Hyderabad to Ooty

The most popular way of reaching Ooty is by taking a flight to Coimbatore and then taking a taxi or bus to Ooty. The distance between Coimbatore to Ooty by road is 87 kms. You can book these taxis either online or on reaching Coimbatore. Going from Coimbatore to Ooty via road does not take more than 3 hours. There are buses from Coimbatore to Ooty as well. Buses take around 4 hours. Alternatively, if you have time to spare and wish to utilize it by watching scenic landscapes, you can also go from Coimbatore to Mettupalayam and enjoy the toy train ride from Mettupalayam to Ooty via Coonoor amidst the deep tunnels. From Mettupalayam, if you take a cab or taxi, you can reach Ooty in 1 hour.

Toy trains can take about half a day to reach Ooty but come with their own perks. It is a different and exhilarating experience and worth the time. Taking a cab from Coimbatore to Mettupalayam or Ooty directly can cost you INR 1500-2000, depending on the cab operator and the type of cab you choose. Many operators offer to pick up and drop travellers from Coimbatore airport to Ooty and also offer packages of toy train and Ooty Sightseeing.

If you are planning a trip to Hyderabad to Ooty and want a cheaper alternative to flight, you can avail the buses. This is a cost effective way to reach Ooty. There are no direct buses from Hyderabad to Ooty, which again means that you have to take a bus from Hyderabad to another city from where you can get direct public transport or cabs to Ooty.

From Coimbatore 

The most preferred option in this case is taking a bus from Hyderabad to Coimbatore. There are buses plying daily, on regular intervals to Coimbatore. The distance between the two cities is 930 kilometers and it takes nearly 13-15 hours to cover this distance. Bus fares are subject to fluctuations, so you can book them redbus or goibibo or take tickets from the city bus station as well. There are almost 12 buses run by many operators. On reaching Coimbatore, you can take a direct cab or bus to Ooty. Alternatively, you can reach Mettupalayam and then go to Coonor which takes 2 hours and then take a cab from Coonor to Ooty, which takes 1 hour. You can also take a toy train from Mettupalayam to Ooty. If you are planning to take a bus from Coimbatore to Ooty, there are two options to do that. The first one is Mettupalayam. For this, you must take the bus from Gandhipuram main bus stand and this goes till Mettupalayam from where you can board a bus to Ooty. The second way is to head to new bus stand located near the Sai Baba temple on Mettupalayam Road and from there board a bus to Ooty. Here, the frequency of buses operating to Ooty is higher you can get a bus every ten or fifteen minutes.

From Bangalore

Another option is to take a bus from Hyderabad to Bangalore. The distance is 545 kms and it is a short bus journey from Hyderabad to Bangalore with a multitude of bus operators operating between the two on a daily basis. Nearly 100 buses run between the two cities, and you never fall short of options to reach Bangalore. You can pick any time based on your itinerary and avail a bus at that time. Make sure to book the tickets in advance. Here, the bus takes around 9 hours to reach Bangalore. On reaching Bangalore, you can either book a taxi or take buses to Ooty. There are a few buses plying to Ooty and you can book them online, to avoid the hassle. The distance is 277 kms and it takes and 8 hour bus journey to reach Ooty. All of these buses are overnight, with the first bus leaving at 20:00 and the last at 21:00.

From Mysore

Mysore is another city for which you take a bus from Hyderabad. The distance is 721 kms and it can take about 12 hours to reach Mysore. These buses are mostly overnight, so that saves you the day. However, this is the least preferred option due to the travel duration and less number of bus operators. You can either hire a cab or taxi from Mysore to Ooty or take a bus as well. However, there are only 3-4 bus operators between Mysore and Ooty, so you cannot completely rely on this option. Besides, these buses don't ply on a daily buses. On some days for instance, there are no buses to Ooty from Mysore. The best way to sort it out is to make an itinerary beforehand accordingly to the days on which there are buses available for Ooty.

Ooty is not directly connected to Hyderabad by rail as well. However, Ooty does have a railway terminus that goes by the name of Udhagamandalam (UAM) but there are no direct trains from Coimbatore or Bangalore or Mysore to UAM.

All three cities that is, Coimbatore, Bangalore and Mysore are well connected to Hyderabad by trains, which run on a daily basis at regular intervals. So, the best option is to take a train from Hyderabad to either of these cities and then reach Ooty by road.

From Coimbatore 

If you wish to reach Ooty by train from Coimbatore, you have reach Mettupalayam, which is 47 kilometers from Ooty. There is no direct train between Coimbatore and Ooty. So, you have to catch the Nilgiri Blue Mountain Express (Train Number 12671) which drops you at Mettupalayam. Chennai and Coimbatore are the two busiest stations connecting to Ooty via Mettupalayam. You can take a toy train from Mettupalayam to Ooty. The two points Mettupalayam and Coonoor are well connected to Ooty via toy trains. On reaching Mettupalayam, all you have to do is board the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (Train no 56316) which connects Mettupalayam to Udagamandalam. The arrival timing of Nilgiri Blue Mountain express is well connected with the departure timing of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway. Ooty is situated at a distance of 19 kms from Coonoor and 52 kms from Mettupalayam. Other train alternatives from Coimbatore to Mettupalayam are train numbers 56174, 56146, 56148 and 56150 which are the Coimbatore Mettupalayam Passenger trains. People usually prefer the 12671 Nilgiri Express, because the timing of this train is well connected with the one running from Mettupalayam to Udagamandalam, giving you the least possible buffer time. It must be noted that passenger trains between Coimbatore and Mettupalayam do not run on Sundays.

Via Coonoor : Coonoor is a beautiful city midway between Mettupalayam and Ooty. If you want to enjoy the beauty of Coonoor, you can choose to take a bus or taxi from Mettupalayam to Coonoor. It takes about 90 mins by bus to reach Coonoor from Mettupalayam. There are many train services from Coonoor to Ooty, daily. This is a good and more practical way to enjoy the Nilgiri Mountain Railway too.

Why take the mountain railway from Coonoor?

The distance from Mettupalayam to Ooty is just 28 kms, but the mountain train takes 5 hours to cover this distance, which cuts a lot of your trip's time. This incredible amount of time taken by the train is due to the uphill journey, where it has to negotiate with
200 curves, cross 250 bridges and 16 tunnels before it finally reaches Ooty. The return journey is less time consuming and it takes only 3 hours, due to the downhill path. Similarly, Coonoor is at a distance of 17 km from Ooty. If you have to experience the mountain toy train, it is more practical that you reach Coonoor from Mettupalayam first and then take the train from Coonoor to Ooty. There are three trains running from Coonoor to Ooty at 7:45 AM, 1:30 AM and 4:30 PM.

The Wonderful Toy Train Journey

The toy train journey from Mettupalayam to Ooty via Coonoor is a must do, if you are travelling to Ooty. The onward journey is alluring and the toy train reservations must be done 2-3 months prior to travel, because they are always in high demand, and people choose it over road travel to make the most of their trip to Ooty. The reservations can be done easily on IRCTC website. The toy train goes lazily meandering through vibrant and green tea gardens, overlooked by mountains clad in mist and brimming flora and fauna. The entire journey is a relaxing experience and you can capture the scenic views from the windows, while letting the breeze embrace your face. The mountain railways is listen on the UNESCO World Heritage sites in India. It must be noted that the train remains crowded, especially during holiday season.

If possible, you must choose the seats on the left side in the mountain train, because left side gives you the most astounding views of the valley, as the train climbs, while right side is against the wall of the hill and kind of blocks your view.

The entire journey, from the time of boarding gives you a vintage feel, with the old card tickets instead of computer printed ones, Railway gang men walking along the track, the steam engine and the track itself. This is one of the few rack and pinion rail track left in the world.

From Bangalore :

There are many train options between Hyderabad and Bangalore and you can choose any of the trains, that suit your time and itinerary. There are no direct trains from Bangalore to Ooty and it is preferable that you rent a cab or taxi from Bangalore to Ooty. Alternatively, there are many trains running from Bangalore to Coimbatore every day, with 6 to 7 hours time duration, one of which you can board and then take the toy train from Coimbatore. But, this is not a preferred option because it increases the travel time unreasonably and if indeed, you have to take a toy train, it is better to go from Hyderabad to Coimbatore. In short, the nearest main railway station to Ooty is Coimbatore. Bangalore to Ooty is 300 kms by road and there are cabs as well as buses plying for Ooty. You can take the KSRTC buses which take about 8 hours.

From Mysore:

You can take a train from Hyderabad to Mysore, but there are no direct trains from Mysore to Ooty. So, you have to travel by road. The road distance is 137 kilometers and there are buses and taxis covering this journey in 4-5 hours. There are a myriad of cab services from Mysore to Ooty, operated by many operators that you can choose from.

Self driving or booking a taxi from Hyderabad is another way of reaching Ooty. The road distance is 841 kilometers. It takes a minimum of 13 hours and can go upto
15 hours depending on the number of halts or the route you take. If you are self driving, you have to freedom to halt anywhere, for there are excellent scenic stopovers on the way that you do not want to miss. If you are travelling with a family, you can book a Sumo cab from the cab operators in Hyderabad and request your driver to take your preferred route and stop at some must-visit locations on the way.

There is an array of cab operators in Hyderabad offering cabs to go to Ooty and all you have to do is look them up online and get a price quote and book them away, entering the number of passengers and the kind of cab you would like. Booking a cab can be costly, but comes with its own set of advantages. The routes are scenic and you have a lot of good stopovers on the way. You can book these on goibibo or make my trip as well as on other cab operators like Savaari, Bharat Taxi, Highway Cabs etc. When you book a cab, make sure to check the cab operator's reviews and authenticity.

If you are self driving, you must have the complete route guide with you. The routes pass through the big cities of Bangalore and Mysore. You can choose which time to start the journey as per your convenience. Night driving is safe on these routes. The one thing you must take care while self driving is to maintain a low speed on the curves of Bandipur to Ooty road, with 36 hair pins because this is a dangerous road. Beginners at driving should not drive to Ooty, because it is not an easy drive.

The two main highlights of the road trip are the exploring the astounding flora and fauna at Bandipur National Reserve and also, the various tea plantations on the way with a plethora of scenic vistas on the way from 36 hair pins to Ooty.

The Routes That Can Be Taken

Hyderabad - Anantapur - Bangalore - Mysore - Bandipur - Masinagudi - 36 hairpins - Ooty