Nilgiri Hills 5 Days | Starts/Ends: Chennai

TRIP NOTES

Nilgiri Hills 5 days | Starts/Ends: Chennai

PRIVATE TOUR: The Nilgiris or Blue • All relevant transfer and transportation the way, along with the breathtaking views Mountains, often called The Queen in private modern Chauffeur driven air- make this toy train journey to Ooty something of Hills are a range of mountains conditioned vehicles not to be missed! Beginning at Mettupalayam, you’ll cover 46kms in 4 hours enjoying the and a district in the south Indian What's Not Included view along the way. The train is unusual in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. • International flights and visa fact that the engine pushes its carriages rather See the famous hill station of • Tipping - An entirely personal gesture than pulls them along. Overnight - Ooty (B) Ooty reached by the Nilgiri Blue Day 4 : Free day to Mountain Railway. DETAILED ITINERARY independently explore There is no sightseeing included during our HIGHLIGHTS AND INCLUSIONS Day 1 : Train to Coimbatore Chennai - Coimbatore. This afternoon we are stay in Ooty, but the vehicle and driver remain Trip Highlights transferred to the train station and board at your disposal for sightseeing of any nearby the overnight sleeper train from Chennai to places. Overnight - Ooty (B) • Mettupalayam - Nilgiri Blue Mountain Coimbatore (1st class air-conditioned sleeper). Railway toy train Overnight - Sleeper train Day 5 : Ooty to Chennai • Ooty - Popular hill station Ooty - Coimbatore - Chennai. Drive to Coimbatore for your flight to Chennai. Upon What's Included Day 2 : Mettupalayam Coimbatore - Mettupalayam. We arrive into arrival in Chennai, transfer to your hotel or the • Breakfast daily Coimbatore this morning and drive to airport for your onward flight (please let us • 3 STANDARD hotels. SUPERIOR and Mettupalayam where we check into our hotel. know your flight/hotel details prior to the start DELUXE hotel options are also available The rest of today is at your leisure to explore of your holiday).(B) upon request. Accommodation rating – the local area or to simply relax. Overnight - See Trip Notes for details Mettupalayam (B) Tipping • Overnight sleeper train Chennai to Tipping is an essential part of the culture. For a Coimbatore (1st class air-conditioned Day 3 : Enjoy exhilarating job well done, we would suggest for your tour sleeper) mountain vistas guide: USD$4-7 per traveller, for each day of • sightseeing. Scenic toy train journey: Mettupalayam to Mettupalayam - Ooty. Early morning transfer Ooty to Mettupalayam Railway Station for the Nilgiri For your driver and On The Go Representative • Economy class flight: Comibatore to Blue Mountains railway toy train to Ooty. At a we'd recommend USD$2-3 per traveller for Chennai maximum speed of 33km/hour, this ‘toy train’ each day of service. Tipping is an entirely • Entrance fees for included sightseeing treks across plains, plantation and forest clad personal gesture and ultimately the amount is • Services of English-speaking Indian hills. The 16 tunnels and tall girder bridges on up to you. specialist guides for included sight-seeing

Nilgiri Hills - 5 days updated on 28-09-2021 12:32:45 www.onthegotours.com This information has been compiled with care and good faith. They give an accurate illustration of the proposed arrangements for this holiday. Circumstances beyond our control such as changes in local conditions, inclement weather or other reasons could force us to make changes to UK 020 7371 1113 [email protected] this itinerary. Any costs shown are subject to change, though are an accurate reflection of costs at time of writing. Please also note that visa AUS 1300 855 684 [email protected] requirements are subject to change and are the responsibility of the traveller and not that of On The Go Tours. NZ 0800 44 77 69 CAN 1 866 890 7038 - 1 - USA 1 866 606 2960 SA 0800 990 311 TRIP NOTES

Nilgiri Hills

customs and immigration formalities, please embassy before travel. For information about Accommodation ratings proceed to the arrival hall. Please have your visas, head to www.onthegotours.com/India/ On our Private trips, you can often choose tour voucher handy and make it available to Visas your style of accommodation. The price our representative who will be waiting for you quoted on our website is reflective of the in the arrivals hall, holding a prominent On The Health requirements included accommodation, please see the Go Tours logo signboard, ready to escort you You should seek medical advice for “included” section on the first page of this to our awaiting transportation and onward to vaccinations and about medications before document for details. Should you opt for your start hotel. travelling. an alternative hotel category, this will be confirmed in writing with the respective price If, for any reason you have trouble locating Water on your invoice. our representative (after waiting 20 minutes As tap water is not safe to drink in India, only in the arrival hall) or your flight is delayed, drink bottled mineral water which is readily For further details about the indicative hotels, please call or send a text message (standard available in hotels, shops and restaurants. please see the “hotels” tab on our website. text message, not Messenger or WhatsApp) to You should also avoid salads which may be Here we rank hotel’s in their respective the emergency contact number as stated on washed in unhygienic water. country (REGIONAL CATEGORY) - but we also your Tour Voucher. Please do not leave the tell you how it ranks by Western standards airport or go to the hotel on your own. Call Essential packing (OUR CATEGORY). our emergency contact number and follow the Please check local temperatures so advice given by our local team. you can pack accordingly. Visit STANDARD - Equates to a Western 3-star www.worldclimate.com standard, always featuring en-suite rooms and If travelling on our other India holidays that usually a restaurant. don't arrive into Delhi Airport (with arrival • A small daypack for your day-to-day needs SUPERIOR - Equates to a Western 4- via Kochi, Cochin, Goa, Mumbai, Chennai, • Tour Voucher and a copy of your travel star standard, featuring en-suite rooms and Trivandrum, Kolkata and Dimapur Airport), the insurance policy, spare passport photos and a usually a restaurant and often a swimming procedure for meeting you at the airport is the photocopy of your passport pool and/or a fitness centre. same as those detailed above. • Universal travel adaptor DELUXE - Equates to a Western 5-star • Insect repellent to guard against mosquitos standard, usually featuring spacious, en-suite Pre and post tour accommodation can be • Spare camera batteries and memory cards rooms, a restaurant, swimming pool and arranged upon request, please contact us for • Consider packing some pencils, pens or fitness centre and an array of amenities, rates. If you are arriving early and book pre modest educational supplies that can be excellent service and customer care. tour accommodation with us then you will still given to village schools or street children LUXURY - Equates to a Western 5-star plus qualify for our complimentary airport arrival • Buy some Indian Rupees at the airport on standard - the creme de la creme. Featuring transfer. arrival and keep a supply of small notes for spacious, en-suite rooms, a restaurant, local transactions If arriving prior to 9am on day 1 (essentially swimming pool and fitness centre and an on a flight that arrives very, very early in the array of amenities, this accommodation is a Domestic flights - Baggage morning) consider purchasing a night of pre- cut above the rest. Sheer opulence! allowance tour accommodation to save you waiting until If your holiday includes a domestic flight or hotel check in time, which is generally 2pm. KNOW BEFORE YOU GO you have independently booked domestic Visas & passports flights separate to that of your international India Country Guide Visa requirements are subject to change and flights, please be mindful that that free visa procurement is the responsibility of the baggage allowance for Economy class travel Welcome to India - Arrival traveller and not On The Go Tours. Please also on flights within India is near always 15kg, transfer ensure that your passport is valid for at least 6 with 5-7kg allowance for hand luggage. If your holiday includes a complimentary months from your planned date of departure Additional weight is charged per kilo and is airport arrival transfer (as indicated in the from India. payable by you directly to the airline at check- 'Inclusions' section of these Trip Notes in. If travelling with more than 15kg on a flight on page 1) from Delhi's Indira Gandhi After booking your holiday, please provide us included within your holiday, please contact International Airport, our arrival procedure is with your passport details as soon as possible us so we can confirm the exact luggage as follows: so that we can proceed to book all services. allowance for your flight and give you the Please be advised visa requirements are current per kilo cost for additional weight. Arrive to Delhi's Indira Gandhi International subject to change, therefore it is essential that Airport, where after you have attended to you check current visa requirements with the

Nilgiri Hills

What to expect manned by an attendant who will distribute Travel Operators for Tigers Please visit www.onthegotours.com/India/ linen, free of charge. Dependent upon the Travel Operators for Tigers (TOFT), is a Travel-tips-and-useful-info for local customs, service, a variety of snacks and drinks or full UK based campaign, set up to encourage currency, WiFi and other helpful information to dinner service can be ordered at an additional sustainable wildlife tourism in tiger reserves prepare you for an enjoyable holiday. cost (except for the Shatabdi Express and and national parks. Funds generated through Rajdhani Express where meals are included TOFT will be used to fund tiger conservation Train travel in India within your fare). Food aboard the Shatabdi initiatives and local community development, Travelling by train in India is an unforgettable Express train is most often exceptionally through their two partner conservation local experience where you will get to meet good, though on many other train services organisations - Global Tiger Patrol and the Indian people and experience daily life as they it is probably best to buy snacks, fresh fruit Environmental Investigation Agency. On The do. The Indian Railway system is the world’s that can be peeled or meals prior to the start Go Tours are members of TOFT and we second largest, with over 108,706 km of track, of your journey. In addition, there are WC happily pledge a USD$20 contribution to connecting more than 7000 stations. Every facilities (European and ‘squat-style’) at each TOFT for each of our clients that choose to day, more than 7000 trains run, carrying some end of the carriage. Cleanliness varies, so travel on a wildlife tour to India with us. 14 million passengers, including us. Several be prepared and take your own anti-bacterial our holidays include train journeys, some by hand wipes and toilet paper. Not like home... & begging day and others overnight. If your holiday does Travelling to far–flung corners of the earth 1st AC COACH/ SLEEPER include train travel, we have noted within the often involves encountering lifestyles and All Indian trains offer 2nd and 3rd AC coaches, itinerary the coach/class of travel that will be conditions that are very different from but only a handful of trains offer 1st AC booked. Below is some further information what you are used to back home. As coaches, which can accommodate a tiny total that may assist you in planning for your such it is important to come prepared for of 18 people. 1st AC coach/ sleepers only have journey. unusual situations, local inadequacies and berths on one side of the train hence making unpredictable events as and when they occur. the cabin more spacious. The cabin may have AC CHAIR CAR Foreign travel is definitely not suitable for 2 berths or 4 which seat/sleep 2 or 4 persons. If travelling on a daytime journey, you will people who expect or demand everything to You can sit up a on bench seat during the travel in an air-conditioned seated carriage go exactly as planned, as things can and do day, which is folded into bunk beds at night. (called AC chair car), similar to that of a change in foreign countries. standard city trains in most western countries. The 1st AC coach also has a door making it When travelling to loftier destinations where fully closed and lockable for 2 or 4 persons. The people, customs, creed, food and the weather is cooler, air-conditioning may not Beds are a tad wider and mattresses more languages of India are different from one be provided. cushioned. Each cabin has a 'bell' switch, region to the next. It is as vast as it is which when pressed summons the attendant crowded, and as opulent as it is squalid. 2nd AC COACH/SLEEPER of the coach. India is exciting, intense and diverse - an If travelling overnight, we accommodate all-embracing experience, a veritable assault 3rd AC COACH/ SLEEPER passengers in the 2nd class sleeper on the senses. Sometimes the poverty will We do not include 3rd AC coach travel air-conditioned category (unless otherwise get you down, Indian bureaucracy can test within any of our tours, though if you were indicated at a higher level). 2nd class sleeper your patience and facing another traffic jam considering it for personal arrangements a air-conditioned cabins consist of 2 upper and will seem almost too much to bear. Yet, it’s description can be given as follows. 3rd AC 2 lower bunks, plus a double-decker set of all worthwhile! While India is far from the coach is very similar to 2nd AC coach with the bunk beds on the opposite side of the cabin easiest country in the world to travel around, shared by you and other Indian travellers. You only difference being that there is a middle On The Go will try their upmost to make berth ie not just a 2 bunk bed but a triple bunk can sit up on your bench seat during the day your holiday as seamless as possible. Our bed, hence making it possible for 6 people and simply lie down once you are ready to go holidays combine comfortable transportation, to be accommodated within the space. Like to sleep. comprehensive sightseeing and good hotels, the 2nd AC coach there is also another set allowing you to concentrate on getting the All cabins are mixed sex. Your cabin is not of bunk beds on the opposite side - running most out of your stay. self-contained as such. ‘Cabins’ are separated parallel with the length of the train. Like 2nd from the carriage corridor by curtains, serving AC, there’s no door just curtains and again you India is a country of unparalleled contrasts, as an artificial barrier that can be drawn sit up on your bunk bed during the day and lie a destination where you’ll be afforded plenty at night. Luggage, including hand luggage down to sleep. of unique encounters, and if you can travel should be locked (as you would do when with an open mind you will have a wonderful travelling on any overnight train anywhere in time here. In return, please remember to the world) and can be stored underneath the lower bunks or on the floor. The carriage is

Nilgiri Hills demonstrate sensitivity and respect for local Although we only visit reputable retailers, customs. please note that we cannot explicitly guarantee the quality of their products. All Begging purchases made whilst on holiday with us are With more than 350 million people in India at your own discretion. Please make sure that living on less than USD$2 per day, inevitably you are completely happy with your purchase. you will come across many people begging On The Go cannot be held responsible for for money. Begging has a legitimate place any items that you buy if they fail to meet in Indian society. Even poor people give to expectation, or any shipping arrangements. beggars or charities to earn religious merit. Proceed with caution. The Indian government, however, would like to regulate begging more stringently. Though begging is common, you are not under obligation to give money. If you choose to give money to beggars, we advise you to do this from the vehicle and not on the street. Alternatively, consider donating pencils, pens or modest educational supplies to village schools.

Shopping India is a virtual Aladdin’s Cave. At the many bazaars known as ‘chowks’, the cardinal rule is to bargain hard. State run craft emporiums that stock the best of what a state has to offer can give you a reasonable idea of what is acceptable in terms of price and quality. You'll find carpets of quality equal to those of Persian origin, Rajasthani pottery and metalwork, embellished slippers known as jootis, jewellery in breathtaking designs. Likewise, leatherwork, silks and saris in spectacularly colourful designs, paintings and clothing make excellent souvenirs.

In the tourism industry it’s common practice for commission to be offered in exchange for recommending particular shops or suppliers. This can become an issue when clients feel obliged to purchase goods. We do our best to avoid this by monitoring all shopping experiences offered.

All shopping experiences on your tour have been noted in the itinerary and they been carefully selected based upon positive feedback from On The Go travellers. You are under no obligation to partake in a listed shopping experience and you are most welcome to wait inside or outside the premises.