Travel:

Your fee covers pick-up from Calicut or Mysore.

The nearest airport is Calicut (also known as Kozhikode)–about 2-1/2 hours’ journey by road.

The other airports are Bangalore (Bengaluru) and Cochin (Kochi); both are about 7 hours’ drive. Pick-up can be arranged at an extra cost of about 50 Pounds (this may vary a bit).

There are plenty of direct buses from Bangalore; these can be booked online. Cochin is less well connected.

Many Gulf airlines offer competitive fares to Calicut.

If you are already traveling in India, you could take a train to Mysore and then travel by road to Gudalur in 2-1/2 hours.

Visa:

You will need a student visa to come for the course. It is usually not a problem. Apply well in advance. If you need references, please let us know.

Immunization and preventive measures:

There is no malaria in Gudalur, so you will not need prophylaxis while you are here. If you wish to travel to other parts, you may need it.

Gudalur is very safe and it is really not necessary to take any special vaccines. If you have not already been immunized against Hep B, you need to get this.

We have access to Antiretroviral drugs for post exposure prophylaxis. HIV is very rare in this population.

Clothes

Despite ideological positions, rural India is still quite conservative. Wearing clothes that are completely at odds with your local environment makes you stand out and stared at.

For women, we advise clothing that is not too tight/clingy, very transparent/thin or with low necklines, and which allows for shoulders and knees to be covered. Please avoid skirts with long slits exposing your knees.

For men, shorts are not too wise either.

The easiest way out for women would be to buy some Indian clothing here; salwar kameez is relatively inexpensive. It can be quite cold (relatively!) in the monsoon and winter, so carrying a light jacket will be a good idea. In the monsoons (June to September), a good raincoat or umbrella is essential. We also encourage at least semi-formal clothing when in the hospital.

Food

The canteen has good vegetarian Indian food, Mani the cook is most popular with the students! There have been abduction attempts…

You can buy plenty of fruits in town; really cheap.

Accommodation

The quarters is on the campus. There are some single rooms, others are double rooms that you will share with one other person. They are simple and clean.

Weekends

We can help you plan these and organize the trips. It is possible to work on one Saturday/Sunday and take a long weekend in order to visit Cochin which is 6-7 hours by road or train.

Other places in and around Gudalur are

Mudumalai forest safari and Elephant feeding

Ooty is just 1 1/2 hour drive

Mysore – 3 hour drive

Gudalur being a valley has lot of hills ,mountains and greenery around….the view from the hill top is beautiful !!!

Internet

Is available at the hospital and you can use it after office hours.

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