about
Kotagiri: – is a town in the Nilgiris in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Kotagiri is situated at an elevation of around 1,793 m above sea level. Kotagiri is located at 11.43°N 76.88°E. About 33 km southeast of Ooty. It is believed to have the world’s second best climate.
Kotagiri can be reached only by road, from Coimbatore it is 69 km via Mettupalayam. John Sullivan’s bungalow, the one he built during his stay, has been renovated and is open to the public. It is located in Kannerimukku, about 20 minutes from the main town.
There are numerous tea factories producing the famous Nilgiris tea. The famous Nilgiris thailam (Eucalyptus oil) is distilled in small shacks in a rudimentary manner.
Kotagiri also has some gold deposits, which were mined to levels possible during the days of the British Raj. Presently research is going on to determine if it would be possible to extract more gold from the mines. There is also some considerable bauxite in the area.
nilgiris
Nilgiris – it’s easy to get poetic when pronouncing the name; to linger over it; to stretch out the word like a song… So evocative is the name of the misty beauty of these blue-green mountains, shared by tamil nadu, karnataka and kerala…
And nothing is lost in translation for nila means blue and giri means mountains… blue mountains is an equally enchanting name.
One of the earliest descriptions of the nilgiris where tea nest is situated was the one by captain s. b, ward, dy surveyor Ggneral of the then madras government. “The climate of these mountains,” he said “is the finest known in the tropics.”
And we at tea nest intend to keep it that way – the tea estates that surround the property create beautiful geometric patterns across the rolling landscape. And don’t be surprised if you see wild Indian gaur foraging in this maze of green. mountains – tall and sentinel – look down on this pristine land and guard the secrets of the past in their stony folds.
Ootacamund, queen of the hill stations, is only 22 km away while kotagiri and wellington are other spots that visitors can explore at leisure. Scale the highest peak in south india – dodabetta – all of 8,649 ft; head out to mukurthi, another lush rainforest area; or the hills and dales of upper bhavani.
If you want, you could head for kanyakumari, the tip of India where three oceans meet; to chennai by the sea or even to the neighbouring states of kerala and karnataka.
responsible tourism
We are “earthy,” we love our planet and will go the extra mile to preserve it for future generations. Our Homestay is located in a heritage bungalow which is surrounded by tea estates and we have spared no effort to give our guests the best and most authentic plantation experience possible. We also strive to leave a light footprint – minimize use of plastic, over-use of detergents, have good waste management practises, enhance the quality of soil, water and air and purchase everything locally. We want to keep our corner of the earth as pristine as when it first awakened to life!
Our Green Code
- We have installed foam flow faucets to reduce water consumption
- Degradable / bio degradable waste is segregated
- Plastic / paper / glass / metals (cans) waste are recycled
- All the shampoo, conditioner and lotion bottles are returned to the supplier so that they can be sterilized, refilled and recycled
- We are continuously working at minimizing noise levels at the homestay
- Our staff is accommodated within the property.
- Energy-efficient cfl bulbs are used on the property
- We have planted native species of trees within the resort. These include fruits and plants that are the natural habitat of birds and amphibians
- We have taken steps to minimize formal landscaping
- Our efficient usage of lights in public areas minimizes disturbance to nocturnal wildlife
- We have restored and maintained the heritage structure in which tea nest is located.
- Restoration material was sourced locally.
- Our kitchen and restaurant work to showcase local cuisine.
- About 80 percent of our staff is local
- Our resort supplements the income of local taxi drivers, doctors and families
- We purchase our groceries and vegetables from local markets
- The resort complies with all the labour laws of the state
- Wherever possible, we ensure that products used at the resort are not made by child or bonded labour
- We ensure that suppliers are paid a fair price for their products and services
climate
| SEASON | MIN | MAX | CLOTHING |
| March – May | 15.7 Deg C | 18.6 Deg C | Light woolens |
| June – September | 16.6 Deg C | 17.5 Deg C | Thick woolens & rain wear |
| October – February | 16.3 Deg C | 13.9 Deg C | Heavy woolens |
| Variation in temperature thoughout the year is 5.2 degree celcius | |||
travel
Teanest Nightingale sits snug of Tea estates in Kotagiri. The property is 4 km from kotagiri.
Closest airport: Coimbatore Airport
Closest railway stations: Coimbatore station
The toy train
When you travel on the toy train in the nilgiris, the journey is indeed the destination. For this quaint little train that recently chugged into the listing of unesco world heritage sites, brims with raj nostalgia. Built over a century ago, the 40 km track that ducks through 16 tunnels and trundles over 362 bridges, snakes up mountains that are carpeted with virgin forests, rolling meadows and the neat geometric patterns of tea plantations. And if you are lucky, you might even get to see a herd of wild elephants crossing the track.
According to discovery channel, the narrow gauge track between mettupalayam and coonoor is one of the steepest in world and it was one of the very first railway projects to use the cogwheel to negotiate the incline.
The toy train is a year-round service. It chugs out of mettupalayam every morning and returns in the evening. Its timings tie in with the overnight nilgiri express between chennai central station and mettupalayum via coimbatore.
The railways run an additional service between mettupalayam and ooty to cope with the summer and diwali vacations rush.
In addition there are morning and evening shuttle services between coonoor and ooty – 19 km apart.
The Guest can come till Coonoor from toy train and then the guest can hire a car from Coonoor to come till Teanest Nightingale property.
Getting to nightingale by road
(Distances in Kilometres)
| CITIES | ROAD |
| Coonoor | 16 km |
| Ooty | 25 km |
| Coimbatore | 68 km |
| Salem | 203 km |
| Kochi | 283 km |
| Mysore | 149 km |
| Bangalore | 301 km |
| Chennai | 546 km |
| Hyderabad | 877 km |
| Mumbai | 1,219 km |
Time taken to travel by air and rail to coimbatore
(The closest airport and main-line station to the resort)
Time in Hours
| CITIES | AIR | RAIL |
| Salem | — | 2.5 |
| Kochi | 30 minutes | 4 |
| Mysore | — | 5.5 (bus) |
| Bangalore | 30 minutes | 8 |
| Chennai | 1 | 9 |
| Hyderabad | — | 24 |
| Mumbai | 1 hours 50 minutes | 36 |
The drive from coimbatore to the homestay is about 2 hrs
Location
Latitude : 11.423196
Longitude : 76.837359
Altitude : 6000 feet or 1850 meters above sea level.
Map
