Business offices: 08:00 to 17:00, Monday to Friday
Banks: 08:30 to 13:00 and 14:30 to 16:00, Monday to Friday
Post offices: 07:30 to 18:00, Monday to Friday; 07:30 to 11:00, Saturday
Shops: 09:00 to 18:30, Monday to Friday; 09:00 to 17:00, Saturday; closed Sunday

Ooty offers very little in the way of dangers to visitors with crime levels being exceedingly low and violent crime towards tourists is virtually unheard of. The biggest dangers that holidaymakers face are natural ones, with the sun presenting potential health problems for anyone choosing to overexpose themselves; or dehydration from drinking insufficient amounts of liquids.

The great outdoors, while exceptionally beautiful, can be a dangerous place with steep or unsteady terrain. and snakes and poisonous insects in the undergrowth.

Do not take the low crime rate for granted. Do not flaunt wealth and be always carry your bag close to you.

Electricity: 230 volts AC, 50Hz.

Travelling anywhere in India brings a variety of potential dangers to health; however, sensible visitors can largely minimise their risk of exposure to such threats by taking vaccinations before arrival; paying attention not to drink or brush their teeth using water from the tap, and having at hand medication for various common ailments like diearrhoa, flu, and fever; all these measures help to safe guard you against possible health problems.

Vaccinations against hepatitis A and typhoid are recommended to all visitors prior to their trip. Shots against rabies are a must for anyone anticipating close and prolonged contact with animals. Malaria is present and mosquitoes are highly prevalent in areas such as parks and nature reserves so it is wise to consider a course of anti-malarial drugs before embarking on a trip and to wear insect repellent at all times while out and about. Dengue fever is also present but unfortunately there are no preventative drugs for the disease so visitors will have to rely purely on their mosquito spray to keep carriers from biting them.

Water from the tap cannot be consumed, although bottled water is readily available. Additionally, it is unwise to swim in anything but chlorinated pools as many still sources of water harbour harmful bacteria. Be selective when choosing a restaurant and try to opt for more upmarket venues when possible and avoiding restaurants where tables and chairs are dirty as it sensibly follows that the kitchen will also be dirty. Buy food from street vendors at your own risk. 

Ooty Hospital (Government): +91 423 2442 240 

Emergency services: 101

Tamil is the main language of Ooty and everwhere else in the Tamil Nadu state; although English is spoken with reasonable competence by many locals, especially those working in aspects of the tourist industry.

Ooty has the Indian Rupee as its official currency. Rupees are made up of 100 paise and have note denominations of Rs1000, 500, 100, 50, 20, 10, and 5. Coins come in denominations of Rs5, 2 and 1, and 50, 25, and 10 paise.

There are ATMs available in Ooty and most foreign cards are accepted, although AMEX may well be among the few that are not. A card endorsed by Barclaycard, VISA or Bank of America is a safe bet as far as cash machine withdrawals go. For currency exchange, visitors will find the banks offer by far the most competitive rates as opposed to the exchange desks in the big hotels, which can be convenient, but will undoubtedly offer you considerably less rupees for your money.

Indian customs and excise rules permit international visitors to bring a maximum of 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or 250 grams of raw tobacco into the country. With regards to alcoholic beverages, no more than 1 litre of beer, wine or spirits may be imported. Visitors attempting to bring greater volumes risk confiscation and imprisonment unless they are in possession of the appropriate import license.

Indian customs are strict with regards to the importing of organic produce into the country so it is wise to simply not bother with anything of this nature or to be sure to declare anything that you do bring. Meat, fruit, vegetables, plants, flowers, seeds and coffee beans are all on the prohibited list and visitors attempting to import them risk fines and/or imprisonment. Furthermore, the country will not permit the importing of lewd or pornographic videos, books or magazines, or publications with religiously offensive content.

Etiquette in Ooty follows the same general rules as are observed in the whole country so if you are travelling around India, you need not adjust your behaviour any on arrival in Tamil Nadu. Introductions can be made via a handshake if you are uncomfortable with anything else; however, putting the palms together at chest height and offering the traditional namaste greeting is likely to be better received. If you opt for a handshake then do bear in mind that men cannot shake the hands of women.

Always make sure to remove shoes before entering a person’s house or a temple, church or mosque and be sure to wear clothing that covers knees and shoulders in all places of religious worship. About the town, casual wear is ok but skimpy or sexually provocative clothing is offensive.

Be mindful of the fact that in India, the left hand is considered unclean as it is used for personal hygiene, so be sure never to receive food or gifts with this hand or to use it for performing tasks for others. The feet are considered dirty since they are so close to the ground; hence it’s rude to point or gesticulate with them in public places.

Control your temper. In Ooty, like anywhere else in India, it is a cultural faux-pas to lose control of your emotions and you will be looked on as the weaker character in any situation. Avoid public displays of affection; kissing, cuddling and holding hands even are for the privacy of your hotel room only.

Dining Etiquette
Remember to remove footwear on arrival at your host’s house and leave shoes either outside the door or on any racks provided. Once inside, wait to be shown to your place at the dinner table and sit patiently until all other guests have been shown to theirs.

At the table, refrain from eating until all guests are seated and ideally wait until the eldest member of the party has started their meal before you begin yours. Food is generally eaten with the right hand only, although some dishes might require utensils, in which case it is fine to follow the example of other guests.

Some local are very hospitable and will offer you large portions of food; it is polite to try something of every dish and to accept second helpings even if you aren’t especially hungry (persistent refusals will undoubtedly cause offence). Leaving a small amount of food on your plate at the end of the meal is a polite way of telling your host that the meal was sufficient.

You may wish to bring a small gift for your host as a token of appreciation for dinner although this is by no means expected. Avoid bringing alcohol as many Indians do not drink for religious reasons. Ideally bring something from your home country that is not available in India, or something from another part of India that cannot be found in Ooty.

All visitors entering the country from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union and Australia require a tourist visa as well as a minimum of six months validity on passports. Criteria for tourist visas are not especially strict and applications can be made at Indian consulates in major cities of the countries listed above.

There are a couple good places to go for information in Ooty. Try: 
Tourist Information Centre at Charing Cross, phone: +91 244 3837. 
Tourist Office of Tamil Nadu on Wenlock road, phone: +91 244 3977.