Dodda Betta, at 2,637 metres, is the highest point in the Nilgiris and one of the more accessible high peaks in southern India. The road runs almost to the summit — if you want to avoid the worst of the crowds you can walk the last kilometre from a parking area — and the views on clear days extend west over the forested valleys of the Western Ghats and east toward Coimbatore on the plains.
Early morning is the time to come: by 9am the tour buses arrive and the summit fills with vendors, guides, and selfie-takers. A telescope and a small admission fee have been installed. Bring a jacket — the temperature at the top is consistently 5-8 degrees cooler than Ooty, and the wind can be sharp. From Ooty the drive takes about 30 minutes.