Jump to content
TriFOD
  • Welcome!

    Welcome to TriFOD, Hyderabad discussion platform for Travel, Housing, Food etc. Please register to join us for free.

Off to Misty mountains in a Merc - Bangalore to Ooty, Tamil Nadu


gv
 Share

Recommended Posts

  • Ride: Merc GLA
  • Dist: 285km
  • Total Trip: 650kms
  • Mileage: 14kmpl
  • Hotel: SINCLAIRS RETREAT costed us around 14k per night
     

Route: Bangalore ---> Maddur ---> Mandya ---> Srirangapatna ---> Mysuru --->Theppakadu (Take a left) ---> Ooty

 

280.jpg

 

Started off from Bangalore around 10AM. Being a peak traffic hour, it took us 2 hours to hit the highway and to our surprise, Bangalore - Mysuru highway traffic was less compared to the usual day hour and so we reached Mysuru in 3 hrs 30 mins with some occasional speed bursts.

 

Mysuru to Gundlupete was a single lane road. It took us quite some time to cover the ground in this stretch due to the ongoing road widening work, dusty roads and too many diversions. These slow speeds made a huge dent to our average speed estimate.

 

Once we had crossed Gundlupete, the road turned out to be very scenic, surrounded by thick forest and animals such as deers, elephants and peacocks were spotted on the road.

 

From Theppakadu there are usually two routes to Ooty. Generally it is advised to take longest and safest route. But, we chose to take the shorter route in-between the ghat to make it an adventurous drive and so we took a left from Theppakadu.

 

Drive up the hill has 36 hairpin curves in total and is not advisable for the inexperienced drivers as the curves are too steep and risky. We soon shifted to the manual mode and started using the paddle shifters as the turbo kicked in we pushed onto our seats.

 

 

Redlining and ripping the sweet engine in each gear with high adrenaline we reached Ooty in no time. The moment we entered, a quote - " Looking at Beauty in the world, is the first step of purifying the mind" struck my mind. We were awestruck by the unblemished nature before us.

Drive through the hills, High ground clearance, Speed dynamics and responsive engine made my day.

 

First glimpse of the forest

219.jpg

Take a left from theppakadu, cross a small bridge to continue the uphill drive. Heavy vehicles are strictly prohibited as they won't fit on to this bridge. 

220.jpg

Forest views enroute to Ooty 

221.jpg

222.jpg

After driving several miles off the road, we had to get a quick break and photograph GLA :P

223.jpg

Only few GLAs get this chance to experience the drive on a single lane road with mud pits filled with rain water

224.jpg225.jpg

 

226.jpg

Ready for an uphill drive 

227.jpg

This Beautiful view made our Day 1 complete. 

229.jpg

Day 2: Ooty to Coonoor. The adventure begins.

Thick clouds, spotless greenery on the hill, the first gush of freezing wind made the drive more adventurous. 

230.jpg

 

232.jpg

 

233.jpg

Spectacular views blew our mind away

234.jpg

On our way to Coonoor, comes the narrow road welcoming nausea o_O

235.jpg

When the smokey clouds and the waterfall come together on a ghat road, fear fades away and camera buzzes in to click the scene! 

236.jpg

Quick break

237.jpg

Tea estates adds on to the beauty

238.jpg

 

239.jpg

Return drive from Coonoor

240.jpg

Reached the hotel by noon.

241.jpg

Day 3: Avalanche Lake, Ooty. Poor road conditions

242.jpg

 

243.jpg

 

244.jpg

Glimpse of the Avalanche Lake, Ooty

245.jpg

 

246.jpg

 

247.jpg

 

248.jpg

 

249.jpg

 

250.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Return route from Avalanche Lake to the Hotel

DSC_0276~2.jpg

Beautiful Tea estates on the way

DSC_0279~2.jpg

DSC_0284~2.jpg

DSC_0280~2.jpg

DSC_0290~2.jpg

Beast that took us through the rough tracks

DSC_0282~2.jpg

DSC_0296~2.jpg

DSC_0312~2.jpg

DSC_0295~2.jpg

Google maps redirected us to this deserted road for about 10 kms. To our luck we found no vehicles driving down in the opposite direction.

DSC_0317~2.jpg

Sunset View from the hotel lobby

DSC_0391~2.jpg

Hotel we stayed

DSC_0368~2.jpg

Tea FactoryThey had explained us the process which dint feed our brains but the tea served at the end brought us back to life.

DSC_0342~2.jpg

DSC_0314~2.jpg

DSC_0362~2.jpg

DSC_0392~2.jpg

View from the room

DSC_0395~2.jpg

Day 4: Ooty to Bangalore, Early morning drive.

DSC_0421~2.jpg

One of those curious deers which we spotted

DSC_0409~2.jpg

Peacocks

DSC_0414~2.jpg

Stayed by this lone elephant for about 10mins until he crossed the road and walked into the forest

DSC_0406~2.jpg

Hills, Clouds and Early morning drive

DSC_0422~2.jpg

DSC_0427~2.jpg

DSC_0428~2.jpg

Some more deers during our exit from the forest.

DSC_0425~2.jpg

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 9 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

 

There many places in Ooty to visit. I am listing out some of the best places that are worth a visit.

Best place to visit in Ooty

  • Doddabetta Peak : Highest point in Ooty
  • Tea Museum : Worth a visit. You will get access to the factory and they will explain you the whole process on how tea is manufacturing. In end you will get free tea.
  • Ooty to Coonoor drive : It is all about drive. One of the best roads to drive. Specially in rainy season.
  • Avalanche Lake : It is located at a distance of 30 kilometers from Ooty. Once you reach the location you need to hire a Jeep to go further into the hills.
  • Ooty lake : Famous destination. Boating is worth a visit.
  • Upper Bhavani Lake : One of the best lake in Ooty.
  • Ketti Valley : It has a perfect valley view
  • Mukurthi National Park : Visit this place If you are interested in Trekking​
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Hi Guys,

Reached Ooty today. Drive was smooth. Took the route mentioned by GV. Road condition is Good.

Bangalore to Mysuru was horrible. It is chaos all over the highway.

 

People driving cars as if they are driving inside the city. Looks like many newbie drivers.

Saw many accidents en-route.This is the first time, I got scared driving on the highway.

 

Please plan to start early from Bangalore(before 4AM), If you are planning to take Bangalore-Mysuru Highway.

Will update more details and pictures, after I return.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 3 months later...

Join the conversation

You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Our picks

    • Hyderabad to Hamsaladeevi Beach - A hidden paradise, Andhra Pradesh
      Hyderabad to Hamsaladeevi Beach - A hidden Paradise
       
      After a long wait for the December trip, we kick started our vacation to the most beautiful Hamsaladeevi beach located in the Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh.
       
      Usually many of them skip this place due to lack of accommodation, but you will find a decent stay in Vijayawada which is around 80 kms approximately from Hamsaladeevi. It is definitely worth travelling so far to see the beauty of this Sagara Sangamam, where river Krishna meets the Bay of Bengal.
       
      We started at an early hour from Hyderabad and reached Vijayawada by 10 AM and checked into the OYO hotel. There are no food joints available at Hamsaladeevi beach so we packed the lunch from the hotel and headed out. Vijayawada to Hamsaladeevi drive took us 3 hours with some breaks.
       
      Hamsaladeevi village is 24 kms away from Avanigadda and we reached Hamsaladeevi by 3 PM. After a long drive from Hyderabad, there was an adrenaline rush gushing out to see this most beautiful place and couldn't wait to snap the sandy beach and the 'river-beach' meeting point. This point is 2 km away from the beach (From Hamsaladeevi village, beach is 4 kms) and we drove our car on the beach side shore to the port to see the confluence.

       
      Distance : 376 km
      Ride: Honda City
      Fuel : Petrol
      Mileage : 15 kmpl
      Hotel : OYO rooms (2000/- per night)
       
      Best Route 2016
      Hyderabad --> Suryapet --> Vijayawada -->Pedapulipaka --> Madduru --> Thotlavalluru --> Nimmagadda --> Avanigadda --> Nagayalanka --> Chodavaram --> Hamsaladeevi Beach
       
      Note: Don't take any diversions from the mentioned route else you might end up between bad conditioned roads and longer distances as you pass 
        • Like
      • 84 replies
    • Hyderabad to Srisailam road trip and guide
      Hyderabad to Srisailam Guide
      Distance :
      220 kilometers
       
        • Like
      • 70 replies
    • Hyderabad to vikarabad, Ananthagiri Hills and Kotepally dam road trip.
      Vikarabad,Ananthagiri Hills
        • Like
      • 81 replies
    • Trip to Uttarakhand - 2021
      Trip
        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 13 replies
    • Gottam gutta - A place worth visiting
      The covid19 pandemic is not over. We request travelers to follow SMS
        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 30 replies
×
×
  • Create New...