow, which gives the trip a proper final day instead of a dash to the airport.

A day in and around the city. The Patteeswarar temple at Perur is the old Shiva temple of the region, known for its carved halls. Marudhamalai, on a hill to the west, is dedicated to Murugan and looks back over the plain. The day ends in the forest at Kovai Kutralam Falls, in the foothills of the Western Ghats.

After breakfast the car drops you at Coimbatore airport or at the railway junction, depending on how you are travelling on. With the last night already in the city there is no long drive this morning, so the timing is set entirely by your flight or train.