OOTY,
also called Udaghmandalam has it all required for a wonderful and chill out
experience. It is a perfect location for a relaxing holiday. And a must mention
for people who have a sickness of travelling to hills, because Ooty gives you a
heavenly experience of hills, without going through the entire trauma. Ooty is
one of the four hill station which is connected with loco train. The train
experience is worth experiencing even when the train runs at a speed of 9km/hr.
It stops at many small stations in between and that gives you an opportunity to
enjoy the breathtaking view of the hills.
The train has only 4 coaches with
both first class and 2S being almost similar. So don’t worry much if you are
not getting reservation in a preferred class. Take some woollen clothes even if
it is not cold in plains because, as the train moves uphill, the temperature starts dropping. There is something romantic and so refreshing in the air which
makes you feel wow. It was a decision
well taken. So let’s start the journey:
We took a cab from Coimbatore to
Mettupalyam. The cabs charge around 1000 rupees from Coimbatore to Mettupalayam. The loco train runs from Mettupalyam to
Udagmandalam....dats ooty btw. Remember that because that’s the name that shows
up on irctc. If you don’t want to take the cab, the best option is Nilgiris
express that runs from Coimbatore to Mettupalyam at 5:15 am. The ooty train
leaves mettupalayam at 7:30 am. And that’s a beautiful time to start the
journey. There are 4-5 stations in between and the train reaches ooty at
1:00pm.
For accommodation there are many
hotels ranging from budget to high end and suite to cottages. Do check for
hotel location as some of the cottages are at secluded place which make local
travel a bit difficult. We had booked a hotel which was at a walkable distance
from the market. To reach the hotel, there would be many auto and cab drivers
who will jump on their toes to serve you. Do bargain for some fair price.
Most of the hotels in ooty have
their travel desk which will help you in arranging sightseeing. You can book a
cab to visit all the locations in ooty in a day. But for the people who are adventurous
and want it a bit different, they can hire a bike or scooty. I assure you that
you are not going to regret it. A hired bike/ scooty charge Rs 200-400 per day.
A bike ride gives the real pleasure of the chilled breeze and a real experience of beautiful surrounding you are in.
There is a lot more to share with you. So, we'll continue with the journey.
Please share your experience of Ooty.
You can also write to me for any query or any more information you want about Ooty.
