Travel to/ from Ooty

Emma21

I'd be very grateful for any advice anyone can give.

I am planning to travel from Bangalore to Ooty next March and wondered if anyone could advise where I should hire a car and driver from and how much this would cost?

I was planning to stay a couple of nights at the jungle resort (which I think is just under an hour from Ooty) and then set off early the next morning to get the toy train to Coonor and then from there to Coimbatore for the night before going on to Cochi

Could anyone tell me the best way to get from Coonor to Coimbatore? Should I get the train or a car and again can anyone advise of a good driver?

Also, do I need to stop in Coimbatore for the night, or would it be possible to do the whole journey to Cochi in one day?

Many thanks
Emma

citybell

You can take the toy train from Coonoor to Mettupalayem., then change the train at Mettupalayem that woud take you to Coimbatore provided you intend to stay in Coimbatore overnight.

To go to Cochin, you don't need to stay over night at Coimbatore.Then suggest you :

1) Go to Ooty and get a bus(at Coonoor you may not get a seat) to Cochin.

or
2) Take a bus to Coimbatore from Coonoor and from Coimbatore take bus to Cochin. or you can take a car from Coimbatore to Cochin.

or
3)Or from Coimbatore take a train to cochin.

Incase you take a car, remember that you have to pay the return fare even if you don't use it. The fare will be on per Km basis with some conditions including inter state permit charges and drivers bata(fee).

Emma21

Thanks - do you have any idea how long the journey from coonor to Cochin should take?

Also, does anyone know what the times of the toy train from Ooty to Coonor are - I would like to get an early train?

john.sw

Hi,

There is only one train from Ooty to Coonoor each day. It leaves in the morning (I think at about 9:00).

There are a few Jungle Resorts at Masinagudi, about 1hr from Ooty.

You can get a bus to Masinagudi from Bangalore (about 6 hours' drive) but you should consider stopping off in Mysore en route!

If you take a car from Bangalore to Ooty this will cost about Rs.3000/- depending on the size and type of the vehicle.

The Green Hotel (not to be confused with Green's Hotel) in Mysore is superb (stay in the main palace, NOT in the bungalows in the grounds) and costs about Rs.2400/- a night. If you're feeling romantic, they will sprinkle your bed with fresh rose petals before you arrive for an extra Rs.150/-

Once you are in Coonoor you can get the train to Mettupalyam then on to Kochi. You could also go by a/c car, which I prefer for comfort, speed and the lovely views!

Coonoor to Kochi by car takes 6 hours, so there's no need to stay in Coimbatore. If you do stay in Coimbatore, the Residency is the recommended hotel.

If you have any questions, please PM me.

Best wishes,

John

__________________
www.nilgiris.asia your guide to the Nilgiris, Ooty, Coonoor, Kotagiri and Gudalur

Emma21

Thanks John,

Do you have any idea how much a car from Coonor to Kochi should cost?

Regards,

Emma

john.sw

Maximum Rs.3000/- for an a/c Ambassador.

You should be able to negotiate Rs.2400/-

Have fun!

John

alan1111

Dear all,

I wish to travel from cochin to ooty

1. are there are luxury overnight buses available (direct to ooty)?
2. What is the fare etc and how can i book the tickets from delhi (my current location)? pls. give any phone no/details if available

Cheers!

alan1111

Further , would cochin be sufficiently covered in 1 day (will take night bus after sighseeing in the day)

Thanks

citybell

There are overnight luxury buses available from Cochin to Ooty.
You need to go over to MG Road in Cochin( near Woodlands hotel).
Not sure about the present fare since not travelled on this route.Though not sure, you may not be able to book from Delhi.

Suggest you why not take a toy train from Mettupalyem to Ooty to make your journey more lively?

Though you can see Cochin within a day, it would be too hectic.

Have a nice journey.

alan1111

Thanks a lot!

wud love to do the toy train once... i guess buese to ooty go via metupaliam..right?

caro7

Just trying to sort this journey myself, and would like more info on citybell's suggestions above, specifically:

1) Go to Ooty and get a bus(at Coonoor you may not get a seat) to Cochin.

Where to catch the bus from in Ooty, and how long roughly would it take? Are there timetables available anywhere online (I haven't been able to find any?)

or
2) Take a bus to Coimbatore from Coonoor and from Coimbatore take bus to Cochin. or you can take a car from Coimbatore to Cochin.

Again the length of this option by bus would be good to know, and timetables if they are available?

or
3)Or from Coimbatore take a train to cochin.

Would we need to book this in advance, if we took this option? We are travelling between Xmas and New Year - is this a peak time at all? And again the times of the trains would be much appreciated

Finally, if travelling on the toy train, would I need to book in advance for the end of December, and where is the site to do this if so?

Thankyou for your help!

pmvelu

@Caro,

If you would like to get to Cochin /Ernakulam Jn from ooty,

Best option is:-

1. Get Toy train from ooty to Mettupalaiyam [ 4 1/2 hours Travelling time]

2. From Mettupalaiyam, get a bus to Coimbatore [ around 40 kms, 1 Hour Travelling time]

3. From Coimbatore Jn, board Ernakulam Bound train


Other Option:-

1. Getting a Direct bus to Cochin from ooty which will be uncomfortable as well as the services will be limited. You could check in ooty once you reach there on the timings for Latest and most accurate timetable. As Far as I know, there is no single URL where you could get the timings of all the services [Even though it's Very limited]

Fast Option:-

1. Get Coimbatore bus from Ooty [45 Minutes to 60 Minutes once] which will take just 3 Hours to cover this distance
2.Board Ernakulam Jn Bound train from Coimbatore


General:-

1) Toy Train as well as Coimbatore to Ernakulam circuits should be booked well in advance[www.irctc.co.in] --> All the issues you might be facing in booking the trains is already discussed in quite a Lot of threads in Indiamike [You could do a search in Indiamike and can get the answers]

Hope this helps
Velu

caro7

Thanks very much pmvelu for your helpful reply. We are staying somewhere remote that is about an hour away from Ooty/Coonoor, so are anxious to make sure the whole journey is possible in one day! So I thought it might be quicker to cut out the toy train for this journey (we will do it when we arrive there from Sultan Battery, I hope).

Should we be ok just buying the train ticket between Coimbatore and Cochin shortly before departure of the train, or will it be necessary to try and book in advance? I think that will be difficult, if we are relying on so many buses which we don't know the times for. Perhaps we should splash out on a taxi - any idea what the current price would roughly be for this? (the price below is 2005 - I think it has probably increased a bit since then!)

Thankyou again for your help. I do try to check the forum before asking questions, but I don't know how people call this toy train train to search for posts on it!

federica

Book the train from Coimbatore to Ernakulam in advance, if it is a night journey. There are many buses from Ooty to Coimbatore, so you should have enough time to get the train.

pmvelu

Nice to know it helped you Caro !..

Toy Train Runs between Mettupalaiyam and Ooty . And Sulthan Bathery is altogether in the other end of Nilgiri Hills as such.

If you could tell from where you are trying to get to Cochin and also whether you Planned Ooty Visit , I could add the related information..

For Example, If you are near Sulthan Bathery or Gudalur or nearer, No need to Get to Ooty Or Coimbatore at all to get to Ernakulam.

Velu