[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by vikram.vns

Lejhoom I am Planning A Drive To OOty From Hyderabad In The First Week Of December. An Updates About The Road Conditions Of NH7 Post Floods.

NH7 is good,except for a few forced 2lanes at certain sections between Jadcherla & Kurnool.If you do an early morning start from HYD(arnd 4am)you would be able to reach Mysore by evening and if you stretch it even Ooty.Blr-Ooty roads are in excellent conditions except for a small 5-7kms stretch just before Bandipur after Gundulpet,its been like that for ages.HYD-BLR(Hebbal F/o):9hoursHebbal F/0-Mysore Rd:1hourMysore Rd-Mys: 2.5hrsMys Ring Road-Ooty(via Masinagudi & 36hpins Kalletti):4hoursDepending on when you are leaving Hyd,you could either stay @ Hebbal,or @ Mysore.Taking the ring road at Mysore is slightly longer,but if you are not well versed with the roads inside Mysore town,then this is the best option.

[vikram.vns]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

NH7 is good,except for a few forced 2lanes at certain sections between Jadcherla & Kurnool.If you do an early morning start from HYD(arnd 4am)you would be able to reach Mysore by evening and if you stretch it even Ooty.Blr-Ooty roads are in excellent conditions except for a small 5-7kms stretch just before Bandipur after Gundulpet,its been like that for ages.HYD-BLR(Hebbal F/o):9hoursHebbal F/0-Mysore Rd:1hourMysore Rd-Mys: 2.5hrsMys Ring Road-Ooty(via Masinagudi & 36hpins Kalletti):4hoursDepending on when you are leaving Hyd,you could either stay @ Hebbal,or @ Mysore.Taking the ring road at Mysore is slightly longer,but if you are not well versed with the roads inside Mysore town,then this is the best option.

Hey Ranjit, Sorry for the late reply and thanks a lot for the update on road conditions and directions.

[envyravi]

Hello,

I am planning to go to Ooty from Hyderabad in the first week of June by road. I will be travelling in my car with from adults. Please suggest the best and safe route. I heard the normal route is Hyd- Bangalore-Mysore_bandipur-Ooty. Is there any other route? How about Coimbatore-Mettupalem-ooty. I want a safe route which can be done in WagonR.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by envyravi

Hello,

I am planning to go to Ooty from Hyderabad in the first week of June by road. I will be travelling in my car with from adults. Please suggest the best and safe route. I heard the normal route is Hyd- Bangalore-Mysore_bandipur-Ooty. Is there any other route? How about Coimbatore-Mettupalem-ooty. I want a safe route which can be done in WagonR.

Stick to the Hyd-Bangalore-NICE Road-Mysore Road-Mysore-Nanjagud-Gudalur-Gundulpet-Bandipur-Thepekkadu-Gudalur-Ooty.Roads are excellent all the way.4 laned till Mysore and from thereon excellnt two laned roads.I have done this in M800 till last year and no issues whatsoever.You could stopover at Mysore on day 1 if you start from Hyd by 5am.

I would advise the Gudalur route since from your query,does not look like you would enjoy the 36 hairpin route via Kalhetty.Maybe while returning,you could come via Kalhetty.

Coimbatore-Mettupalayam route is not a reccomended route and is too long as well and would take you ages cutting across the CBE-Mettupalayam-Coonoor traffic.

[envyravi]

Thank You. How far is ooty from Mysore? Can I do Hyd-Ooty in One day?

[ampere]

Its about 150 Km from Mysore. You can the who distance, but it can be a bit stressfull.
As Ranjit and @Fordmanchau plan, start by 3AM to be be in on the Bangalore Devanhalli by about 9 or 10. Its another 5-6 hours from here. (They can talk guide you better for scheduling the drive)

If you are OK driving hairpin bends, the 36 hairpin bend route via Masinagudi would save you easily an hour.


On Bangalore-Bypass: (Since you come in by about 10, traffic would be peak in the city)

Devanahalli-Doddaballapur (NH207)
Doddaballapur-Nelamangala (SH74)
Nelamangala-NICE Entry (NH4)
NICE road and then Mysore road exit.

[vina]

Originally Posted by envyravi

Thank You. How far is ooty from Mysore? Can I do Hyd-Ooty in One day?

It will be very stressful unless you have more than 1 driver and have planned out some rest stops in between. From Mysore to Ooty will take you time - 4 to 5 hours depending on how good you are on Ghat roads. On both of my two visits (one on new year 2006, one last year around this time) the tires of the vehicle became smoking hot.

I travel on Bangalore Airport - Mysore section very frequently (almost twice a month, early in the morning or late at night) and can tell you about that one:

1. From Bangalore towards Mysore, avoid the outer ring road - go via the city (Airport to Majestic, turn towards Mysore road and there you go). If you time it well then you can avoid the traffic inside the city. The outer ring road is supposed to have no jams (which is largely true) but the road passes through residential 1.5lane sections and there are several dozen speed breakers - it takes more time and if you are driving you will get tired.
2. If it is a weekend try to pass Bangalore before 10:30AM. On a weekday before 8:30AM or after 12AM is best. For evenings after 10AM weekday or weekend.
3. Once you are past Bangalore you can have some snacks and rest at Kamath's restaurant at Ramnagaram - food is inexpensive and good and restrooms are clean.
4. Bypassing Mysore is a good idea in day time, at nights it will not save you much - the city is a small city and roads are more or less deserted past 10PM. Also at nights palace lighting looks beautiful - worth the xtra travel time.
5. (I have been to Ooty twice, last time was one year ago - this is based on those limited experiences) It is best to carry plenty of water from Mysore - once you are past Mysore there is not a whole lot of habitation (I remember we found exactly one decent restaurant and he didn't have much to offer) and food availability is not very good almost till Ooty.
6. Travel carefully in the forest area and travel in day time only (I'm not even sure whether night travel is allowed these days) - there is no cellphone coverage, the roads are good but definitely not great, the traffic is mild, and wild animals do sometimes stand on the road.

Some unsolicited suggestion regarding Ooty:

1. If you are planning to stay at Ooty - you can go a further 20km and stay at Coonoor - two hotels are good The Velan Hotel (roughly 1.5k to 2.5k per night) and the Taj Gateway (roughly 2.5k to 4.5k per night)
   • the hotels in Ooty are more expensive and treat the guests badly.
   • I would highly recommend Taj Gateway, though if your budget is a constraint then Velan is very good too.
   • If you do decide to stay at Taj, call them in advance and ask them for the "Honeymoon Travels" suit (I don't remember the room number now, but I think it was 103) - it is huge and the film was shot there. Another good room is 106. This used to be a colonial bangalow so most rooms are cottage style and most are different from each other.
2. Toy train starts from Coonoor at 7AM (check the timing - my memory may be failing me) - if you take the first class ticket you will be sitting right in front (that's right - the engine is at the end of the train when it goes from Coonoor to Ooty) - you'll have maginificent view.
3. Also at 7AM most tourists are sleeping so you have the whole 1st class to yourself (plus the guard). This is in contract to the later runs of the train which are full.
4. Coonoor has a far smaller botanical garden than Ooty's but it is good. Also the Tea factory at Coonoor has a Tea garden and they don't object if you take a tour. On the far side of the tea garden there is a valley at least 100ft deep - it is a beautiful view not seen in the more famous Ooty Tea factory.
5. The car route from Coonoor to Ooty is equally scenic.

[ampere]

The Taj Gateway chain has hiked prices quite a bit. It may be easily in the range of 8-10K per day depending on the season.
Also check if there any packages on offer.

[vina]

Originally Posted by envyravi

Thank You. How far is ooty from Mysore? Can I do Hyd-Ooty in One day?

Originally Posted by ampere

The Taj Gateway chain has hiked prices quite a bit. It may be easily in the range of 8-10K per day depending on the season.
Also check if there any packages on offer.

Regarding my post above - the name of the other hotel is hotel Velan - I was writing very early in the morning so got confused and wrote Vikram.

Excellent hotel on hill top we had a bonfire there.


Gateway indeed has increased the rates - I checked just now and it is nearly Rs. 8000. You can check here The Gateway Hotel I have been recommending this one for some time now, may be that (and other guests) played a role

The prices are a little stiff now, but the experience is well worth it - if you can afford it. Otherwise Velan is a close second and you can still have dinner at Taj.

UPDATE: checked on Expedia (via ixigo.com) - they have the same rooms available for Rs. 5k to 6k !

[Fordmanchau]

Originally Posted by envyravi

Thank You. How far is ooty from Mysore? Can I do Hyd-Ooty in One day?

Hi Ravi, stick to the route that ranjitp1 recommends. I drove to ooty twice last year from Hyderabad and took the 36 hairpin bend route each time.
Also each time I drove till mysore and stopped for the night. We also have BHPian in mysore who runs a hotel and can help you with the accommodation.
Hyderabad to ooty is drivable in a day but on a wagon R it might get real tiring and tight. PM "lucifer1881" for more details. He did hyd- ooty in a day.
Edit: follow the route "ampere" recommends to bypass Bangalore. Don't even think of going through the city if at all you decide to do hyd- ooty in a day.
Also if you want a bungalow stay in ooty, then visit WWW.tranquilitea.com

[vina]

Originally Posted by Fordmanchau

Hi Ravi, stick to the route that ranjitp1 recommends. I drove to ooty twice last year from Hyderabad and took the 36 hairpin bend route each time.
Also each time I drove till mysore and stopped for the night. We also have BHPian in mysore who runs a hotel and can help you with the accommodation.
Hyderabad to ooty is drivable in a day but on a wagon R it might get real tiring and tight. PM "lucifer1881" for more details. He did hyd- ooty in a day.

Actually this is not a bad idea at all - you can spend a day (or half) in Mysore, and stay the night, and proceed to Ooty early next morning. There are plenty of places in and around Mysore. you have the bird sanctuary (a little before Mysore - you can go boating with the crocs in this season), ruins of Srirangapatnam, KRS dam, the palace (maintained way better than our own Salarjung), St. Philomena church and Chamundi hills temple (you can visit this on your way to Ooty). Also the old markets and buildings are a sight - no high rises or gaudy glass stuff there.

On accomodation - there are several hotels with varying prices. I stayed in Das Prakash two years ago - that is a three star and charged roughly 1k-1.5k per night. Also it was very conveniently located in a quite location.

[lucifer1881]

Originally Posted by Fordmanchau

...PM "lucifer1881" for more details. He did hyd- ooty in a day.

Hyd-Ooty in a day is definitely do-able. Start at 4:30 in the morning and you should be in Ooty by 6:30 pm. This also includes a stop for lunch and a leisurely drive through Bandipur forests. Ensure you cross the forest checkpost before 5 pm.

Take the Ring Road route mentioned earlier. It will still take you 2 hours to cross Bangalore. But it is much faster than going through the city.

[vina]

Originally Posted by lucifer1881

...

Take the Ring Road route mentioned earlier. It will still take you 2 hours to cross Bangalore. But it is much faster than going through the city.

@lucifer I agree with everything else but here I disagree

from Bangalore airport to Kingeri takes about 1.5hours (starting from airport at 9pm), of which 0.5hrs spent on way to Hebbal (common for Ring Road).

The Ring road route takes at least that much if there is no traffic jam - thanks to all the speed breakers and the residential area traffic.

And the ring road route does have traffic jams on occasions, the day time is a permanent low intensity traffic jam.


If you are going in peak hours then the ring road route is better, but off-peak hours it will waste at least as much time and is going to tire the driver out much faster.



By the way, I'm planning to do Hyderbad-Mysore on one of the weekends by car. I know all about Bangalore-Mysore but have no idea about Hyderabad-Bangalore (at the moment I usually fly, earlier I used to go by train). Can you shed some light on that one?

[lucifer1881]

Originally Posted by vina

By the way, I'm planning to do Hyderbad-Mysore on one of the weekends by car. I know all about Bangalore-Mysore but have no idea about Hyderabad-Bangalore (at the moment I usually fly, earlier I used to go by train). Can you shed some light on that one?

Hyderabad-Bangalore is a runway. I did Shamshabad Airport to Bangalore Airport in under 6 hours in the Bolero, averaging 90 kmph. Be slightly alert on the Karnataka side - some of the spead breakers are not marked. Other than that, this route is driving bliss.

[ranjitp1]

Sherlock is a very good option to stay in Ooty.Ampere and myself have both stayed there at different occassions and found the place to amazing.It is away from the maddening crowd of Ooty but at the same time within Ooty.Pictures of Sherlock in the below t-logue.

Hyd-Ooty in one day is going to be very stressful.Do it if you are hardpressed for time,else dont do it.Do either Hyd-Blore on day 1 with an afternoon start from HYd or with a morning start from Hyd,stay the night in Mysore.It would be a waste of one hotel- day in Ooty if you intend on reaching Ooty the same day.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...-tn-ka-ap.html