OOTY OR OOTACAMUND OR UDHAGAMANDALAM OR UDAGAMANDALAM

OOTACAMUND OR UDHAGAMANDALAM OR UDAGAMANDALAM, it is known by at least these many names (or spellings), a distinction i am sure not many places can boast of.

HOW TO GO THERE:

I went to Ooty from Bangalore via Mysore, but then you can take the more straight forward route via Coimbatoor i.e. by rail or flight to Coimbatoor and then from Coimbatoor to Ooty by road, but for that unique experience you should try the mini train (which is actually a meter gauge train) which takes you through those winding tracks and a dream journey from Mettupalayam to Ooty. Check out the mini train timetable that I noted down from Ooty station or go to Indian railways web site. You can also get direct buses to Ooty from Bangalore that are operated by K.S.R.T.C or you can take a conducted tour to Mysore by K.S.T.D.C (Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation) or from I.T.D.C (Indian Tourism Development Corporation). For train timings check Indian Railways and for flights check with Indian Airlines. K S R T C BUS SCHEDULE (Kozhikode Station)
Tamilnadu tourism development corporation

THE CONDUCTED TOUR:

Starts from Bangalore early in the morning (7.00 am) and shows you various spots on the way which includes Shrirangapatna fort of Tipu sultan, his summer palace, The spot where he was found dead, St Philomena's church. And the highlight of course is Mysore palace. make sure that you get adequate time to appreciate its beauty, and a good guide is very essential if you want to see it in the limited time that a conducted tour offers you. After that you get to see the Brindavan gardens of Mysore. If you are planning to go to Ooty then you can take a night halt at Mysore.

MYSORE TO OOTY:

Next morning take a bus from Mysore to Ooty. A one way ticket to Ooty should cost you approx Rs 100. The road from Mysore to Ooty is very scenic and you pass through two famous reserve forest Bandipur and Medumalai which has been made famous by veerappan. You can probably see a lot of deer's and a few elephants. But then seeing them in wild is definitely quite thrilling and a great experience for kids. You should reach Ooty by 4-5 pm.

IN OOTY:

If you are planning to stay in Ooty, which you must, then taking a conducted tour to Ooty from Mysore is a waste, since you would probably be taking a conducted tour of Ooty and Conoor by bus after reaching there

WHILE IN OOTY

Take the mini train to COONOOR it is a very pleasant journey of one hour .On reaching COONOOR visit High Field Tea Factory, taxi will charge you RS 300 for a visit since some other spots are also covered or else you can take a auto which will be must cheaper .In the tea factory you can see the process of tea making and sample some masala tea and chocolate tea, you can also buy them if you want. In Conoor Sims Park has a very beautiful rose garden but then there are no roses before May.

In your entire trip you should be prepared to shell out a substantial amount by way of camera fee, which can be as high as Rs25 at times but is Rs 10 in most of the places so you should carry a small shoulder bag in which you can keep your camera if you are not going to use it. Even then it is better to confirm with the ticket counter or security before entering.

. You can walk the entire length of Ooty town on foot so browse the city on foot to explore it.

. Railway station, bus stand and taxi stand all are situated next to each other so it is better to check the timing of train and bus a day before your departure, note that the bus have the name plates only in local language so you have to constantly keep asking about the bus you want to catch (except for Bangalore, Mysore & Coimbatoor which may have a English name plate ) you can also get buses for all the spots covered by the conducted tour.