We went to Bandipur and Ooty last weekend. The trip was kind of unplanned, but we had lot of fun. We even managed to see a full size panther and elephants during the morning jungle safari at Bandipur.
Day 1: We started from Bangalore on October 21 around 11 A.M. Reached Bandipur at 6. Road till Mysore is great as usual, except for few unmarked bumpers. Had lunch at some restaurant at Mandya. Road from Mysore till Nanjanugad was a pain. I was crawling at 20 kmph for the most part, although other cars were driving much faster on that stretch.
There was some shooting going on at Bandipur. We orginally planned to reach Ooty on the same day. But it was already dark by the time we reached Bandipur. It was also a full moon night on October 21. So we decided to stay at the forest and take the safari. We also planned to take the safari at night in our car. from my past experience, I think the chances of seeing wildlife at full moon night is much more. However, the forest is closed for all vehicles at night and we had to cancel the plan of jungle safari.
Most of the resorts were booked because of shooting. But we managed to get a room at Bandipur plaza. Decent resort at Rs. 1000 per night. Food was cheap and the quality was good. they also had a souvenir shop at the resort.
Day 2: Next day morning we started when it was dark. But the road was closed and we had to wait till 6 A.M. I also discovered that diesel was leaking from the pump, but once the car warmed up, the problem was solved. We reached Bandipur around 6.10, but the safari started at 6.30. It was daylight by then and we lost hope of sighting any tiger. But we did spot a big panther, which went into the jungle as soon as we reached the place. We also spotted elephants, deer and monkeys during the safari. Safari ticket costs Rs. 95 per head. However, I would think Mudumalai sfari would be a better option. the forest is dense, and I think there are more tigers in Mudumalai than at Bandipur.
You can take your own car for safari with prior arrangement from the resorts. But we were short of time and did not take our car.
We took the Gudalur route to reach OOty. the choice was deliberate for a number of reasons. I think the route is more scenic. It goes through Mudumalai forest and after Gudalur there are a number of tea estates and view points. This route is also not as steep as the Masinagudi route. Last time I went through masinagudi route, the car got heated and we had to wait. So this time we decided to take it easy. My wife was also not very comfortable with the idea of driving through steep route and taking unnecessary risk when alternate routes were available. On the downside, this route is longer, and there would be volvo and other buses driving at very high speed through narrow roads. This is really dangerous. the road is narrow at places and they would not be able to stop if there is sudden oncoming traffic or any other problems. Even KSRTC Volvo buses were driving at high speed through this route.
We reached Ooty by 12.30. On the way, we visited Pykara waterfalls. Nothing great.
We called Space inn resort and made booking. Although we had no idea about the resort and we were trying to find a good option on the way. Space inn resort actually turned out to be cheaper at Rs. 1300 per night for a cottage. When we reached there, we were really impressed. The resort is located about a km from the end of the lake. We were just two of us, but the cottage had two double beds in two rooms, and a common area for dining and watching tv. One room, however, did not have any door.
We spent the day roaming in the lake and botanical garden. For boating, you can take paddle boats for 2 at Rs. 80 per boat, or paddle boat for 4 or motor boats for 8 at Rs. 360. They also have horse riding options near the lake. We had lunch at a restaurant near the lake. Food options are really limited. The restaurant we had food in was cheap, but the food was cooked in coconut oil (kerala influence). Also, the drinking water is served hot at Ooty.
We wanted to take the train to Conoor but could not take it due to lack of time. It takes about 3 hours from Ooty to Conoor and back.
Day 3: We started at 9 in the morning and reached Bangalore by 7.30. 1 hour wasted at traffic jam on Mysore road. We had lunch at Udupi at Gundalpet (?), few kms ahead of Bandipur. Lunch options are limited between Bandipur and Gudalur. At Bandipur, the resorts do have restaurants, but it is kind of expensive, except Bandipur plaza where we stayed at night. If you want decent food, you might want to try Udupi at Gundalpet for lunch, I think that would be a better option.
On the way back, the road from Nanjanugad to Mysore was bad. I was driving at low speeds and all the buses and commercial vehicles started honking. Very irritating. If they cannot overtake because of oncoming traffic, they should wait for the turn, but should not honk. Specially if the road is bad and I was driving at the leftmost lane possible. In one case even a bus overtook me and stopped in front of me for some time. You can drive at whatever speed at whatever road, but it is not fair to honk at somebody driving slow on bad roads.
Enough of complaints
. Hope you enjoyed the travelogue and the photos.