[P21]

Originally Posted by advaitlele

Hi All,

I am planning a Pune-Mysuru-Ooty road trip.

What are the good homestay options in Ooty? I am looking for a quiet place, so not very near to town center is ok (preferred). Should have good view, clean rooms and toilets and food.

Will by driving Ciaz, and with me would be parents, wife and 10 year old kid. Budget ? not sure what's the range and going rate there in May last week.

Hello Advaitlele,

I am from Mysore and had been to Ooty a weak back with my wife. We had stayed in JSS pharmacy college guest house.

We had taken Mysore – Bandipur – Gudalur – Ooty route, both for our onward and return journey.

Route Update:
Mysore – Nanjangud – Road under construction – 45 Mins
Nanjangud – Gundlupet - New road – 40 Mins
Gundlupet – Bandipur – Good Road – 35 Mins
Bandipur – Thepakkadu – Good Road – 25 Mins
Thepakkadu – Gudalur – Bad patch for around 7kms – 45 Mins
Gudalur – Ooty – Good Road – 1 Hr 35 Mins

Restaurants:
Hotel Sasthapuri – Gudalur – Stopped for lunch – One of the best hotel en-route to Ooty
Hotel Hyderabadi Biryani House – Ooty – Avoid

Are you planning to visit any places in Mysore?

Regards,
P21

[Bakash4u]

Originally Posted by P21

Route Update:
Mysore – Nanjangud – Road under construction – 45 Mins
Nanjangud – Gundlupet - New road – 40 Mins
Gundlupet – Bandipur – Good Road – 35 Mins
Bandipur – Thepakkadu – Good Road – 25 Mins
Thepakkadu – Gudalur – Bad patch for around 7kms – 45 Mins
Gudalur – Ooty – Good Road – 1 Hr 35 Mins

Restaurants:
Hotel Sasthapuri – Gudalur – Stopped for lunch – One of the best hotel en-route to Ooty
Hotel Hyderabadi Biryani House – Ooty – Avoid

Are you planning to visit any places in Mysore?

Regards,
P21

Thank you P21, I will be going back to Ooty in about 4 weeks.
CAn you enlighten more on "Mysore – Nanjangud – Road under construction – 45 Mins"

[P21]

Hello Bakash4u,

Distance between Mysore and Nanjangud is about 18 kms. This road is being converted to a four lane. You will find deviations at frequent intervals. Also traffic between Mysore and Nanjangud is bad. It takes 45 minutes to reach Nanjangud from Mysore.

Regards
P21

[advaitlele]

Originally Posted by P21

Hello Advaitlele,

Are you planning to visit any places in Mysore?

Regards,
P21

I have been to Mysore earlier - would like to visit the palace and zoo again for my son. This is just a relaxing and drive at leisure holiday not a typical touristy holiday
Would welcome suggestions for some authentic local food in Mysore or Ooty.
I would prefer homestay to hotel any time, for the peace of mind and away from crowd location that they offer.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by advaitlele

Would welcome suggestions for some authentic local food in Mysore or Ooty.

While I'm not sure about the "authentic local food" part, from what I know, following are some good places/restaurants to eat when in Mysore:
1. Hotel Dasaprakash - they have a heritage hotel in the city and a newer one at Yadavagiri.
2. Hotel Siddartha near Bus stand
3. Ramanashree near Bus stand
4. Ramya hotel (used to be famous for Dosas, had been there several years ago, not sure if it's still around)
5. Mylari hotel (famous for Dosas again) - there are 2 of them almost next door to each other, one of them claims to be the original

Also, look this up, not too sure how true/authentic the list is though - here

[P21]

Originally Posted by advaitlele

I have been to Mysore earlier - would like to visit the palace and zoo again for my son.

Mysore is famous for Zoo, Chamundi Hills, Palaces and Brindavan Gardens. Besides these, there are many more places which are left unexplored by the tourists and are worth a visit.

Some of my favorites in Mysore alone

1. Venugopalaswamy temple - KRS Backwaters - Best of KRS - 5/5
2. Sand Museum - En route Chamundi Hill - Kids will like this - 3/5
3. CFTRI Lab - Near Railway station - Visit if availed permission from the authorities - One can see food processing at the research lab - 4/5
4. Edamuri - On the way to KRS - Nice to have bath in Kaveri waters - 4/5
5. Blue lagoon and Meenakshipura - KRS Backwaters - Good for landscape photography - 3.5/5

Originally Posted by advaitlele

Would welcome suggestions for some authentic local food in Mysore

My favorites to enjoy local food at Mysore



Regards,
P21

[redcruiser]

posting this news from accidents in india thread. So that new drivers are aware of the roads.

Four persons today had a narrow escape when their car got stuck amid trees at a depth of about 60 feet after it plunged into an over 500-foot deep gorge from a ghat road at Kallati, about 35 km from here.

The driver of the car, in which a 13-year-old girl and her parents were going to Mudumalai from Coimbatore, lost control over the vehicle while negotiating a hairpin bend near Bison Valley and it rolled down in the gorge, police said.

The Kallati-Mudumalai Road has 36 hairpin bends and the incident occurred at the 26th bend. However, the four had a narrow escape as it got stuck amid trees at a depth of about 60 feet.

Some passersby witnessed the incident and informed police. Fire and Rescue Service personnel with the help of police and locals rescued them.

The driver suffered fracture in one of his arms and the girl sustained serious injuries and both of them were hospitalised, police said.

The spot is highly accident-prone in view of the steep climb at the hairpin bends. Two years ago, 18 passengers of a bus were killed when it fell into the gorge in the area.

Locals say the road is preferred by tourists in view of short distance to Mudumalai, but many of the drivers were unaware of ghat section driving and apply brakes while negotiating the hairpin bends, resulting in mishaps.
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/...ets-stuck.html

[Sandy28]

Just got back from a trip to Ooty. Some route update as below:

Onward journey - Bangalore - Kanakpura-Gundlupet-Masinagudi-Ooty
Bangalore - Kanakpura: narrow 2 lane road but in very good condition; however expect medium to heavy traffic especially HCV traffic


Kanakpura-Gundlupet: Post Kanakpura, traffic eases out but road continues to be 2 lane good roads. Between Kolegal and Charajnagar, the route passes right thru villages and there is heavy traffic of pedestrians as well as 2-wheelers. Chamrajnagar-Gundlupet stretch is not very smooth with pot holes and cracks but nothing that really needs to be worried about.

Gundlupet-Masinagudi-Ooty: Post Gundlupet, you are once again on NH and the road is fabulous, scenic beauty is out of the world and if you are lucky, you can spot some wild life also.

Return journey - Ooty - Metupalayam-Anur-Avinashi-Salem-Bangalore
Nothing much to comment. Ooyt-Avinashi route is an excellent road with super smooth tarmac. Post Avinashi, you are on the regular Salem-Bangalore highway.

[BattleTank]

Planning a trip from Bangalore to Ooty next week. Have heard there are two ways to reach Ooty once you've entered Mudumalai.

Gudaloor>Ooty
Masinagudy>Ooty

Please suggest what route would be the best suited. I drive a M&M TUV and we would be 5 adults with weekend baggage loaded in.

While I've driven around 100,000 kms, most of it has been on plain roads. Ghat sections have been limited to ones that one encounters on the Mumbai>Pune highway (Khandala) or while driving from Thrissur to Palakkad (Kuthiran) - so basically amateur stuff. For the slightly tough ones I've driven to Nandi hills on couple of occasions with relative ease around the hairpins.

Do let me know if you have any suggestions in terms of what route to opt for my onward and return journeys.

[P21]

Hello Battletank,

Both the routes are fun to drive. If you love driving, you should choose Masingudi hairpin ghat for your onward journey, while the Gudulur route can be taken for your return journey.

(1) Onward - Masinagudi Route

Wild animals on the Masinagudi Route, 30 plus hairpin curves are driver's delight. Since you have a TUV, there is nothing to worry.

(2) Return - Gudalur Route

Pykara Falls, Shooting spot, Dolphin nose viewpoint are some of the places of interest.

While returning, you can try food at Hotel Sasthapuri, Gudalur. One of the good restaurants in that area.

Regards
P21

[BattleTank]

Originally Posted by P21

While returning, you can try food at Hotel Sasthapuri, Gudalur. One of the good restaurants in that area.

Wonderful, my dear friend. Thanks a bunch for the suggestion. I will try as suggested by you. I will definitely let you know the outcome of my trip. Including a review of how the roads are on either routes. I will also try hotel Sashtapuri on the way back - are there any specific dishes/cuisines that you suggest we must try?

Thanks once again.

[BattleTank]

Thanks a Ton once again for your suggestion. Finished my Ooty trip last week and here’s an account of my trip:

Onward Route:
Whitefield > Silk Board > Elevated Toll Road > Nice Road > Mysore Road > Mandya > Mysore City > Nanjangud > Gundlupet > Masinagudi > Ooty

Return Route:
Ooty > Gudaloor > Gundlupet > Nanjangud > Mysore > Mandya > Nice Road > Huskur > Gunjur > Varthur > Whitefield.

I’ve included the waypoints within Bangalore City to enlighten the readers of the route that I opted for.

We started on 18th December (Sunday) at 16:30 from Whitefield. Being a Sunday, the traffic was light and enjoyed a leisurely drive through the usually manic Marthahalli area into Outer Ring Road (ORR). I had couple of friends from Mumbai and wanted to show them Bangalore’s equivalent to the Worli Sea Link – the elevated express way into Electronic City (EC). From EC took the Nice road leading up to Mysore Road. We were past Bidadi at around 18:30 stopped at Kamat Uphar for a comfort break with a caffeine booster. The rest rooms are poorly maintained. Avoid any restaurant that is a pit stop for inter-city transport buses. With high number of footfalls the rest rooms are poorly maintained – a lesson learnt. We drove non-stop from Kamat to a hotel (Aishwarya Suites) in Mysore where we regularly stay. Post a quick dinner at another Kamat bang opposite to our hotel and we retired for the day.

19th December:
Started sharp at 8am, and halted at another Kamat enroute to Nanjangud for Breakfast. We drove through the heart of Mysore city towards Nanjangud. The roads are fairly good until you cross Gundlupet and hit a village called Hangala – where there is road works taking place. It is the same once you enter Bandipur where roads repair works is taking place. We crossed into Mudumalai at around 10:30am and at Theppakadu took the left towards Masinagudi. We halted at Paradise Grand for a quick comfort break, photo-op and lemon tea – boy I must admit that was probably the best lemon tea I’ve had in ages. Post refreshments, we headed non-stop towards Ooty. We were lucky enough to spot a leopard cross the road while we were driving also a few elephants and deer. Being a strict adherent of rules, did not halt anywhere to take snaps of the wildlife. I must say the 36 hairpin curve drive psyched me out – but the convex road safety mirrors installed at every curve are of great help.

20th December
Was spent the day enjoying the sights and sceneries of Conoor – which included the toy train trip from Ooty to Conoor, Dolphin Nose, Lamb’s rock, a drive past Wellington Cantonment Board, a few stops for photos at some random tea gardens and visited couple of factories to shop for tea, nilgiri oil and homemade chocolates.

21st December:
Started from Ooty at 12noon and took the easier Gudaloor route. I must admit I found this route to be a lot more scenic with tall trees and tea gardens. At certain stretches until Gudaloor, road work is in progress – however by and large the quality of roads are good. On the Bandipur side, the forest dept has created a 10 meter buffer zone between the forest and the road by clearing the bushes. I think this is a brilliant idea – gives both man and animal a heads-up and there are no surprises for either party in the event an animal were to venture from the thick bushes onto the road. We drove non-stop from Ooty until we exited Bandipur National Park and drove into Bandipur Safari Lodge – just outside the national park – for lunch at around 3pm. We were left disappointed and turned away by the hotel management as they had just shut their kitchen. We skipped lunch and continued our drive past Mandya until hunger decided to take control – we stopped by Arya’s and belted some freshly made Mysore Masala Dosas and hot filter coffee. The rest of the journey was unadventurous, considering it was a Wednesday the traffic on Mysore Road and Nice Road was pretty manageable. Once we entered Bangalore – considering it was a working day, I decided to give the city route a skip and drove through the rural Huskur/Gunjur area.

I would like to thank this forum once again for some wonderful guidance as always – don’t think I would have had as much fun had I not taken suggestions from here.

[goandude]

Bumping up a 5 year old thread.

I plan to drive to Coonoor mid August and was looking at what Gmaps throws up. It seems Mysore route is default here with the only choice being Masinagudi or Gudalur. My problem is with the under construction Mysore road, reportedly under construction road between Nanjangud and Gundlupet, the myriad speed breakers in the WL Sanctuaries and the hassle of wading through the Ooty traffic.

The alternate is a 120 km extra via Krishnagiri > Salem > Avinashi > Coonoor which avoids all the above.

Is there another alternative via T Narsipur, Chamrajnagar, Sathyamangalam, Mettupalayam?

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by goandude

Bumping up a 5 year old thread.

I plan to drive to Coonoor mid August and was looking at what Gmaps throws up. It seems Mysore route is default here with the only choice being Masinagudi or Gudalur. My problem is with the under construction Mysore road, reportedly under construction road between Nanjangud and Gundlupet, the myriad speed breakers in the WL Sanctuaries and the hassle of wading through the Ooty traffic.

The alternate is a 120 km extra via Krishnagiri > Salem > Avinashi > Coonoor which avoids all the above.

Is there another alternative via T Narsipur, Chamrajnagar, Sathyamangalam, Mettupalayam?

Bangalore - Mysore and then Mysore - Ooty, the normal route is preferred. If you are from south Bangalore, you could go through Kanakapura - Malavalli road, reach Talavadi , Mettupalayam and then climb upto coonoor. A bonus is the Tea & snacks from Burliyar

[goandude]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Bangalore - Mysore and then Mysore - Ooty, the normal route is preferred. If you are from south Bangalore, you could go through Kanakapura - Malavalli road, reach Talavadi , Mettupalayam and then climb upto coonoor. A bonus is the Tea & snacks from Burliyar

This is through T Narsipur, Chamrajnagar. Gmaps says almost 9 hours for 325 kms. Route looks good, but why such slow pace? Road conditions?