It was a hectic day as we had arrived in the city of Ooty the same day after an overnight journey. We found an old cottage which was inexpensive for 4 of us and also the feeling of staying in an old cottage was good. Tourists can choose amongst many types of accommodations on offer ranging from student’s accommodation, budget travelers to high end ones. If you can book the rooms/dormitories in advance it will help but I think you can easily find a place for yourself even at peak tourist rush seasons.

After a quick morning routine, we got ready and started the day heading straight to Coonoor which is around 30 km from Ooty main city. The first destination in Coonoor was SIMS Park which has trees dating back to 19th century. The park had mostly
families as visitors for picnics. There is a small lake for boating at the center of park for tourists to enjoy the lay drive of oared boats.. The park is on a hill slope and hence is maintained in steps. We spent close to an hour seeing all the different varieties of trees and the landscaping done for tourism. The entry fee for park is INR 10 per adult and INR 30 for a digital camera. Outside the park were small temporary shops setup for tea, coffee and snacks. We also had many fruits which seemed to be from trees inside the park.

Next we went to wellington park and views from there. when we reached there we were not allowed to take photos and go inside the parks as it was military area. We started our journey back without any stop as the interest levels went down due to permission issues.

Our next destination for the day was Dolphin nose. I had been to this place in my earlier trip also.
We reached there by around 3:30 pm and saw the beautiful green tea plantations on all the slopes we could see around. The mountain ranges were also quite beautiful in their appearances which were covered in a green blanket. The place got its name after a projection on the hilltop resembles the nose of a Dolphin protruding out of the terrain. We spent a lot of time at this place viewing the calm and serene green environment for inhaling fresh air. It has also become a hot tourist spot with many small shop setups for snacks and eateries.

We were back to Ooty main city by 5pm to explore the marketplace and popular roads. This was the first time during our trip that we were in the city limits. All the other time we were busy traveling outside the city. A popular street named Charring cross is a long stretch of road with shops on either side. We had planned for a continental meal at Sidewalk Café which has become quite popular after getting featured on a travel and food related TV show named “Highway on my plate” hosted by Rocky and Mayur. The café is a pure vegetarian outlet located on the ground floor of Hotel Nahar.

The specialty of this place seemed to be the firewood pizza. The clay oven is open for viewing where pizza are baked and I went to see the preparation of our order. It was a nice experience in a city like Ooty where the continental food interest levels might be low as these places thrive only on tourists. We had dinner at this place and the menu is also varied but mostly continental. The desserts are also good for people with a sweet tooth.

The weather had become cold, misty and started to drizzle. The temperature was around 15 C and we were comfortable in a jacket. After dinner and loitering around a bit we went back to our cottage to relax from a hectic day and enjoy the next day.

Day 2 experience – Red Hills

Day 3 experience

Trip Photo Gallery

It was a beautiful winter day and an upcoming long weekend for a perfect weekend getaway to a close by hill station. We started the journey on Christmas day at midnight.

The destination was Ooty as the base and travel to the surrounding lesser known and unexplored places of Red Hills and the surrounding valley views. The drive to Ooty is around 300km from Bangalore and takes about 5-6 hours. We reached around 7:30 am due to the closure of roads at Bandipur national forest which remains closed from 11pm to 6 am. The wildlife in that region comes on roads and vehicles pose a threat to their habitat and hence the decision by state government.

The drive of last 50 km is through the hills and takes more than average time. There were 36 hairpin bends which were demarcated on the roads. There were also reflector mirrors to prevent any kind of accident from either side. Generally there is a view point in such places to allow visibility till far points. We reached at this place at 1350m altitude to see a milky layer of clouds just below our level. It was a nice view seeing half the mountains below this creamy layer and the top rising above it. Finally we reached the top at 1750m altitude as one of the road side boards reflected this number.

This is the setting up of an excellent 3 days ahead. Each day wil be posted as a separate blog post. stay tuned to experience the majestic and picturesque views. Restless readers can directly jump to the complete gallery here.

Day 1 experience

Day 2 experience – Red Hills

Day 3 experience

Just back from an excellent trip of Ooty and more specifically Red hills which is located around 30km from the main city.

The scenic landscape views are something which have made a photographic impression on my mind. The valley views were just breathtaking. There were many lakes which form the hill top were just majestic in the green environment surrounding them.

The photos has been published at my site on the travelmate section. You can view the complete GALLERY HERE.

A sample photo can be seen below

If you are looking to spend your holiday at this destination my experiences on different days might help you in the planning

Day 1 experience

Day 2 experience – Red Hills

Day 3 experience

One of the famed destinations for tourists amongst the Queen hills destination is Kodaikanal. It is located around 500 km from Bangalore in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.The state offers other beautiful hill stations like Ooty.

Many movies have been shot in this picturesque town of Kodaikanal. The landscape views offered are beyond comprehension. It lies within the Nilgiri hills which offers a chilly temperature. So come prepared with a jacket.

A wonderful get away from the city life, this place offers many different avenues for relaxing for people of all ages. The lake offers you a calm boat ride in the early mornings or evenings. People aiming for some adventure can trek to the surrounding hills. They can get in touch with a local guide who will lead you to trails of different difficulty levels.

My stay here was for 4 days and I had a real good time experiencing the fresh oxygen. I was just fortunate not to witness any rains, although I went in the monsoon season. Once monsoon sets in, it gets a little difficult to enjoy the outdoor activites.I was there in the month of November and the retreating monsoon was starting to shower drops.

It is also a very popular destination for honeymooners and you can find many couples cozying up in this beautiful place.

You can find the complete travelogue of my experiences with Kodaikanal by following the below image. It is a PDF document of about 150 Kb in size.

There is something very relaxing about the place, be it a simple walk on the Coaker’s walk or a boat ride or just a climb to Devil’s kitchen. There is something for all kind of tourists in this destination. I spend 4 days in this place and just a wonderful time.

Note that no train goes to the Kodaikanal town. There is a railway station named Kodai road after which you will need a bus or cab to reach to the actual place. It is a hill climb which will take around 2 hours. I had done the complete journey in bus starting from home.