Kanyakumari to Ooty Taxi

Kanyakumari to Ooty Taxi — 508 km from Sea Level to the Nilgiris

This trip runs from the beach at India's southern tip to Udhagamandalam, more than 2,000 metres up in the Nilgiris. It is about 508 km and 10–11 hours of driving, and the last stretch is a ghat climb with hairpin bends, so it needs more planning than a plain highway run. Most bookings are holiday families moving from the Cape to the hills, honeymooners, and school groups in the summer holidays.

Plan the day around the ghat, not the clock

The single most useful piece of advice for this route: reach the foot of the hills in daylight. The ghat road from Mettupalayam is steep and winding, mist often rolls in during the afternoon, and the lower slopes are forest where animals cross the road. Climbing it after dark is slower and more tiring for everyone.

Working back from that, most families leave Kanyakumari at 4 or 5 AM, reach Mettupalayam by early or mid afternoon, and are in Ooty before dusk. The hours before 6 AM fall in the 10 PM–6 AM night window, so the night allowance applies and is paid at actuals. An overnight departure is not something we recommend for this route, because it puts the ghat climb in the dark or makes everyone wait at the bottom. If your plans change and you would arrive late, it is often better to stay in Mettupalayam or Coimbatore and go up the next morning.

From the coast to the hills: the route

The first half is the familiar run north on NH 44 out of Kanyakumari, through Nagercoil, the Aralvaimozhi pass and Tirunelveli, then Virudhunagar to Madurai and on to Dindigul. From Dindigul the car turns west across the plains of the Kongu country towards Mettupalayam. The exact roads on this middle section vary with traffic and road works, and the driver may go via Coimbatore or bypass it.

From Mettupalayam there are two ways up. The main ghat road climbs through Kallar and Burliyar to Coonoor and on to Ooty, with the tighter bends on the lower half. The Kotagiri road is a little gentler and passes through tea estates, and some drivers prefer it when the main ghat is crowded on holiday weekends. Either way, expect the last 50-odd km to take much longer than the same distance on the highway.

Hill charge and other extras

Because the trip ends with a ghat climb into the Nilgiris, a hill charge applies and is paid at actuals. Tolls on the plains, parking in Ooty and the night allowance for pre-dawn driving are also extra and paid at actuals. The fare table on this page is for the car, driver, fuel and driver bata.

The Nilgiris district bans single-use plastic, and vehicles can be checked at the district border, so carry water in steel or reusable bottles. In recent seasons visitors have also needed an e-pass to drive into the Nilgiris during busy periods. Check the current rule before your trip, and our booking desk can tell you what to do.

Leaving Kanyakumari early: what you give up

A 4 AM departure means you will not watch the sunrise from the Cape on the morning you leave, so plan to see it, and the Vivekananda Rock Memorial, the day before. The driver will collect you from your hotel near the sea front, Kanyakumari railway station or the bus stand. If you have been staying in Nagercoil, about 20 km north, a pickup there takes some time off the day. Visitors who flew in will have used Thiruvananthapuram, the nearest airport, and can ask us for a separate quote.

Choosing the car for the hills

With two or three people and moderate luggage, a sedan handles the ghat without trouble. For families with elders, more than four people or bags full of winter clothes, an SUV or an Innova Crysta gives more room and a more comfortable ride on the bends. If anyone gets motion sickness, give them a front window seat, avoid a heavy lunch at Mettupalayam, and ask the driver to stop at a viewpoint halfway up. He will stop wherever it is safe to do so.

Breaks between the sea and the hills

Madurai is the obvious breakfast stop on the way north, and Dindigul, known across Tamil Nadu for its biryani, falls around lunchtime for an early starter. Mettupalayam is the last proper town before the climb: fill up on water, use the toilets, and buy some fruit. On the way up, Coonoor's tea gardens and viewpoints make a natural pause if you are not racing the light.

Where you will be dropped, and when to go

Most drops are hotels and cottages around Charing Cross, the Ooty Lake and boat house area, the Government Botanical Garden, and the roads above the town. We also drop at the Ooty railway station and bus stand, or in Coonoor and Kotagiri if you are staying there. April to June is the main summer season, with the flower show at the Botanical Garden in May, when roads and hotels are full. The southwest monsoon from June to September brings steady rain and fog to the ghats. September to November is quieter, and December and January bring cold nights and frost on the grass in the early mornings.

Train and bus compared

By rail, the usual way is a train to Coimbatore and then the road, or the Nilgiri Mountain Railway toy train from Mettupalayam, which is a UNESCO World Heritage line with limited seats that sell out well in advance. Buses also run, with a change on the plains. A taxi suits this route because one car and one driver take you from the hotel at the Cape to the hotel in Ooty, with the luggage staying in the boot the whole way.