The drive climbs from Mettupalayam through 36 hairpin bends. Start by 6 a.m. to avoid weekend traffic, carry motion-sickness tablets for children, and choose an Innova or a sedan with a driver who drives the ghat every week.
Best time to go
October to June. In the monsoon, landslides can close the road for a few hours, so keep an hour of buffer for return trains or flights.