Road trips are always exciting and you should certainly do one at the starting of a monsoon. The aroma of fresh air, the feel of cool breeze and the sight of blooming greenery on the way to our recent trip to Kotagiri stays afresh in my memory. I have been to Ooty many times, but haven't heard of this small hilltop called Kotagiri. One of our friend's father owns a cottage in Kotagiri, called the Moon Shadow. We planned a stay there; booked two rooms for two nights. We hired a Tavera from Chennai and started at 9PM from Chennai.
The highlight of our trip was the night drive through forest around the cottage in Kotagiri on day 1 and the Avalanche trip on Day 2.
Day 1:
We started on 4th July at around 9PM and reached kotagiri in the morning around 9AM on 5th Jul 2019.
Route:
Chennai - Villupuram - Salem - Bhavani - Avinasi - Coimbatore - Metupalayam - Kotagiri
We took a road route from Coimbatore to metupalayam through villages where we happened to see the verdant hills even from 50kms away. The roads were quite harsh, yet the view made us forget the uncomfortable journey. As we started climbing the hills from mettupalayam, the roads were good and views got better and better.
We reached the cottage by 9AM and the whole cottage was astounding. Our friend always boasts about how wonderfully their cottage is set amidst tea plantation and the beauty of nature thriving around it. And today, we had the opportunity to witness the grandeur of nature in Kotagiri. This non-commercialized unexplored place should be on your bucket-list when you are planning your next weekend trip.
One of the best parts of the cottage was their homemade food. Their morning breakfast spread along with tea and coffee filled our stomach. We wanted to try the Mettupalayam - Coonoor - Ooty hill train. The mettupalayam route will be crowded; so we reached Coonoor station. From the cottage to Coonoor railway station it was a 40-min drive; roads were good.
It was an hour journey from Coonoor to Ooty in the toy train. We loved the curves and bends, the toy train took. Waving to the fellow passengers on trains that were crossing us became a habit after a while! We reached Ooty and the boys took a ride on the boat at the lake. It was drizzling so we girls were sitting and enjoying the climate with a cup of tea!
We roamed a while in the Ooty markets until sunset and started our drive back to Moon Shadow cottage, Kotagiri. As we were reaching our cottage, we were thrilled to see that our cottage was surrounded by bison. You needn't have to go exclusively for jungle safari; if you are lucky you can see even bears or leapards at night while staying in Moon Shadow cottage
Later that night, the cottage caretaker Mr.Vinod advised us to drive through the nearby forest. It was the most thrilling experience we ever had. It was midnight when we left our cottage and after a 15-min drive through the route our caretaker showed us, ee encountered two bison that were standing right in front of us on the road. We waited for them to cross as our caretaker advised us not to horn or drive. Usually people come for night safaris and see bears crossing the roads at midnight.
There were very few cottages in that area and hence it gave a serene feel throughout our stay. This is the reason we enjoyed to the utmost. The cottage was in a secluded area and the views from the cottage was the most amazing!
Day 2:
We woke up to the sound of birds chirping and the cottage dog Mong calling us to play with him. After so much googling, I came across a place called Avalanche. There were few video blogs about that place; so we planned to try it out. One has to take a jeep safari from Avalanche to reach Upper Bhavani. This is the place where Bhavani River originated.
The views on the whole journey from Ooty to Avalanche was most mesmerizing. I would say, you cannot compare the beauty of this place even with Switzerland. One can see the cultivation of cabbages, carrots, greens and other vegetables in a row-like pattern on the slopes of hills. The weather showed 4Degrees in Avalanche. Vehicles are not allowed here; there is a parking space. Forest department takes you to Upper Bhavani point from here. Do not miss this trip; it will be one of the best trips you will have. The scenery here is breathtaking and it is always misty even at the mid of the day. One of the best things about this place is at one point you will feel your fingers getting numb and frozen! Imagine, in Tamil Nadu such place even exists... Take a trip to Avalanche when you go to Ooty/Coonoor/Kotagiri ; it will surely give you wonderful memories.
Day3:
The next day we went to Kodanad View Point. The trip to the viewpoint was great. Roads are good and you can have a splendid time taking a lot of breathtaking views of the hills and selfies.
We started back to Chennai after lunch around 2PM and reached home late night!
