[majumon]

Originally Posted by audioholic

And the long queue was simply due to TN police checking vehicles for liquor..

Hi wanted to know if checking for liquor was while going to ooty or on the return. I am travelling from thrissur to coonoor and I bought some to carry to coonoor is there a risk of being checked while entering coonoor, am travelling with family and on return it would be to bangalore

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by majumon

Hi wanted to know if checking for liquor was while going to ooty or on the return. I am travelling from thrissur to coonoor and I bought some to carry to coonoor is there a risk of being checked while entering coonoor, am travelling with family and on return it would be to bangalore

They were checking when I entered TN from Bandipur side. Not sure how it is on the KL side if you aren’t taking the same route as me.

[d3mon]

Did anyone travel recently to Ooty? I understand from the posts above that we can take the Kalhatti route while going up, but while coming back, we need to come via Gadalur. Is that still valid?

Also, should I expect crazy queues along the way if I'm traveling on a Friday instead of the weekend? I have acquired the E-Pass already.

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by d3mon

Did anyone travel recently to Ooty? I understand from the posts above that we can take the Kalhatti route while going up, but while coming back, we need to come via Gadalur. Is that still valid?

Also, should I expect crazy queues along the way if I'm traveling on a Friday instead of the weekend? I have acquired the E-Pass already.

Yes, Gudalur route while coming down - unless you have a Nilgiris registered vehicle. Not sure about the second question though.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by d3mon

Did anyone travel recently to Ooty? I understand from the posts above that we can take the Kalhatti route while going up, but while coming back, we need to come via Gadalur. Is that still valid?

Also, should I expect crazy queues along the way if I'm traveling on a Friday instead of the weekend? I have acquired the E-Pass already.

Yes, Kalhatti while going up. Gudalur when coming down. Most of the time there is a police patrol at the entrance to prevent vehicles from coming down.

Queues may be there even on Friday at the Bandipur entrance due to the entry fee collection and the TN border due to entry fee + vehicle checks. Should not be too much of a trouble on a Friday.

Have noticed that the TN border checks are fairly slow and the road is also narrow.

[rbp1988]

Originally Posted by rbp1988

Hi All, will be heading to Ooty sometime in the end of may. Will be leaving from Bangalore but will be returning to Salem. Unfortunately, I will be leaving ooty at noon on a Saturday, which means that the roads into ooty as well as ooty itself will be log jammed. What would be the best route to take down towards Mettupalayam? Is the Ooty-kudumanai-Kotagiri route better or is the ooty-ketty-coonoor route better? Im ok with 10 mins plus or minus provided the traffic and road quality is better.

Hi folks, reposting my query since it went unanswered. I had a horrible experience in Kodaikanal last year when trying to leave exit it on a Saturday morning, which is why I'm asking.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by rbp1988

Hi All, will be heading to Ooty sometime in the end of may. Will be leaving from Bangalore but will be returning to Salem. Unfortunately, I will be leaving ooty at noon on a Saturday, which means that the roads into ooty as well as ooty itself will be log jammed. What would be the best route to take down towards Mettupalayam? Is the Ooty-kudumanai-Kotagiri route better or is the ooty-ketty-coonoor route better? Im ok with 10 mins plus or minus provided the traffic and road quality is better.

Originally Posted by rbp1988

Hi folks, reposting my query since it went unanswered. I had a horrible experience in Kodaikanal last year when trying to leave exit it on a Saturday morning, which is why I'm asking.

It is pretty hard to give a clear recommendation now. Both routes are valid and I think it would depend on the exact situation at that point of time. The only advantage would be that crowd returning on a Saturday afternoon would be less. So I think you would be ok. Check google maps on the morning of the drive back, also may be get some local intelligence from your place of stay and accordingly plan the return.

[sami316]

Hello folks, how is the road condition from Mysore to Ooty, especially the Kalhatti road condition. I am planning to drive down from Bangalore to Ooty tomorrow.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by sami316

Hello folks, how is the road condition from Mysore to Ooty, especially the Kalhatti road condition. I am planning to drive down from Bangalore to Ooty tomorrow.

It is perfect. Absolutely no issues.

[hsroy]

We are going to Ooty this Friday, 17th. Last time for Coonoor, we had taken the Toy-train and then hired local cab. This time want to drive. Wanted to check how is the availabilty of parking in the popular places (especially on a Saturday) in Coonoor like Dolphin nose, Lambs rock, Sims Park.

[m8002?]

Originally Posted by hsroy

We are going to Ooty this Friday, 17th. Last time for Coonoor, we had taken the Toy-train and then hired local cab. This time want to drive. Wanted to check how is the availabilty of parking in the popular places (especially on a Saturday) in Coonoor like Dolphin nose, Lambs rock, Sims Park.

Its simply not worth driving to any tourist spot during the summer season. They are all crowded - both in terms of traffic along the route and parking.

Just hire a cab for 4 or 8 hours depending on need and let that guy figure out the traffic and parking. It is totally worth the cost and gives you peace of mind to enjoy the place.

[manjubp]

Originally Posted by m8002?

Its simply not worth driving to any tourist spot during the summer season. They are all crowded - both in terms of traffic along the route and parking.

Just hire a cab for 4 or 8 hours depending on need and let that guy figure out the traffic and parking. It is totally worth the cost and gives you peace of mind to enjoy the place.

I couldn't agree more with you. Avoiding travel to popular tourist spots in South India during peak seasons is crucial. Just this weekend, we experienced it firsthand in Munnar. Stuck in traffic on Top Station for over 6 hours, it was quite a test of patience. After that ordeal, we decided to steer clear of Munnar and opted for some lesser-known routes instead. Lesson learned!

[Rajeevraj]

I recently had a worst nightmare come true where my car broke down inside the Mudumalai forest at 5.30 in the evening. Fortunately it happened very close to Theppakadu(Masinagudi Turn off). Purpose of this post is not to detail the issue- which I have done in my ownership thread, but to share some contacts which I got in the process, who tried their best to help and can be useful to keep handy.

• Mechanic: Navas- 9787848682. Workshop is on the right 500mtr after exiting Mudumalai Sanctuary(place is ThoraPally) when coming from Gundlepet/Mysore. He mentioned at any time he can be called and will try to help. Even outside work hours. The workshop-while a regular roadside one, had lot of cars being worked on. He also has all the other contacts of what ever needed. Since I had to stay overnight here, he helped arrange a room also.
  
  
• Towing Service: PDS Towing Service Gudalur. Contact: Vidhun Raj: 8940907478. They also have a flat bed.
  
  
• A/C Mechanic: Babu: 9486404933
  

Of course, hope that no one will need to use but thought to share to keep handy as the forest stretch is a long one and the towns at either end are small ones and getting support even from the manufacturer/Insurance RSA's may be time consuming.

[BizPro]

OUR RECENT TRIP FROM BENGALURU TO OOTY (MAY 11) AND BACK (MAY 15)...

Day 1: Bengaluru - Mysuru - Gundlupete - Kalhatty - Ooty

Left Yelahanka at 0600 hrs (Saturday) and to our pleasant surprise journey through Bengaluru was smooth, including Kengeri junction of BLR-Mysuru Expressway. Took coffee break at Ruchi Garden, opposite Mysuru airport (0830 hrs) . Hotel is basic, but clean washrooms . Reached Bandipur National Park entry (1000 hrs), where they stopped for entry fee (Rs. 20 to be paid in cash). Drive thru Bandipur and Mudumalai Tiger Reserve is nice and you can see lots of deer. Although roads are nice thru the forest reserve, there are speed bumps every 500m, so driving at 45-50 kmph is best way to enjoy the wildlife and not brake hard every 500m. At some point after entering Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu, immediately after Bandipur, they check car and e-Pass. So, having printed e-Pass helped us breeze thru this checkpoint. After Bandipur Park rest area, fork comes where one road (straight) takes you towards Mudumalai and Gudalur and other one (towards left) takes you to Ooty via Gundlupete and Kalhatty ghat. The ghat drive was steep with 36 hairpin turns. With Safari AT (facelift), this was easily managed. Reached Ooty (Sterling - Fern Hill) by 1230 hrs.

Total distance - 281 km
Drive time - 6.25 hrs.
Total journey time - 6.5 hrs.
Total toll - Rs. 395 (incl. Bandipur entry fee).

Day 2 to 4: In and around Ooty

Ooty roads are too narrow for larger vehicle like Safari, especially once you leave main town and get onto one of the surrounding hills for sightseeing. Our worst experience was when we visited The Tea Factory & Museum. Not only it took hellish 1.5 hrs (traffic ) to return from there to our hotel, but bushes left scar on the passenger side while trying to give way to vehicle coming from opposite side. So, if you're squeamish about driving on narrow roads and/or drive large vehicle, best to get local auto/cab to move around.

Day 5: Ooty - Pykara - Gudalur - Mysuru - Bengaluru

Started at 0800 hrs from Sterling - Fern Hill. Route thru Gudalur is longer, but is the only option. Kalhatty ghat is one way, so police diverts all traffic from Ooty towards Mysuru/Bengaluru via Gudalur. Also, we wnated to see Pykara Falls on our way back, so the detour was planned anyway. Road to Gudalur and from there to Mudumalai Park is a smooth sailing. Looks like work on this road is complete, with exception of one/two spots. Also, the descent is not so steep and not many hairpin curves...at least not that severe like Kalhatty ghat. Bigger vehicles/buses take this route to/from Ooty. Reached Pykara around 0840 hrs. and we were in Mysuru by 1330 hrs for lunch. On the way we spent 1 hr at Pykara and took few photo breaks in Nilgiri forest. After having good pizza at The Old House, we hit the road again at 1500 hrs and reached Yelahanka by 1730 hrs.

Total distance - 300 km
Drive time - 7 hrs.
Total journey time - 9.5 hrs
Total toll - Rs. 495 (incl. Bandipur entry and Nice Road).

[Karjun]

My sisters graduation in Bangalore was coming up and as usual a 1 day journey of flying up and down turned into a 5 day roadtrip to Bangalore and then to Ooty via Masinagudi as the entire family wanted a break from the scorching summer heat. Since there were 12 of us plus our 2 chauffeurs we took our BMW X7, Audi Q7 and Vellfire.
Left our home in Kochi around 6:15 and crossed Thrissur at 7:30 and stopped at Sri Mu Saravana Bhavan at the end of Coimbatore Byepass. Post a 40 min breakfast and coffee we pushed off and once on the 6 lane Coimbatore-Salem highway we picked up speed and covered ground effortlessly. The X7 and Q7 maintained triple digit speed effortlessly but the Vellfire struggled to keep up with its extremely underpowered 4cyl hybrid motor, we in the 7’s(X7,Q7) were doing speeds under 130, averaging close to 110 but the Vellfire could barely keep up and we had to slow down constantly so that it could catch up. Surprisingly the drivers on these highways have decent lane discipline making the drive further enjoyable. The X7 was breeze to drive with its mountain of diesel torque (700Nm) and the engine is as refined as a diesel can get, almost as a good as Petrol V6. The Q7 with its smooth petrol V6 that is so refined u barely even notice it while cruising, even with the engine coasting and completely shutting down it’s barely noticeable upon restart. We stopped for lunch at Krishnagiri and the food was mediocre at best hence can’t remember the name of the restaurant. After Hosur traffic picked up but the Electronic City Flyover helped cover decent ground without being stuck in all the afternoon traffic. Reached the Ritz Carlton at 4 and checked into our rooms. We ventured out for dinner in the evening and got stuck in the horrendous Banglore traffic. The next day my brother in law and sister from Chennai joined us, now the convoy had increased to 4 cars with addition of the E class. It was my sisters graduation in the evening, post which we had a mellow dinner at the hotel as we were travelling onwards the next day.

The next day we left the hotel at 12 and endured Banglore traffic till the Mysore expressway, and my god was it worth it. The roads are butter smooth and the expansion joint on the flyovers were barely noticeable, definitely one of the best roads in India and one among the best I’ve driven in the world. I tried a VMax run (I do not condone speeding) as the highway was completely free and it felt like cakewalk in the Q7. I was on cruise control for most of the drive and was snacking along with the family (bought a massive meat quiche from hotel and it was delicious) in the car. We covered the 119km expressway in under 1.5 hrs and used the Mysore ring road to get onto the Ooty route(Mysore-Nanjangud-Gundalpete-Bandipur-Masinagudi-Ooty). This stretch is mostly 2 lanes with a lot of patchwork on the roads, the 4 cars were extremely comfy on this stretch of road gobbling up the undulations with its thick fat sidewalled tyres. Upon entering the Forest Reserves there are checkpoints with rules clearly stated. It’s the basics- no littering, drinking alcohol, stopping or stepping out of the car, speeding or honking. There’s a forest rest stop halfway along this route to take a break and use the restrooms available (not very clean unsurprisingly). The reason they insist on not stopping anywhere else is because there is a high chance of attack from wild animals hiding in the bushes along the road. It was my second time driving this route and since it was summer there was barely any greenery. The land looked dry and was crying for the monsoons to come along earlier. The drive is slow but beautiful and serene and definitely worth going once atleast if u can. At the Tamilnadu checkpost they check cars at random, ensure your not carrying plastic bottles and liquor as the Nilgiris is a plastic free zone and the cops will harass you for the liquor(asking you to buy it from the TASMAC shops in Ooty and not bring your own) especially if your car is not TN registered. A hack is to ensure your travelling with family(women) in the car as they do not want trouble families they just ask you a few routine question’s. My dad and uncle along with a few cousins were asked to open the boot and doors so that they could take a brief look in the car as it was all men in the Vellfire .

Do not forget to take the left from Theppakadu as u may miss it with the Navigation not working with the poor network. If you miss it you drive becomes an hour longer with the route via Gudalur but these roads are smoother\wider and easier to tackle compared to the narrow and steep Masinagudi route. We stopped at the Cafe Coffee Day after Masinagudi and had a coffee and used the restrooms and set off again. We almost had a mishap with the X7 almost falling in a massive drain while turning the car around at CCD, would’ve been a disaster if the tyre moved another inch to the left with 3/4th the tyre hanging over the drain. Once we set off the Matrix lights on the Q7 shined on the deserted but well marked Masinagudi-Ooty road, it made the pitch Black Forest into a well lit room as far as the eye can see, when the Matrix activates you can see a sign on the dash but you really don’t need it as it’s clearly evident if u look just up ahead. In the X7 the Sky Lounge makes the Panaromic sunroof a vibe with the ambient lighting projected onto the minute etchings on the glass. We reached Savoy at approximately 7 and retreated to our rooms and enjoyed the cool weather by sitting in the lawns and having a drink with the entire family.

The next day we went for lunch at Ootacamund Club and played a game of pool and over a few whiskeys and cocktails. It’s one of the oldest clubs in Ooty and was establish by the British as their retreat from the heat. In the evening we went for a drive and did a bit of off-roading in the 7’s. A bit later drove to hunger for estate which has the rumored haunted house. The guard wouldn’t let anyone in so we paid him a bit of money and he immediately said sir come in, I’ll give you a tour, we had a mini tour of the estate and ended up seeing a family of bisons along the way back to the hotel. Later we went to Moody’s and had there delicious hot chocolate and pastries which are a must try. And as always had a great dinner at Shinkows which is an age old institution which has been serving up great Chinese food in Ooty. Next day we were leaving back for Kochi after a great time in Ooty, and as always hospitality at Savoy was impeccable. Left Ooty at about 12 and went down the Kotagiri route enjoying the flowing wide ghat roads. Once down we went through Coimbatore town and had food at Haribhavanam, they serve up great Tamil food and then it was one shot back to Kochi. On the drive back we found out the AI and regular Speed cameras in Kerala aren’t working, I used that to my advantage and set the cruise control to 120 from walayar to Thrissur where the roads are fantastic and reached home at 7. The cars did a great job munching miles like they were build to and were in dire need of some TLC.
Thus ending our great roadtrip.


Arrived at the Ritz in Bangalore





X7 was fun along the twisty’s







Couldn’t get entire family of Bisons in the pic




A bit of softroading with the X7 & Q7






Loading up the cars at Savoy