Things to do in Coonoor

Twenty kilometres below Ooty and a tenth as busy: four lookouts down one tea road, and a hill fort almost nobody drives to.

Getting around Coonoor

The viewpoints run along a single-lane estate road shared with tea lorries, and the quieter places, Droog and Ralliah, sit at the end of tracks a rental car should not attempt. The valley fills with cloud most late mornings, so the order of the day matters more than the distance. Every experience below includes the vehicle and a local driver.

Experiences

• Coonoor viewpoints and market: Four lookouts down one tea road, before the valley fills with cloud
• Droog Fort and Ralliah Dam: A hill fort walk and two reservoirs almost nobody drives to

Best months

October to June. The lookouts are clearest in the early morning year round; July to September is heavy monsoon.

Getting there

About 2 hrs from Coimbatore by road, 20 km below Ooty; Coonoor is a stop on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway.