Kotagiri
A quiet Badaga and Kota hill town among tea slopes
A Kotagiri tour offers quiet tea slopes, Catherine Falls, Longwood Shola forest and the Kodanad viewpoint in the Nilgiris of Tamil Nadu.
Overview
Kotagiri is a small hill town in the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, sitting at roughly 1,800 to 1,950 m. One regional guide calls it calm and uncrowded, and it suits walkers and slow travellers who want tea country and forest edges. Ooty is 28 to 31 km away. Tamil Nadu Tourism gives December to May as the season for clear views, which makes Kotagiri a good choice for a Nilgiris trip in the dry months.
The name means "mountain of the Kotas", after the artisan community that lives in the hills. Around the town are Badaga villages, and the Badagas, the largest indigenous group in the Nilgiris, hold their main festival to the goddess Hethai in the cold months. John Sullivan reached this area in 1819 through the nearby village of Dhimbatty, and Kotagiri is sometimes called the oldest hill station in the Nilgiris. A memorial to him, known as the Pethakal Bungalow, stands about 3 km from the centre.
Tea arrived early here. The first Nilgiri tea plantation, Allport's, began in 1863 at Aravenu close to Kotagiri, developed by Margaret Cockburn together with a Chinese gardener. Many of the estates still offer informal factory visits, and the walk between them is part of the pleasure.
Catherine Falls is the best-known sight. Its two tiers drop about 76 m in all, the upper one being the second highest in the Nilgiris, and the stream feeding them is the Kallar. The whole fall can also be seen from the Dolphin's Nose viewpoint at Coonoor. Longwood Shola, a protected patch of old montane forest about 1.5 km from town, is home to Indian bison and flying foxes. Further out are the Kodanad viewpoint, 16 to 18 km away and facing the Moyar valley and the plains, and Rangaswamy Peak, roughly 25 km away, where two shrines sit on the summit.
Kotagiri ranks as the third coldest town in South India after Ooty and Kodaikanal, with about 1,541 mm of rain in a year. Heavy rain makes forest trails slippery, so plan treks for the dry months. Coonoor is the nearest station for the mountain railway, around 40 minutes away by road, and Coimbatore airport lies about 68 to 75 km from town.
Known for
A two-tier fall of about 76 m fed by the Kallar
Happening soon
Updated Oct 3, 2026Hethai Amman festival (Hethai Habba)
festivalUsually December to January, spread over about a month. A district notice made 24 Jan 2026 a local holiday for the Hethaiyamman festival.
The Badaga community's main festival, in honour of the goddess Hethai, is held in Badaga villages across the Nilgiris through the cold months.
Reach out to us for the confirmed datesKotagiri Vegetable Show
seasonalUsually in May, within the Nilgiris summer festival. No 2026 date was found.
A two-day Horticulture Department show of vegetable sculptures and displays at Nehru Park, held with the Nilgiris summer-festival programme.
Reach out to us for the confirmed datesQuick facts
The third coldest town in South India after Ooty and Kodaikanal, with about 1,541 mm of rain a year and a mean annual temperature near 20.8 C.
Coimbatore International Airport, about 68 to 75 km by road
Coonoor station on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway is named as the nearest by one blog, about 40 minutes by road; Mettupalayam is about 30 km away and Coimbatore railway station about 69 km
Ooty is 28 to 31 km away and Mettupalayam about 30 km. Catherine Falls lies off the Mettupalayam road at Aravenu.
Arrange forest-department permission before trekking to Catherine Falls or into Longwood Shola
Book a taxi through your stay, because ride-hailing apps were reported not to operate here
Keep Kodanad (16 to 18 km) and Rangaswamy Peak (about 25 km) for separate half-days, as each is a long drive from town
Plan a trip to Kotagiri
Tell us your dates and we will shape the route.