Voyage to Ooty-Coonoor

Bangalore once had pleasant climate all though the year and it was one of the destinations chosen during the summer time. But for the past few years summers are more on the warmer side, because of which bangaloreans themselves are preferring to go to the cooler hill stations in the western ghats to spend their vacation time. Ooty is one of the famous hill stations located close to bangalore at 260Km, which is easily reachable by road. 

Ooty to Coonoor

   Best time to visit Ooty and Coonoor is during the peak summer time i.e March to May, as the temperature during this time is around pleasant 20 degrees, with beautiful misty sunrise and cold sunset.

   When i went there for the first time, i did research through online websites and filtered based on friend's suggestions. Before starting the trip plan, try hunting good deals provided by websites like :

• http://www.traveldealsfinder.com/
• http://timesdeal.com/bangalore-deals
• http://traveltriangle.com/
• http://www.travelguru.com/

And you can find good hotel reviews at :

• http://www.tripadvisor.in/
• http://www.holidayiq.com/

   Ooty can be reached from bangalore by bus, which can be booked via : Ksrtc or any bus ticket booking website. If you prefer flight or train (Bangalore Kanyakumari express), then plan to reach Coimbatore which has the nearest airport and major railway station. Ooty is well connected by road from here.

   Ooty being at a higher altitude is cooler but would be bustling with crowd, commercial establishments, traffic and pollution. On the other hand Coonoor is laid back, close to nature freshness, silent and relaxing. Since we wanted to have a liesure time to relax completely, we preferred staying at Coonoor before visiting Ooty. 

   We stayed at Bison Country which is around 8 kms from Coonoor bus stand. Situated in between tea estates, with a nearby village, this place is serene and beautiful. They keep few birds, rabbits, ducks in their backyard, provide good breakfast and dinner, along with camp fire in the night just before the dinner. the campfire is a good way to get introduced to other guests and make friends. Ask for room "Den 1" before anything else, this room has a breathtaking view of the valley with tea plantations from the balcony on two sides and you can watch a beautiful sunrise from there.

Bison Country Homestay

Some of the good hotels in Coonoor :

• Bison Country : http://www.bisoncountry.in/
• Orange Mist : http://www.orangemist.in/
• De Rock Jungle living : http://www.de-rock.com/

Places to watch in Coonoor :

• Sims Park : Old trees, flowers, boat ride. A place to enjoy an evening
• Dolphin nose : Could taste different flavours of tea that is being sold in the nearby shops. Nothing much to see here, though the Catherine waterfalls is visible at a far distance.
• Raliah dam : There are two routes to the dam. One is motorable and the other is only walkable that starts in the nearby village. Try the walkable route to reach the top, go only in groups as there is a chance of encountering bisons and monkeys. Carry your lunch as it might take around 4 to 5hrs in total and you will be tired and hungry by the time you reach the dam, but i felt it was worth the effort. The fresh smell of pine and eucalyptus takes away all the tiredness that you carry from the city life

Raliah Dam

   Catch the Nilgiri toy train running from Coonoor to Ooty, which runs on a steam engine, through the hills with beautiful views of tea plantations. Price for the first class ticket is Rs 100 and price for the general class is Rs 5 (though not much of a difference in the comfort provided in the train). But the advantage is you get a confirm seat in first class and general is a little crowded. Tickets can be purchased at the station, try reaching there atleast 30 min before. Journey is 1.5 hrs long, which starts at 10:30am from Coonoor railway station and ends at 12pm in Ooty railway station. Return journey starts at 3pm in the evening.

Landscape along the rail track

Some of the good hotels in Ooty :

• Hotel Lake View : http://www.hotellakeview.com/
• Nest Inn : http://www.thenestinn.com/
• Silver Oak : http://www.otysilveroak.com/

Places to see in Ooty :

• Botanical garden : Garden, full of exotic flowers and plants, looks good but highly crowded with tourists, more so on weekends. Shopping in the Tibetan market (near the entrance of Botanical gardens) is fun. If you are willing to buy any wooden artifacts, try shopping at shop number 55 (located inside the shopping complex) where i found the prices to be reasonable compared to other shops.
• Ooty lake : Try the pedal boat ride. Watch the nearby thread garden and buy the homemade chocolates in the shop that is right infront of the exit.
• Pine forest and shooting spot : Indian movies were once shot here. Good place to take photos with friends. Have to book a cab to visit these places, along with pykara lake and doddabeta peak
• Pykara lake : Very pleasant climate with clouded skies, trees, hills all around and cold water. Boating is a must do activity here.
• Doddabeta peak : Plan not to visit on a cloudy day as this place is sometimes covered with clouds and you might not get a clear view of the Ooty city from the peak

Botanical Garden

View from the top of Doddabeta peak

   2 days of stay in Ooty and 2 days in Coonoor would be a good choice which would allow one to cover the local sightseeing and to relax in the beautiful nature. If you are looking for a stress free getaway, increase your stay in Coonoor, where the number of tourists are less, views are natural and the air is fresh. If your thinking of going in March or April, then start planning from January to grab your choice of Hotel rooms and travel at lesser price. For a couple, on an average it would cost around Rs 12,000 - 14,000 excluding travel expenses to reach Ooty.