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All aboard for the Western Ghats

Mist, Tea & Toy Trains in Wayanad & Ooty

Waterfalls and wild forest in Kerala, then tea hills and the blue mountain train in Tamil Nadu.

Coorg, Wayanad & Ooty Family Escape
6D 5N

Hill Express Saver

Coorg, Wayanad & Ooty Family Escape

5% off

₹16,000was ₹17,000per person

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Packages

Wayanad & Ooty holiday packages

Weekend escapes in each hill station, and trips that cover both, with prices shown up front.

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Things to do

Things to do in Wayanad & Ooty

Follow the line from Wayanad's waterfalls and peaks, through the elephant forest at Mudumalai, up to Ooty's lakes, gardens and the blue mountain train.

  1. Soochipara Falls tumbling down a rock face in a green Wayanad forest

    Meppadi, Wayanad

    Soochipara Falls

    Walk through plantation and forest to a three-tiered waterfall, best when the monsoon rain has just passed and the water is full.

    Best
    Sep to Jan
    Time needed
    2 to 3 hours
  2. The small heart-shaped lake on the grassy slopes of Chembra Peak

    Chembra Peak, Wayanad

    The heart-shaped lake

    Climb the grassy slopes of Wayanad's highest peak to a small lake shaped like a heart. A forest department permit is needed.

    Read the Wayanad guide
    Best
    Oct to Feb
    Time needed
    4 to 5 hours
  3. Daylight falling into the rock chamber of Edakkal Caves, the walls covered in moss

    Edakkal Caves, Wayanad

    Carvings in the rock

    Climb to two natural rock chambers high on Ambukuthi Hills, where Stone Age carvings cover the walls.

    Best
    Oct to Mar
    Time needed
    2 to 3 hours
  4. A speedboat carrying passengers across Banasura Sagar Dam, with green hills behind

    Banasura Sagar, Wayanad

    Speedboat on the dam

    Skim across one of India's largest earthen dams, ringed by the Banasura hills, and stay on for the sunset.

    Best
    Sep to Feb
    Time needed
    About 2 hours
  5. A wild elephant crossing a forest road at Mudumalai as a safari jeep waits

    Mudumalai

    Elephants on the forest road

    Take a jeep safari through the teak and bamboo forest of Mudumalai, where elephants, deer and gaur cross the road.

    Best
    Dec to Apr
    Time needed
    2 to 3 hours

    From Wayanad, about 2 hours by road via Gudalur

  6. The blue and cream Nilgiri Mountain Railway steaming through the forest, passengers leaning out of the open carriage doors

    Coonoor to Ooty

    The Nilgiri Mountain Railway

    Ride the blue and cream carriages of this UNESCO World Heritage line as it climbs past tea slopes, tunnels and misty valleys.

    Read the Ooty guide
    Best
    Oct to May
    Time needed
    2 to 5 hours

    From Mudumalai, about 2 hours by road up the ghat to Ooty

  7. Tall trees reflected in the still water of Ooty Lake under a cloudy sky

    Ooty

    Ooty Lake and the Botanical Garden

    Row across the lake, then walk the terraced lawns of the Botanical Garden, which turns colourful during the spring flower show.

    Best
    Apr to Jun, Oct to Dec
    Time needed
    Half a day
  8. A few walkers on a grassy ridge at Doddabetta watching the sun rise over the Nilgiri hills

    Doddabetta, Ooty

    Sunrise from the Nilgiris' highest peak

    Drive up before dawn to the top of Doddabetta, the highest peak in the Nilgiris, and watch the hills light up.

    Best
    Sunrise, Oct to Feb
    Time needed
    1 to 2 hours
Why go

Why take the hill route

Two hill stations an easy drive apart, with very different moods.

  • Cool, misty air

    Ooty sits at about 2,240 m, so even in summer the evenings are cool. Wayanad is milder and greener, with cloud on the ridges.

  • Tea, coffee and spice estates

    Stay in plantation country and walk through rows of tea, coffee, pepper and cardamom.

  • Forests and wildlife

    Wayanad's sanctuaries and Mudumalai's elephant forest are on the same road, so a safari fits easily between the hills.

  • A heritage railway

    Ooty has the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage line that has climbed these slopes for over a century.

Book your trip

Get there, then slow down

Search flights into Calicut or Coimbatore and stays in both hills.

Book a flight to the hills

Fly into Calicut (CCJ) for Wayanad or Coimbatore (CJB) for Ooty. Each is about three hours from its hill station by road.

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Book a hotel in Wayanad or Ooty

Plantation homestays, forest resorts and lakeside hotels in both hills.

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Good to know

  • Best time: Oct to May
  • Fly into Calicut or Coimbatore
  • Cool hills, about 5 to 30°C

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