What do you do when your friend bails on you for a trip to Goa, when you are desperate for riding your bike? Well, you go ahead and make the trip solo. Well, at least that’s what I did.
As I mentioned earlier, the plan for Goa went south with my friend citing office schedule issues. So where was I to go?. I wanted to go to Goa but then I wasn’t physically fit and a bit sceptical to make the journey alone from Chennai. So I put the Goa plan on hold and picked out Ooty in the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu as I’ve always wanted to check it out. It was 530+ kms from my home and it was completely doable. And thus this is how it went.
The dates of travel was April 29, 30 and the 1st of May, 2016. I packed my bags with the gear and the gadgets, filled fuel to the brim on my bike the previous night and on 29th April, at exactly 03:16 AM I started to Ooty from my home. The route I took was Tambaram – Ulunthurpet – salem – Avinashi – Mettupalayam – Coonoor – Ooty which was 548 kms. The plan was to reach Ooty in the evening and rest for the night , do a bit of riding around on the ghat sections and visiting places in Ooty the next day, and to return on the third day.
The road from Chennai to Ooty is pretty straight forward as Ooty is well commercialised place for tourism. The road all the way to Ooty is very well maintained and till Avinashi it is four lanes and after Avinashi junction you go onto the state highways which goes through Annur and Mettupalayam via Black Thunder water theme park.
From Mettupalayam junction there are two routes that one could take to reach Ooty. You could take the Kotagiri route or go through coonoor to reach Ooty. The Coonoor route is better for four wheelers and is the main road to reach Ooty. Both the roads are well maintained but are quite narrow and treacherous as there are several goods Lorries and tourist buses going up and down making overtaking a risky venture. After reaching Mettupalayam, the plan was to go through Coonoor and reach Ooty, but as it was election time, there was a huge procession on the road blocking the traffic, so I was forced to take the Kotagiri route to Ooty. After meandering through the ghat roads I reached the hotel that I’d booked by 11:25 AM. Checked in, refreshed myself, had lunch and decided to go to Avalanche Village and lake, which is a petite picturesque village location about 27kms from Ooty. The narrow road from Ooty to Avalanche is broken and battered and goes through villages, plantations and forests. It is quite an experience and you get a spectacular view of the beautiful Avalanche lake from the road. After taking several pictures, returned to the comfort of my room in the evening.
The next day I planned on doing a circle of the nilgiris, going till Gudalur through Pykara, from Gudalur to Masinagudi through Mudumalai tiger and Elephant reserve and back to Ooty. The road from Ooty to Gudalur through Mudumalai and Masinagudi is simply sublime and is an exotic experience for anyone. It is so well laid and well maintained and picturesque. If you are a traveller and seeking a mesmerizing road trip in the wilderness, go for this. It is special. To say more I’ll let the pictures tell my tale.
About the Bike,.. My Kawasaki Z250.
Kawasaki knows how to make a great all round bike. And with the Z250 they have ticked all the boxes. The ride is simply very comfortable and the quality and the refinement of the parallel twin is unmatched. The seating is well relaxed and the only pain that I got was a sore behind. The headlight offers good illumination in the dark and the front brakes are pretty responsive even without ABS. The rear brake is rather poor though. In all, it is such a smooth and comfortable bike, so smooth that you don’t get the sense of going fast even at 100kmph. Cruising in triple digits is unnerving and not stressful in any way. Yes, you wouldn’t call it as a value for money bike but hey, for the looks, the quality, the charisma and the rarity, it is all worth it.
Info:
As of may,2016
Roads from Chennai to Ooty – Well laid and maintained and has toll. Have to pay an entry fee of 20rs for Cars and 10rs for bikes. Ooty is well commercialised and has all basic amenities. You have ATM’s, Fuel Stations (four of them set 100mts apart), Medical facilities, Bread and breakfast Police Station etc.
The road from Ooty to Mysuru is in good condition and goes through Pykara – Gudalur – Gundlupet via Mudumalai and Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuaries. The road from Mudumalai via Masinagudi to Ooty is smooth and good for travel in four and two wheels. Parking is an issue in Ooty during summer as the town gets inundated with tourists.
Metupalayam – coonoor – Ooty route is wide and recommended for Cars and other heavier vehicles.
On the road to Kotagiri from Mettupalayam
Ghat road near Kotagiri
somewhere near Kotagiri town
Beautiful Landscape all around
Near Fernhills,Ooty
Big wheels
The road to Avalanche town and lake
Through dense forest cover. Predator country
Eerie and well away from civilization
On the road leading to Avalanche
Somewhere near Fernhill
Green and mean
Paradise. A lonely cottage in the middle of a slope.
Gorgeous backdrop near Lovedale
Beauty that mesmerizes
-ride safe-