Ooty and Kodaikanal Tour Package — Five Days, Two Hill Stations, One Very Long Drive
Everyone sells this combination and almost nobody mentions the drive in the middle of it. Here is the transfer day, priced and timed, so you can decide whether the second hill station is worth the day it costs.
In short
An Ooty and Kodaikanal package runs ₹16,000–24,000 per person for 4 nights / 5 days at mid-range, ₹11,000–15,000 on a budget. The transfer between them is about 250 km and takes 7 to 8 hours, down one range and up another. Both districts require their own free e-pass, and Kodaikanal's daily caps are lower at 4,000 on weekdays and 6,000 at weekends.
Reviewed 20 September 2026 · transfer timings re-driven each season; both districts' entry rules re-checked monthly
What the combination costs
Per person on twin sharing, land only, starting and ending at Coimbatore. The vehicle is held for the whole trip, including the transfer day.
| Trip | Budget | Mid-range | Premium | Nights split |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 nights / 5 days | ₹11,000 – 15,000 | ₹16,000 – 24,000 | ₹27,200 | 3 Ooty + 1 Kodaikanal, or 2+2 |
| 5 nights / 6 days | ₹14,000 – 18,500 | ₹20,000 – 29,000 | On request | 3 Ooty + 2 Kodaikanal |
| 6 nights / 7 days | ₹17,000 – 23,000 | ₹25,000 – 35,000 | On request | 3 + 3, with a rest day |
The transfer day, told properly
Ooty and Kodaikanal look close on a map of Tamil Nadu and are not. The drive is roughly 250 km and takes seven to eight hours, because you descend from 2,240 m to the plains, run across them, and then climb back to 2,100 m on the other side. There is no scenic shortcut between the two ranges; the road goes down and around because that is the only way it can.
What that means in practice: the transfer is a whole day, not a morning. You leave Ooty at 08:00 after breakfast, stop for lunch on the plains around 12:30, and reach a Kodaikanal hotel between 16:00 and 17:00 with just enough light for a walk around the lake. Nothing else happens on that day. If your itinerary claims a sightseeing stop at both ends of the transfer, somebody is describing a drive they have not done.
This is why we are blunt about the minimum: five nights. On four, the transfer eats a quarter of your holiday. On five it eats a fifth and you still get three usable days in Ooty and two in Kodaikanal, which is the split we recommend, because Ooty's attractions are spread over 40 km and Kodaikanal's are mostly within 10 km of its lake.
The five-day shape we actually run
Day 1 · Coimbatore to Ooty, 88 km
Collected at CJB or Coimbatore Junction, up through Mettupalayam and the 14 bends of the Coonoor ghat, in Ooty by late morning. Botanical Garden at ₹50 and the lake in the afternoon.
Day 2 · Ooty town and Doddabetta
Doddabetta at 08:30 before the cloud, at ₹10 with ₹30 parking, then the tea factory, Rose Garden and Charing Cross. A short day by design, because day three is long.
Day 3 · Coonoor, or Pykara
Either the Coonoor side — Sim's Park, Dolphin's Nose, a tea estate, 19 km down and back — or Pykara at 21 km with the falls and the pine forest. Not both; that is a nine-stop day and it does not work.
Day 4 · The transfer, 250 km
Out of Ooty at 08:00, lunch on the plains, Kodaikanal by late afternoon. The second e-pass is filed for this date, with Kodaikanal's own caps of 4,000 weekday and 6,000 weekend vehicles. Evening around the lake.
Day 5 · Kodaikanal, then down
Coaker's Walk, the lake, the pillar rocks and the viewpoints, most of them within 10 km, then the drive to Madurai or back to Coimbatore. Add a night here if you would rather not compress it.
Two districts, two sets of rules
Before you travel
- Nilgiris e-pass for the Ooty leg: free at epass.tnega.org, caps 6,000 weekday and 8,000 weekend
- A separate Kodaikanal e-pass for the second leg, with lower caps of 4,000 and 6,000
- Both are free and both are applied for on the same portal, with the correct entry date for each
- Green tax is collected separately in each district, in cash, ₹150–300 for a car or SUV
Planning notes
- Five nights is the working minimum; four makes the transfer a quarter of your trip
- Give Ooty three of the nights — its attractions are spread over 40 km, Kodaikanal's are not
- Do the transfer on a clear-weather day if you can; it is a long drive in monsoon rain
- A Madurai finish saves you 200 km if you are flying out rather than returning to Coimbatore
- Two hill stations in the monsoon means two sets of cloud; February to March is the better window
Should you do both at all?
There are two good reasons to combine them. The first is that you are visiting Tamil Nadu from far away and will not come back soon, in which case seeing two very different hill stations is worth one hard day. The second is that you specifically want Kodaikanal's quieter, more compact feel as a contrast to Ooty's busier one.
The bad reason is a sense that four nights in the Nilgiris would be too many. It would not. Four nights in Ooty gets you the town, Coonoor, Pykara, Avalanche and Mudumalai, all within 40 km of your bed, with no seven-hour transfer anywhere in it. If you are hesitating, the honest advice is to spend the fifth day at Avalanche rather than in a car on the plains. We will happily quote you both and let the itineraries argue it out.
Questions we answer daily
How far is Kodaikanal from Ooty?
About 250 km by road, and the drive takes 7 to 8 hours because it descends from 2,240 m to the plains and climbs back to roughly 2,100 m. There is no shorter hill route between the two ranges, so the transfer is a full day whichever operator you book with.
How many days do you need for Ooty and Kodaikanal together?
Five nights and six days is the comfortable minimum, split three nights in Ooty and two in Kodaikanal. Four nights is possible but the 7 to 8 hour transfer then takes a quarter of your holiday, which is a poor trade for one extra hill station.
What does an Ooty and Kodaikanal package cost?
₹16,000 to ₹24,000 per person for 4 nights and 5 days at mid-range on twin sharing, ₹11,000 to ₹15,000 on a budget, and around ₹27,200 at the premium end from national operators. Add roughly ₹4,000 to ₹6,000 per person for the extra night that makes it a five-night trip.
Do I need two e-passes for Ooty and Kodaikanal?
Yes. They are separate districts with separate passes on the same portal, both free. Nilgiris caps are 6,000 vehicles on weekdays and 8,000 at weekends; Kodaikanal's are lower at 4,000 and 6,000, so the Kodaikanal leg is the one more likely to be full on a peak weekend.
Which should we see first, Ooty or Kodaikanal?
Ooty first if you are arriving through Coimbatore, which most people are — it is 88 km away against Kodaikanal's 170-odd, so you start your holiday sooner. Finishing at Kodaikanal also gives you the option of driving out via Madurai rather than doubling back.
Is the Ooty to Kodaikanal drive scenic?
The first hour and the last hour are. The five hours in between are plains highway. Anyone describing the whole transfer as a scenic drive is selling you the two ends of it. Break it with a proper lunch stop rather than trying to push through.
Can we do Ooty and Kodaikanal from Chennai?
Yes, and the sensible version starts with the overnight train to Coimbatore rather than a 535 km drive. We collect you at the station, run the five-night circuit and drop you at Madurai or back at Coimbatore for the return train or flight.
Which is better for a family, Ooty or Kodaikanal?
Ooty, on balance: the toy train, boating, the elephant camp at Theppakadu and more indoor options for a wet afternoon. Kodaikanal is more compact, which means less driving between stops — worth considering if your children struggle with hill roads.
Related
- All Ooty packages Single-destination options
- How many nights in Ooty alone Before you add a second hill station
- The e-pass And why you need two
- From Chennai Train in, circuit out
- From Coimbatore Where this circuit starts
- Best months Two hill stations, one weather window
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