This Christmas, we decided to take a holiday to Masingudi and Ooty. We had planned to spend more time at a jungle resort in Masinagudi. Unfortunately, we had a bad experience at the resort and decided to check out early next day and proceed to Ooty, which turned out to be a wise decision.
To reach Ooty from Bangalore, one has to travel via Mysore-Nanjangud-Gundlupet-Bandipur and Mudumulai till we reach Theppekadu. At this point, there are two routes to Ooty, the longer one is via Gudalur and takes 1 1/2-2 hours, the route travels through mountainous zig zag roads and on of the way you come across attractions like Pykara falls and boat house, Shooting point, etc.
The other route is through Kalhatty ghats. You can reach Ooty within 45mins-1 hour in this route. But the ghat roads are extremely steep with 36 hair pin bends, all of which are very steep. Take this route, only if you are an experienced driver. It was a misty day when we took this road and visibility was very poor. Fortunately, our driver was experienced and we encountered no problems. By the time we covered half the distance, the Sun God decided to smile on us and dissolved the mist opening up an amazing panorama of views. You can see all around the Nilgiris covered by mist and it seems to be above the clouds.
Ooty is known as the Queen of Hill Stations and is a very popular destination for honeymooners. No wonder thanks to the beautiful and scenic views one can encounter all around Ooty. The only sad thing was that we could spend just half a day here. This is a place where you must spend minimum two days - in fact three days would be ideal to completely enjoy this paradise on Earth.
Some of the wonderful places in Ooty:
1) Lake : This is the heart of Ooty located nearthe bus stand. Just like every other hill station, this lake too has boating facilities, a park where people can spend a relaxing 1-2 hours. Apart from the boating, other attractions at the Lake include a mini-train, thread garden and deer park. Horse riding is a mandatory thing to do at Ooty. Be prepared to shell out 100-150 for a trot.
2) Botanical Gardens : is a visual treat for nature lovers. A variety of flora is on display here. This is another place where you can easily spend many hours enjoying the beauty of nature.
3) Doddabetta : is a mountain nearby Ooty which is the highest view point. There are telescopes from where you can see the whole of Ooty. Since we went on a misty day, we skipped this place as the view would be blocked by mist.
4) Pykara : is a place just a little after Ooty on the Gudalur Road. The place boasts of a waterfall (be prepared for a 1KM trek), a lake and a dam. The Pykara lake is bigger than the Ooty lake and is relatively less crowded. This is a place you can cover on your return journey.
5) Shooting point : is a hillock just outside Ooty, which has been the location for many a film shoot. You need to climb a steep hill from where you can get a bird’s eye view of Ooty. Nice place to click photos, do some hill climbing or even some horse riding.
A visit to Ooty must include a visit to nearby Coonor, where you there are many places worth seeing like Sims Parks, Dolphins Nose and other attractions. Unfortunately, due to paucity of time we had to skip this place.
Shopping : Ooty is famous for tea and coffee. As you travel through Ooty, you can see the various tea plantations. The Ooty coffee is not for ’Bru’ lovers, it is very rich and strong. And of course, the Nilgiri hills is famous for the Eucalyptus tree and Nilgiri oil. Home made chocolates are another attraction here. And like any other hill station, a variety of spices like cinnamon, clove, etc can be bought here. Make sure you go to the market area, where you can get a good price. Avoid the department stores and main areas for shopping.
Food : Ooty being in Tamil Nadu has a variety of South Indian special food items. But we could see lots of Punjabi Dhaba and other ’multi-cuisine restaurants’. We had lunch at the Saravanas Ooty restaurant, where you get authentic South Indian thali meals.
Accomodation : Since we went on a day visit, we didn’t stay in Ooty. But, accomodation in plenty is available all over Ooty and in Coonor. But make sure you book in advance.
We made a wise decision to visit Ooty in the winter, which is off-season. Even though the weather was very cold, it was manageable. If you visit Ooty in the season (summer), it would resemble a circus with multitude of people thronging all the places. You can definitely NOT have a relaxing time in summer, because of the rush. Also, avoid Ooty during the monsoons as the rain is terrible in these parts. In fact, this years rain rained havoc in the area, washing off many roads. In fact the famous Ooty toy train has been cancelled due to the heavy damage to the tracks.
Recommendation : If you like nature and hills, if you want to enjoy your holidays in a pleasant climate, then Ooty is the place to go. Everyone should visit the Queen of hill stations once in their life.