By road
~30 km from Ooty
South India · Tamil Nadu
Kotagiri, Tamil Nadu
Quiet tea country in the Nilgiris · ~30 km from Ooty
Getting there
By rail
Mettupalayam, ~32km
By air
Coimbatore International, ~75km
Best time to visit
October to June — cool and dry
Don't miss
Catherine Falls
Kodanad View Point
Longwood Shola
Rangaswamy Peak
Things to do
Tea-estate walks
Waterfall and viewpoint trips
Forest walks
Where to eat
What to pack
Light woollens, walking shoes
A quieter corner
Longwood Shola, an old forest patch
Questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Kotagiri?
October to June — cool and dry. What to pack: Light woollens, walking shoes.
How do I get to Kotagiri?
The nearest airport is Coimbatore International, ~75km. The nearest railway station is Mettupalayam, ~32km.
What is there to do in Kotagiri?
Tea-estate walks, waterfall and viewpoint trips, forest walks. A quieter find: Longwood Shola, an old forest patch.
What should I eat in Kotagiri?
Nilgiri tea, South Indian meals and homemade chocolates.
About Kotagiri
- Hills
Where it is
Kotagiri is a hill station and municipality in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, India, on the eastern side of the Nilgiri Hills, about 30 km from Ooty.
History
The Nilgiri Hills are the traditional home of the Kota people, after whom Kotagiri is named, and the British settled the town in the 19th century, among the first in the Nilgiris, planting the tea that still covers its slopes.
People
Kotagiri's people speak Tamil and Badaga, and the town is home to the Badaga and Kota communities of the Nilgiris, many of whom grow tea on smallholdings.
Known for
- Tea estates on rolling hills
- A cooler, quieter base than Ooty
- Waterfalls and viewpoints
- Old shola forest
Did you know?
The name Kotagiri means mountains of the Kotas, after the Kota people of the Nilgiri Hills.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.