Chapter 1: the Practical Details and the Journey

Coonoor, located in the state of Tamil Nadu at a height of 1502 m above sea level, is one of the popular tourist spots of the Nilgiris. During the times of the British Raj in India, Coonoor was a preferred destination for the Britishers, the reason being that it had a moist, cool climate like their home country and also provided them a wealth of resources. For example, the slopes were developed due to their potential of growing tea. Thus, due to the Western influence, Coonoor flourished and developed into a centre for the tea industry, and also for educational institutions. Long since India gained independence, the town still displays the major influence of Western culture and society. Churches, typical colonial architecture, convents and business centres set up in that age still stand as testimonials.
Here are some more travel details. Summertime, in Coonoor, is from March to late June with temperatures reaching between 21 and 27 degrees celsius. The monsoon is from June to late August with moderate to heavy rainfall occurring. Winter extends from November to early March, reaching extremely low temperatures ranging between 4 and 20 degrees celsius. The languages spoken here are Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam. The best time to visit is the month of June and September-March. Another thing to remember is that the Tea and Tourism festival is held in January, a festival where one can get a taste of exquisite teas and witness the culture of Coonoor.
A note to the tourists: Travelling around Coonoor is not at all a problem as many taxis, buses, autorickshaws etc. are available. The Government also runs buses that connect Coonoor to other towns and cities. The address of the Tamil Nadu Tourist Office is Wenlock Road, Ooty and the telephone number is 0423-2443977
(Statistics from Travelguru.com)


Now, for the travelling details…
Here are the statistics- Coonoor is at a distance of 71 km from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu and is 175 km from Mysore, Karnataka. Bangalore, the capital city of Karnataka, lies at a distance of 310.6 km away from Coonoor. Coonoor is around 19 km away from the popular tourist destination of Ooty.
So, to travel to Coonoor directly from the plains, taking a road trip from Coimbatore would be ideal, considering the fact that it is the shortest distance mentioned. Also, Coimbatore is well-connected by rail as well as air and thus can be reached from any major city in the country.
The road trip from Bangalore to Coonoor could also be made, but it is not advisable as the journey will take far too long and will leave the tourist exhausted.
However, if one prefers to reach Ooty first and then come down to Coonoor, there is another way. Tourists may travel from Mysore to Ooty, travelling a distance of 155 km and then travel the additional 20 km to Coonoor. This journey too is quite long and, perhaps, can only be made by hardier travellers.
There are many taxicab services available as these are quite popular tourist destinations.
There is another enjoyable way of making the climb up to these hill-stations. The Nilgiri express is a nightly express broad gauge train service operating between Chennai and Mettupalayam (the town at the foothills of the Nilgiris). It is operated by the Indian Railways. It passes through Coonoor, Ooty and Kotagiri, providing tourists the opportunity of viewing the choice sights of the “Blue Mountains” while making the journey uphill.