Ooty

Ooty is a popular hill station in Tamil Nadu that was established by the British in the early 19th century. This scenic and somewhat romantic place is about 6-8 hours drive from Bangalore and is perfect for an extended cool and relaxing weekend getaway from the noisy and dusty city.


Meet this weekend's travel buddies Madhu and Kan with Ravee, our excellent driver cum Ooty tour guide (Ravee is very familiar with Ooty because he and his wife came here for their honeymoon) and a random old female monkey. View from Dolphin Nose.


Toy train ride to Coonor.


Tea plantation at Highfield Tea factory, Coonor


Botanical Garden, Ooty

We stayed at Destiny’s Farm located in Emerald Hill or Dam, about 25 km away from Ooty. The hotel has a farm/cowboy theme and the place looks more like Texas than India. To get here, you have to park your car about 1 km away and a huge tractor will bring you to the hotel because the roads were apparently dugout by the government to protect the wildlife in the forest reserve. If you decide to stay here, I would suggest this be your first or last stop because it's quite a pain to go back and forth Ooty. The tariff includes trekking, fishing, horseback riding and Kum Ba Yah bonfire to keep you busy during your stay.
http://www.littlearth.in/destiny/


Kan taking a nap after fishing.


Horseback-riding.


The farmstay is fenced with electric barbed wire to keep wild animals away. Here is our trek destination, right outside the fenced perimeter. The locals use coracle to cross the dam bringing with them fresh vegetables and fruits.

On our way back to Bangalore, we drove through Mudumalai National Park and saw some wild elephants, mongoose and peacocks.


More Ooty Pictures.