From the Nilgiris to Rameswaram — Ooty, Kodaikanal, the Island & Madurai

From Coimbatore airport the car takes the ghat road into the Nilgiris and up to Ooty. This first day is only the transfer: no sightseeing is scheduled, and once you have checked in the evening is free. A warm layer is worth having to hand, as Ooty is far cooler than the plains you have just left.

Ooty’s day is about height and distance. The car goes first to Doddabetta, the top of the Nilgiris, then to the viewpoint over the Ketti valley. It continues down through the tea estates to Coonoor for Dolphin’s Nose, a rock headland with the plains spread out far below, and returns to Ooty by evening.

A day on the road between the two hill stations: down from the Nilgiris, over the plains, and up again to Kodaikanal. No stops are scheduled beyond those you ask for. It is a long transfer, so we suggest starting soon after breakfast and keeping the evening for nothing more than dinner.

The sights here follow the edge of the escarpment. Pillar Rocks rise sheer from the cliff; Guna Caves hide in a root-laced ravine close by. Then comes the quiet of the Pine Forest and the view from Moir Point, and finally a walk down to Dolphin’s Nose, Kodaikanal’s ledge of rock above the valley.

The route leaves the hills for good today, descending to the plains and running south-east to the coast and across to Rameswaram island. It is the second long transfer of the trip and nothing else is planned. You arrive to sea air and a very different Tamil Nadu from the one you woke up in.

Rameswaram’s day centres on the Ramanathaswamy Temple, famous for its long pillared corridors and sacred wells. Pilgrims bathe first in the sea at Agni Theertham, a few steps from the east gate. Later the car goes out to the Pamban Bridge linking the island to the mainland. If you would rather spend the day at Dhanushkodi and the far shore, tell us when booking.

After breakfast the car crosses back to the mainland and drives inland to Madurai. This is a transfer day and no sightseeing is scheduled in Madurai on this itinerary; the night here is to put you close to the airport. Your evening in the city is free to use as you wish.

The trip ends in Madurai, not back in Coimbatore. After breakfast and check-out you are driven to Madurai airport for your flight home, at a time set by your departure. Please book your return travel from Madurai when you plan the trip.