There are three most popular hill-stations in the Nilgiris - Ooty, Kotagiri and Coonoor. All three are located close to each other in the state of Tamil Nadu. The least known among these probably the best is Kotagiri. Drive from Bangalore to Ooty takes 5-6 hours and the Bangalore Ooty route is very good but for 20KMs after Gundlepet. The total distance from Bangalore to Ooty ranges from 250-290 Kms depending on the route taken. The route to Ooty from Bangalore is through Mysore. Though you can take the outer-ring road to bypass Mysore, you will end up driving around 20kms more. Both the roads are good but the route through Mysore city will have much more traffic. To take the bypass road you will have to take a right turn at the traffic signal just after the town of Sirangapatna, famous for the Ranganatha Temple. if you miss this turn you can go straight & you will enter Mysore and can take the route through Mysore city.
golf club @ wellington
tea gardens @ ooty
mysore --40-- nanjungad --30-- gundelpet --20-- bandipur forest
Spotted dear
langur
Once you are inside the forest don't honk and drive slowly so that you do not disturb the wildlife. You can find deer, wild boars, monkeys and Langurs and if you are lucky you can even spot elephants. I have not seen a single one in my two trips to Ooty.
Once the Bandipur Forest boundary ends you will enter into the Madumalai forest. It is actually the same forest but falls in Tamil Nadu. There is an entry fees of around 20 rupees. After Madumalai there are two roads that lead to Ooty (I think the place is called Masinagudi), one with 36 hair pin bends and the other one is the older route that buses normally take. In the former route buses and heavy vehicles are not allowed and is around 30Km shorter than the latter one. I have never taken the older route as it is in a really bad condition. The shorter route with 36 hairpin bends is amazing and anyone passionate about driving will love it. You would however need to have a vehicle with good pickup. These routes meet around 8 Kms before Ooty and there is a police check post there. You might have to show your vehicle papers etc. They do not ask everyone to stop :).
While in Ooty relax and soak in the scenic beauty of this queen of hills. If you have gone in the summer months all the tourist places like the lake, gardens, famous peaks would be extremely crowded. During winters it is less crowded but very cold. Winter season in ooty is much better than the summers (my preference) but do take woolens as it tends to be quite cold at night. There are a lot of hotels to choose from for your stay. The concept of home stays is also quickly catching up here. Government guest houses like Ratan Tata's guest house (it is near lake) can also be booked if you know someone associated with it. I have stayed in Sinclair hotel and Ratan Tata's guest house on my two trips to Ooty. Sinclair is a decent hotel although the rooms were musty and not very clean. It has a very good view of the valley and the food is something to rave about. The Ratan Tata guest house is quite cheap but don't expect a lot of luxuries as it is built in the old style.
Few more pictures from Ooty and Conoor
pykara lake
rose at Ooty rose garden - best time to visit is summers
tea gardens - on the way to dolphins nose
Kotagiri falls on one of the routes from Ooty to Coonoor ( Conoor). This route from ooty to connoor through kotagiri road is one of the most scenic routes I have ever driven on. Most importantly the road is in a really good condition and much better than the regular Ooty - Connoor route. Those who want to take the kotagiri route from Ooty to Connoor should ask for route to Dodabetta peak and instead of taking the right turn from the main road to go towards the peak, keep moving on the same road. This route will lead to connoor.
ooty---7----take right (3Km ) for Dodabetta peak -----------30--------connoor
Planing a trip to Ooty Read this
P.S. don't buy tea from the tea factory (near Sinclair hotel) in Ooty. These guy cheat people. The sample tea that you will drink will be totally different from the one they will sell. Ooty tea otherwise is not very great (what is sold in market) and is the same as what we get anywhere in India and costs almost the same.
