Bangalore-Ooty-Kodai-- A trip to welcome Monsoon rains.

mykal shoemaker · 19th June 2010, 12:03

I did a Bangalore-Mysore-Ooty-Coimbatore-Palani-Kodai--Dindigul--Bangaore trip last week.

I'd like to share this with T-BHPians.
As the many of the parts resembles the Kodai trip of Pramod ,I'll try to post a brief one.

Started from Bangalore on 8th of Jun, by 6:30AM.
First halt at Kamat Madhuban @ Mysore.
Then took the Gundulpet--Bandipur--Masinagudi--Ooty road.
This saves us around 35 KM, than the normal Gundur route.

Detailed road map

Few pictures on this stretch:

1.Entering Bandipur region.
2.Normal sight @ roadside on Bandipur area.
3.Inviting roads through Bandipur-Masinagudi strech.
4. --do-
5. Hotel LakeView where we stayed.
6. Ooty botanical garden,full of colours.

mykal shoemaker · 19th June 2010, 16:45

Ooty was real beautiful,with just the start of first rains.
Visited the highest peak in Tamilnadu ,where there is a telescope house.(Doddabetta Telescope house-an altitude of 2,623 meters)
On a clear day, which is honestly not that often, one can see far off areas, even the plains of Coimbatore and the flat highlands of Mysore.

Ooty botanical garden itself is so big and vivid.A nature lover has no better place than this.

Started from Ooty,next day and drove down to Coimbatore ,through Coonoor,mettuppalayam.(with the famous hill train passing alongside @Coonoor). The Bandipur-Ooty streatch consisted of 36 hair pin curves and a steep climb.But the Coonoor-mettuppalayam road seemse smooth and perfect.

Some snaps,mainly from Botanical Garden and nearby.

mykal shoemaker · 19th June 2010, 16:54

As I was too tired after the hill drive,instead of driving upto Kodai,or atleast Palani, I took a break at Coimbatore.Then drove to Kodaikkanal next morning by 7:30AM. Once you come out of Coimbatore city traffic, its beautiful drive till Kodaikkanal. Only issue was ,there are very less roadside eateries for breakfast. :(

Finally I'd a roadside tea and Onion vadai from Palani.

Kodaikkanal drive was mesmerizing.It had 14 or 17 hair pin curves only.

mykal shoemaker · 19th June 2010, 17:44

As it was drizzling in between, the atmosphere was truly wonderful at Kodaikkanal too. I think Ooty and Kodaikkanal touches its maximum beauty on the first week of Monsoon. Winter time its too cold and summer time,its dry.

The wet valleys,rain clouds floating everywhere, mist ......These combinations is available only at start of rains.

Stayed one day at Kodaikkanal.Then started by morning towards Dindigul.Then got NH7 and drove back to bangalore.

As there were lots of accident stories from near and dear on NH7, I was too cautious.

FACTFILE:

Car- Toyota Innova (40K done.Still on original tyres)
Gear-Nikon D3000+18-55mm +55-200mm+tripod
Persons- 2 (Me and wife)
Total KM done- 1078KMs.
Average Fuel Consumption- 12.30KMPL
Destinations Covered- Ooty,Kodaikkanal
Route Followed:

Part-1

Bangalore-->Tumkur road towards Nelamagala-->NICE road-->Mysore road exit at Bidadi-->Mysore -->Bandipur-->Masinagudi-->Ooty (stay @LakeView )

Part-2

Ooty-->Coonoor-->Mettuppalayam-->Coimbatore (Stay @Hotel City Tower)-->Palani-->Kodaikkanal (stay at Kodai)

Part-3

Kodaikkanal-->Dindigul-->Salem-->Bangalore.

Final set of pics:

rocky080 · 19th June 2010, 18:08

hi mykal shoemaker when were you at kodai. Me and a couple of other bhpians were also there from the 11th till 13th june.

Here is a pic of the same dam which i took.

ampere · 19th June 2010, 20:02

Mykal,

Were you able to enjoy both Ooty and Kodai in one trip?
My personal opinion is that one should go to these places on a separate travel.

But one thing is for sure. You must have enjoyed that drive to the fullest!
And yes the CBE-Palani/Kodai sectors does not have eateries.

This is in general true for the Dharapuram/Kageyam/Udumalpet/Kodai/Palani sectors.

Even I have struggled many a times and had to manage with Curd Rice for lunch!

mykal shoemaker · 19th June 2010, 23:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by rocky080

hi mykal shoemaker when were you at kodai. Me and a couple of other bhpians were also there from the 11th till 13th june.

Here is a pic of the same dam which i took.

That part was one of most beautiful valley.
I started on 8th and came back by 11th (jun) evening.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ampere

Mykal,

Were you able to enjoy both Ooty and Kodai in one trip?
My personal opinion is that one should go to these places on a separate travel.

But one thing is for sure. You must have enjoyed that drive to the fullest!
And yes the CBE-Palani/Kodai sectors does not have eateries.

This is in general true for the Dharapuram/Kageyam/Udumalpet/Kodai/Palani sectors.

Even I have struggled many a times and had to manage with Curd Rice for lunch!

I'd a total 4 day trip.Ooty deserves more days.But Kodaikkanal doesn't have much to see than the lake and few suicidal points.

In fact I'd seen these places many times earlier.(right from school days,as ooty-kodai is one of the famous school excursion trips in south India.I'm sure 80% of kids will visit this at least once.

)

In fact my journey was not a pre-planned one.
When we saw the news about monsoon rains reaching Kerala coast,just got this idea into my mind.Go and see the first rains @Ooty. Ooty was the plan when I left Bangalore. Then my romance with road and a supportive wife,took me to Kodai.

But ,believe me, first rains and those rain drops on every flower @ these places,will take you again back to these place on each monsoon.

I'm planning another trip,once the initial monsoon is over.That time all the falls will be in full swing.I want to do that Ooty-Mettuppalayam rail journey.

thanks for the replied and feedbacks.

ampere · 20th June 2010, 10:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by mykal shoemaker

I'm planning another trip,once the initial monsoon is over.That time all the falls will be in full swing.I want to do that Ooty-Mettuppalayam rail journey.

In fact I did the Ooty-Conoor in May. Though not till Metupalayam, yet it was oodles of fun!

vigsom · 20th June 2010, 14:13

Very nice pics ; it's been 16 years since I went to either place

Fordmanchau · 21st June 2010, 15:27

Hi Harish,
Nice trip you had to Ooty and Kodai.
I have been to ooty but have not gone to kodai as of now.
How far is kodai from ooty ?
How are the roads from ooty to kodai?
Share some more pics, if you have .

mykal shoemaker · 22nd June 2010, 14:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fordmanchau

Hi Harish,
Nice trip you had to Ooty and Kodai.
I have been to ooty but have not gone to kodai as of now.
How far is kodai from ooty ?
How are the roads from ooty to kodai?
Share some more pics, if you have .

Its 170 KMs through Palani.

Ooty-->Coonoor->Mettuppalayam-->Coimbatore. (NH 67)
Coimbatore-->Pollachi-->Udumalaipett-->Palani (NH 209)
Palani-->Kodaikkanal -- State Road

But if you want to go to Kodai only,best way is to go upto Dindigul through NH7,then take NH-45 (Cumbum--Theni route) and tak a turn to Kodai from Batlagundu(Vatalagundu) .Thats smooth and perfect route.

abhinav.s · 22nd June 2010, 22:01

Very crisp travelogue with the pics peppered in between.

Have to agree that Ooty looks best during the first few rains.

PS: Very good handle you got there Mykal Shoemaker!!

subs · 22nd June 2010, 23:11

Hi Mykal

First things first, you have a nice nickname!!!
Nice blog and great pics. Surprisingly I dont see any strawberries or chocolate, something people associate Ooty with.

Subs

mykal shoemaker · 23rd June 2010, 02:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by subs

Hi Mykal

First things first, you have a nice nickname!!!
Nice blog and great pics. Surprisingly I dont see any strawberries or chocolate, something people associate Ooty with.

Subs

Thanks.
I didn't post all pics to avoid repetition.There are numerous Ooty/kodai travelogues and hence tried to post what others didn't post.

Throtttle · 21st March 2022, 12:49

Please point to more apt thread if required.

I need to do a solo drive, Bangalore - Ooty - Kodai - Bangalore, next week. There seems multiple routes from Ooty to kodai like following:

Ooty--Coimbture--Pollachi--Udumalaipet--Palani--Kodaikanal

Ooty - Mettupalayam - Coimbatore - Pollachi - Udamalper - Palani - Kodaikanal

Kodai-Palani-Dharapuram-Palladam-Avinashi-Annur-Mettupalayam-Ooty

Based on criteria of following, in the same order of priority:
(1) Road conditions,
(2) Not too interiors/isolated roads
(3) Not with hardly any stopping options,
(4) Time taken

looking for advice on which route to opt, with route points, for a solo traveler/driver, to reach Kodai from Ooty, within 5pm. Any lunch pitstop suggestions will be helpful too.

Will appreciate some inputs.
thanks.

19th June 2010, 12:03	#1
mykal shoemaker BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 255 Thanked: 58 Times	Bangalore-Ooty-Kodai-- A trip to welcome Monsoon rains. I did a Bangalore-Mysore-Ooty-Coimbatore-Palani-Kodai--Dindigul--Bangaore trip last week. I'd like to share this with T-BHPians. As the many of the parts resembles the Kodai trip of Pramod ,I'll try to post a brief one. Started from Bangalore on 8th of Jun, by 6:30AM. First halt at Kamat Madhuban @ Mysore. Then took the Gundulpet--Bandipur--Masinagudi--Ooty road. This saves us around 35 KM, than the normal Gundur route. Detailed road map Few pictures on this stretch: 1.Entering Bandipur region. 2.Normal sight @ roadside on Bandipur area. 3.Inviting roads through Bandipur-Masinagudi strech. 4. --do- 5. Hotel LakeView where we stayed. 6. Ooty botanical garden,full of colours. Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

19th June 2010, 16:45	#2
mykal shoemaker BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 255 Thanked: 58 Times	Ooty was real beautiful,with just the start of first rains. Visited the highest peak in Tamilnadu ,where there is a telescope house.(Doddabetta Telescope house-an altitude of 2,623 meters) On a clear day, which is honestly not that often, one can see far off areas, even the plains of Coimbatore and the flat highlands of Mysore. Ooty botanical garden itself is so big and vivid.A nature lover has no better place than this. Started from Ooty,next day and drove down to Coimbatore ,through Coonoor,mettuppalayam.(with the famous hill train passing alongside @Coonoor). The Bandipur-Ooty streatch consisted of 36 hair pin curves and a steep climb.But the Coonoor-mettuppalayam road seemse smooth and perfect. Some snaps,mainly from Botanical Garden and nearby. Attached Thumbnails Attached Images
	() Thanks

19th June 2010, 16:54	#3
mykal shoemaker BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 255 Thanked: 58 Times	As I was too tired after the hill drive,instead of driving upto Kodai,or atleast Palani, I took a break at Coimbatore.Then drove to Kodaikkanal next morning by 7:30AM. Once you come out of Coimbatore city traffic, its beautiful drive till Kodaikkanal. Only issue was ,there are very less roadside eateries for breakfast. :( Finally I'd a roadside tea and Onion vadai from Palani. Kodaikkanal drive was mesmerizing.It had 14 or 17 hair pin curves only. Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

19th June 2010, 17:44	#4
mykal shoemaker BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 255 Thanked: 58 Times	As it was drizzling in between, the atmosphere was truly wonderful at Kodaikkanal too. I think Ooty and Kodaikkanal touches its maximum beauty on the first week of Monsoon. Winter time its too cold and summer time,its dry. The wet valleys,rain clouds floating everywhere, mist ......These combinations is available only at start of rains. Stayed one day at Kodaikkanal.Then started by morning towards Dindigul.Then got NH7 and drove back to bangalore. As there were lots of accident stories from near and dear on NH7, I was too cautious. FACTFILE: Car- Toyota Innova (40K done.Still on original tyres) Gear-Nikon D3000+18-55mm +55-200mm+tripod Persons- 2 (Me and wife) Total KM done- 1078KMs. Average Fuel Consumption- 12.30KMPL Destinations Covered- Ooty,Kodaikkanal Route Followed: Part-1 Bangalore-->Tumkur road towards Nelamagala-->NICE road-->Mysore road exit at Bidadi-->Mysore -->Bandipur-->Masinagudi-->Ooty (stay @LakeView ) Part-2 Ooty-->Coonoor-->Mettuppalayam-->Coimbatore (Stay @Hotel City Tower)-->Palani-->Kodaikkanal (stay at Kodai) Part-3 Kodaikkanal-->Dindigul-->Salem-->Bangalore. Final set of pics: Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

19th June 2010, 18:08	#5
rocky080 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 305 Thanked: 37 Times	hi mykal shoemaker when were you at kodai. Me and a couple of other bhpians were also there from the 11th till 13th june. Here is a pic of the same dam which i took. Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

19th June 2010, 20:02	#6
ampere Team-BHP Support Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 17,948 Thanked: 12,935 Times View My Garage	Mykal, Were you able to enjoy both Ooty and Kodai in one trip? My personal opinion is that one should go to these places on a separate travel. But one thing is for sure. You must have enjoyed that drive to the fullest! And yes the CBE-Palani/Kodai sectors does not have eateries. This is in general true for the Dharapuram/Kageyam/Udumalpet/Kodai/Palani sectors. Even I have struggled many a times and had to manage with Curd Rice for lunch! Last edited by ampere : 19th June 2010 at 20:06.
	() Thanks

20th June 2010, 14:13	#9
vigsom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: NSEW Posts: 3,767 Thanked: 25,480 Times	Very nice pics ; it's been 16 years since I went to either place
	() Thanks

21st June 2010, 15:27	#10
Fordmanchau Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 1,666 Thanked: 340 Times	Hi Harish, Nice trip you had to Ooty and Kodai. I have been to ooty but have not gone to kodai as of now. How far is kodai from ooty ? How are the roads from ooty to kodai? Share some more pics, if you have .
	() Thanks

22nd June 2010, 22:01	#12
abhinav.s Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,774 Thanked: 1,272 Times	Very crisp travelogue with the pics peppered in between. Have to agree that Ooty looks best during the first few rains. PS: Very good handle you got there Mykal Shoemaker!!
	() Thanks

22nd June 2010, 23:11	#13
subs BHPian Join Date: May 2010 Location: manchester Posts: 96 Thanked: 19 Times	Hi Mykal First things first, you have a nice nickname!!! Nice blog and great pics. Surprisingly I dont see any strawberries or chocolate, something people associate Ooty with. Subs
	() Thanks

21st March 2022, 12:49	#15
Throtttle BHPian Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Bangalore Posts: 56 Thanked: 50 Times	Re: Bangalore-Ooty-Kodai-- A trip to welcome Monsoon rains. Please point to more apt thread if required. I need to do a solo drive, Bangalore - Ooty - Kodai - Bangalore, next week. There seems multiple routes from Ooty to kodai like following: Ooty--Coimbture--Pollachi--Udumalaipet--Palani--Kodaikanal Ooty - Mettupalayam - Coimbatore - Pollachi - Udamalper - Palani - Kodaikanal Kodai-Palani-Dharapuram-Palladam-Avinashi-Annur-Mettupalayam-Ooty Based on criteria of following, in the same order of priority: (1) Road conditions, (2) Not too interiors/isolated roads (3) Not with hardly any stopping options, (4) Time taken looking for advice on which route to opt, with route points, for a solo traveler/driver, to reach Kodai from Ooty, within 5pm. Any lunch pitstop suggestions will be helpful too. Will appreciate some inputs. thanks.
	() Thanks