[Midas]

Very few number of government buses have permission to pass through forest during night. They don't have have wait till 6am and can reach earlier. This is true for buses towards kerala also.

[yo222]

Hello Friends!
A very long time since i last posted... had been a silent reader off-late.

Needed some info / suggestions / tips from the learned community in here on my planned trip to Ooty (6th to 14th May). Am from Mumbai and am reaching Bengaluru by train on 6th May (8am at East Bengaluru Rly Stn). Its going to be me, my wife and my daughter of 8. Have opted for a self drive for the trip. Its aimed to be a leisure trip with ample rest and laze included as a break from the hectic city life.

Need help / tips on the below -

1. Considering we will start the drive to Ooty by around 8.30am, what route should i opt for? via Bengaluru - Mysore Highway or via Kanakpura road? While i shudder to encounter the famed traffic snarls on Bengaluru - Mysore Highway, i am also worried about the limited food and bio-break options on the Kanakpura Road... especially since i will be having my kid daughter with me.

2. anything that i can cover enroute to Ooty and make my drive more interesting?

3. My plan is to visit the famous Palani Temple and my wife is insisting that we drive down to Kodaikanal for a night or two after we are done with our darshan at Palani Temple... is it manageable driving down to Kodaikanal after Palani Temple visit? We may start our drive from Ooty at around 10am.

4. Any need for me to seek permissions from any forest or other authorities to visit any place in Ooty? Can anyone suggest some not-to-miss places in Ooty? Had been there as a kid with my family. Have heard about some estates / stretches that are otherwise restricted for general public unless they have obtained permission in advance from the local authorities, Boat Races happening in May and also some fruit & vegetables exhibitions in nearby villages / estates. Any inputs / help on this will be greatly appreciated... otherwise we will just be lazing in Ooty.

5. For our return journey too, we will be starting from Ooty on 13th late Morning for Bengaluru... what route should we opt? via Mysore-Bengaluru Highway or via Kanakpura road or via Dharmapuri-Krishnagiri-Hosur Route?

6. Am still not planned for my return coz my scheduled check out from Ooty is on 13th Morning and my train from Bengalulru is at 14th 4pm... either i stay a night in Bengaluru and do some shopping or sightseeing on 14th first half or maybe schedule my travel to Ooty - Palani - Kodaikanal - Bengaluru in such a way that i check out early from Ooty and spend my last 2 - 3 nights covering Palani - Kodaikanal and travel back to Bengaluru... but then i am not too very sure if Kodaikanal to Bengaluru can be managed if i start early morning from Kodaikanal on 14th to catch the train at 4pm from Bengaluru. Maybe i can start off from Kodai on 13th afternoon and manage a night stay midway enroute to Bengaluru to avoid a long drive on 14th Morning from Kodai to Bengaluru with clock ticking on me.

Sorry for the many options that i have put up in here for suggestions but then any help / tips will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by yo222

Need help / tips on the below -

1. Considering we will start the drive to Ooty by around 8.30am, what route should i opt for? via Bengaluru - Mysore Highway or via Kanakpura road? While i shudder to encounter the famed traffic snarls on Bengaluru - Mysore Highway, i am also worried about the limited food and bio-break options on the Kanakpura Road... especially since i will be having my kid daughter with me.

Mysore Road is typically crowded on Saturday Mornings, but considering you are starting from the railway station area, you will be able to get onto Mysore Road quicker. Also since food and bio breaks are important, Mysore Road maybe better. Also look at google maps to see the travel times at the time of starting.

Originally Posted by yo222

2. anything that i can cover enroute to Ooty and make my drive more interesting?

Well, you have Mysore itself. Lot of places in Mysore-The Palace, Zoo, Chamundi Hills to quickly name a few. You also pass through the Bandipur/Mudumalai Sanctuaries. Not sure of the Safari times, you can check the official sites.

Originally Posted by yo222

3. My plan is to visit the famous Palani Temple and my wife is insisting that we drive down to Kodaikanal for a night or two after we are done with our darshan at Palani Temple... is it manageable driving down to Kodaikanal after Palani Temple visit? We may start our drive from Ooty at around 10am.

I think it may be a little tight. 10am start means you will be in Palani by around 3.30-4PM. Post darshan, it would definitely be dusk/night. The feel of Kodai will be similar to Ooty. So if you are going to get the hill station feel, maybe better off staying an extra day in Ooty. If site seeing, Kodai has some good places.

Originally Posted by yo222

4. Any need for me to seek permissions from any forest or other authorities to visit any place in Ooty?

No input here. Ooty is heavily commercialized and very crowded. Expect all tourist spots to be packed. Other experts can comment on lesser known places.

Expect the same in Kodai. I was in Kodai last May and spent most of the time in traffic jams on the one day we stepped out. In Kodai, there is a spot called Berijam Lake. This needs special permission from the Forest Authorities and only limited number of permits are issued. Best is to sync up with the hotel you are staying and they can arrange the permit via a cab company.

Also my suggestion is to take a cab in both these places and don't attempt do drive.

Originally Posted by yo222

6. Am still not planned for my return coz my scheduled check out from Ooty is on 13th Morning and my train from Bengalulru is at 14th 4pm... either i stay a night in Bengaluru and do some shopping or sightseeing on 14th first half or maybe schedule my travel to Ooty - Palani - Kodaikanal - Bengaluru in such a way that i check out early from Ooty and spend my last 2 - 3 nights covering Palani - Kodaikanal and travel back to Bengaluru... but then i am not too very sure if Kodaikanal to Bengaluru can be managed if i start early morning from Kodaikanal on 14th to catch the train at 4pm from Bengaluru. Maybe i can start off from Kodai on 13th afternoon and manage a night stay midway enroute to Bengaluru to avoid a long drive on 14th Morning from Kodai to Bengaluru with clock ticking on me.

Does not make sense to go to Palani/Kodai and come back to Ooty and then to Bangalore. As you have mentioned, it should be Ooty-Palani-Kodai-Bangalore. Kodai-Bangalore should take around 7.5 hours of driving time, so with stops expect around 8.5 hours. Good roads throughout with a good 4 lane highway from Dindigul.

If you leave very early-4-5am, you should comfortably make your train at 4PM, but there is a small risk, if you get stuck in some jam or any other blockade , may end up missing your train. You can leave the previous day say post lunch, drive to Bangalore and halt in Bangalore for the night and spend the morning doing some shopping or quick site seeing. Or if you are ok with the risk, leave very early in the morning. 90% of the time, you should reach comfortably, but with our roads and traffic you never know.

[yo222]

Thanks a ton @Rajeevraj for very crisp and clear inputs. Very helpful of you. Thanks for the patience to go through and respond my long list of queries.
It's making me all the more clear in skipping Kodai and spend more time enjoying in and around Ooty. I would better plan visits to Coonnoor, Kotagiri, and other such nearby places.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by yo222

Thanks a ton @Rajeevraj for very crisp and clear inputs... very helpful of you... Thanks for the patience to go through and respond my long list of queries... It's making me all the more clear in skipping Kodai and spend more time enjoying in and around Ooty... I would better plan visits to Coonnoor, Kotagiri, and other such nearby places.

Couple of more points on places to visit:

This is a link from my travelogue in late 2015. A train ride from Ooty to Coonoor would be a nice thing to do.Try to reserve in advance as there are limited tickets and can get crowded. Wellington Lake is also worth going to as it will be less crowded and there is a half decent dancing fountain show at night. Details in the link below:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ml#post3845975

If you just want to drive, drive the Ooty-Coonoor-Manjoor- Kundah-Lovedale-Ooty route and stop at the Chamraj Tea Center. Details here:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ml#post3845984

[yo222]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Couple of more points on places to visit:

This is a link from my travelogue in late 2015. A train ride from Ooty to Coonoor would be a nice thing to do.Try to reserve in advance as there are limited tickets and can get crowded. Wellington Lake is also worth going to as it will be less crowded and there is a half decent dancing fountain show at night. Details in the link below:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ml#post3845975

If you just want to drive, drive the Ooty-Coonoor-Manjoor- Kundah-Lovedale-Ooty route and stop at the Chamraj Tea Center. Details here:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ml#post3845984

Thanks a ton, @Rajeevraj! I plan to go through your thread today night.

Meanwhile, can anyone pls suggest some options for good pure veg food options for Bangalore-Mysore-Ooty. With the start from Bangalore Railway Station planned at 8.30am, am planning for a breakfast + bio break stop at around 9.30. May take around 45-60min coz we have a kid with us. I am estimating to stop for lunch at around 1pm.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by yo222

Meanwhile, can anyone pls suggest some options for good pure veg food options for Bangalore-Mysore-Ooty. With the start from Bangalore Railway Station planned at 8.30am, am planning for a breakfast + bio break stop at around 9.30.

You can stop at Kadu Mane (near Eagleton Resort before Bidadi). The Bangalore-Mysore road route is virtually a food paradise with myriad options. Some of the bigger ones are Kamat Lokaruchi at Ramanagara, Shivalli, Indra Dhanush, Maddur Tiffanys near Maddur, Adigas, Thimmadas just a little further, couple of food courts too closer to Mysore, one of them even has an Adyar Ananda Bhavan (A2B).

Suggest you have a plan B just in case the train is late. Maybe some place nearer to the Railway station ?

[gadadhar]

Originally Posted by yo222

Thanks a ton @Rajeevraj for very crisp and clear inputs. Very helpful of you. Thanks for the patience to go through and respond my long list of queries.
It's making me all the more clear in skipping Kodai and spend more time enjoying in and around Ooty. I would better plan visits to Coonnoor, Kotagiri, and other such nearby places.

Its a wise decision to skip Kodai. You can plan Avelanche and Emerald Lake part of Ooty, This place is free from crowd and you can enjoy the beautiful nature.

http://www.ootyavalanche.com/

Considering 8.30 start, you will be at Bandipur and Muthumala gates during noon, safaris are in the morning and evening and the time may not match. You can consider driving thorough 36 Hairpin drive through Masanagudi. Budget around 6 to 7 hours with your food breaks, I feel it is better to skip any major sightseeing plans on the way than your pitstops so that you reach Ooty comfortably before the sun goes down.

[yo222]

Originally Posted by NPV

You can stop at Kadu Mane (near Eagleton Resort before Bidadi). The Bangalore-Mysore road route is virtually a food paradise with myriad options. Some of the bigger ones are Kamat Lokaruchi at Ramanagara, Shivalli, Indra Dhanush, Maddur Tiffanys near Maddur, Adigas, Thimmadas just a little further, couple of food courts too closer to Mysore, one of them even has an Adyar Ananda Bhavan (A2B).

Suggest you have a plan B just in case the train is late. Maybe some place nearer to the Railway station ?

That's a very helpful list of likely pitstops for my Bangalore - Ooty drive. Thanks a ton, NPV! Also a timely reminder for me to have a Plan B... Will plan an early lunch in and around Bangalore City itself if at all my start gets delayed.

Originally Posted by gadadhar

Its a wise decision to skip Kodai. You can plan Avelanche and Emerald Lake part of Ooty, This place is free from crowd and you can enjoy the beautiful nature.

http://www.ootyavalanche.com/

Considering 8.30 start, you will be at Bandipur and Muthumala gates during noon, safaris are in the morning and evening and the time may not match. You can consider driving thorough 36 Hairpin drive through Masanagudi. Budget around 6 to 7 hours with your food breaks, I feel it is better to skip any major sightseeing plans on the way than your pitstops so that you reach Ooty comfortably before the sun goes down.

Thanks, Gadadhar! am very much skipping Kodai for now after going through the inputs from all you learned members. You are also right in stating that my first objective has to be - "reaching ooty comfortably before sundown". Rest all can be taken care of during my stay at Ooty. Maybe i can plan a drive from Ooty to Bandipur for a Safari on one of my stay days there. Your input helped me clear my mind.

Dear Learned Members,

My itinerary is now going to be somewhat like this - Bangalore >> Ooty >> Guruvayoor >> Palani >> Ooty >> Bangalore.

Need some urgent help on State Entry Tax for my KA Registered Self Drive Car (Black Number Plate with Yellow Text). What would be the likely State Entry Tax for the below cases -
1] KA to TN (Bnglr to Ooty)
2] TN to KL (Ooty to Guruvayoor)
3] KL to TN (Guruvayoor to Palani)
4] TN to KA (Ooty to Bnglr)

Have got to know from some sources that, off late, KL Entry tax for all non KL vehicles has increased multi-folds and costs a bomb for all tourists. In some cases the charges have been as high as 25k for a tourist car like an Innova and there have been cases of tourists leaving there cars at the border and preferring to take public transport instead.

Have also posted a similar query on one of the other forums of team-bhp but have got no response there. It would be really great if some inputs can be shared on this. Am mighty worried right now and i may have to rethink my visit to Guruvayoor for some other time if the high entry tax to KL is a true thing.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by yo222

Dear Learned Members,

My itinerary is now going to be somewhat like this - Bangalore >> Ooty >> Guruvayoor >> Palani >> Ooty >> Bangalore.

Need some urgent help on State Entry Tax for my KA Registered Self Drive Car (Black Number Plate with Yellow Text). What would be the likely State Entry Tax for the below cases -
1] KA to TN (Bnglr to Ooty)
2] TN to KL (Ooty to Guruvayoor)
3] KL to TN (Guruvayoor to Palani)
4] TN to KA (Ooty to Bnglr)

The proposal for revised rates was around INR350X5(number of seats)-valid for 7 days,however I dont think this has been implemented.The earlier rate was INR250 per car valid for a week.Same for Tamil Nadu as well.

You could check with Zoomcar customer care for the latest,even if you are not hiring their cars,their customer care would be able to help you with the details as there are plenty of Zoomcars driving around in Kerala.

[procrj]

Originally Posted by yo222

That's a very helpful list of likely pitstops for my Bangalore - Ooty drive. Thanks a ton, NPV! Also a timely reminder for me to have a Plan B... Will plan an early lunch in and around Bangalore City itself if at all my start gets delayed

If you leave on time at 8.30 am then you could stop at the A2B https://goo.gl/maps/teweHDWY9sp just on the outskirts of Bangalore for breakfast. Should take you an hour to reach there. Would also recommend Malgudi as I have heard that their breakfast buffet is good - https://goo.gl/maps/7KNQQoor1qk

I hope you are not staying in the heart of Ooty as a friend of mine was there last week and she mentioned that the traffic was insane as everyone and his 3rd cousin had landed in Ooty.

Do book the Nilgiris mountain railway tickets online for Ooty - Coonor and back as there is no way that you will find tickets once you land in Ooty.

Also second Gadadhar's recommendation of visiting Avalanche and Emerald lake as the vistas are beautiful (cant hold a candle to the siwaliks/himachals though)

More details from my trip posted here - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ills-ooty.html (Dwarfing along - Dreaming of the hills (Ooty))

[createrkid]

I'm not sure if this is the right thread to post this but mods excuse if it isn't. An acquaintance is landing in Bangalore and wishes to travel to mysore that very moment, meaning from the airport. Are there any busses from the airport one can take to go towards mysore? What is the best option? There's quite a bit of luggage otherwise the shatabdi express would have been a decent option but she doesn't want to travel into the heart of bangalore for travel options. Would appreciate any help, thanks!

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by createrkid

An acquaintance is landing in Bangalore and wishes to travel to mysore that very moment, meaning from the airport. Are there any busses from the airport one can take to go towards mysore?

I am not sure if it will be the fastest option, but you will get KSRTC multi axle Volvos from the bus bay right outside the arrival gate. She can purchase tickets directly from the bus and luggage carrying is not going to be a problem since trolleys can be taken till the bus bay.

If she wants to take the Shatabdi, she may have to take a taxi to station from here. Budget around 2 hours for this to be on safer side.

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by createrkid

I'm not sure if this is the right thread to post this..

KSRTC has a FLYBUS service from KIA (Bengaluru Airport) to Mysore. Here's the schedule. See if your acquaintance can catch any of those buses.



In case it is not convenient to travel by bus, a lot of taxis are also available at a significantly higher price. Not sure whether planes are still being operated to Mysore. They earlier were.

You can contact the following numbers for information on FLYBUS service.

9972213726/080-44554422

[bejoy]

Originally Posted by createrkid

I'm not sure if this is the right thread to post this but mods excuse if it isn't. An acquaintance is landing in Bangalore and wishes to travel to mysore that very moment, meaning from the airport. Are there any busses from the airport one can take to go towards mysore? What is the best option? There's quite a bit of luggage otherwise the shatabdi express would have been a decent option but she doesn't want to travel into the heart of bangalore for travel options. Would appreciate any help, thanks!

As Suhas said, KSRTC seems to be the best option. Its a multi-axle and can swallow a lot of luggage

Here is the schedule:
http://www.bengaluruairport.com/tran...e=183bk4qanm_4
http://www.ksrtc.in/pages/flybus.html

EDIT:
Missed the post from dailydriver. Mods, please delete if needed.