Places to Visit Near Bannur

13. Ooty (Nilgiris)Udhagamandalam (also Ootacamund) is abbreviated as Udhagai or Ooty. It is located 80 km north of Coimbatore and is the capital of the Nilgiris district.

As there were no 1-bedroom apartments available for the next day, we were allotted a couple of hotel units (it's essentially room + bathroom). We explored the area a bit in the morning before the amazing continental breakfast at Ascot. We reached the clubhouse after a bit of a climb and discovered a number of hidden gems there, including a 6-player Carrom board. The pencil sketches made by the previous guests were really interesting - it was almost homely.

The journey to Ooty was by far the most memorable road trip I have had yet. And the fact that we rented a vehicle (and not hired one with a driver) made the experience so much better. From cruising on the well maintained roads to trying to find an inexistent road and retracing our path by about 4-5km, we experienced it all. We discovered during this experience that the people in the small towns here feel really happy to help others out - never before had I seen anybody so enthusiastic about guiding us towards our destination, be it a lady carrying vegetables home or a pan-shop entrepreneur! Our ascent to Ooty finally began at about 5.45pm after we finally found a small restaurant where we stopped for tea. I dreaded the ghat section because I was really prone to carsickness as a teen - however this time was something different. We rolled down the windows and took in the freshest air possible, sang along with the songs on the phone, cracked jokes, enjoyed the beautiful scenery outside, observed the fluffy clouds, looked out for monkeys, and finally witnessed the sun take the rest of the day off. The most interesting part of this journey was seeing the buses travel up and down the slope - for a bus, the speed at which the drivers drove was just insane, and the way they navigated at the blind turns was nothing less than a work of art. By the time we reached the Club Mahindra Derby Green Resort, it was dark. We missed a couple of turns and ended up adding an additional half hour to the duration of our journey.I always look forward to staying at Club Mahindra - I love every bit of the experience, especially their hospitality (they go to extra lengths to ensure that our stay is comfortable) and the amazing food. On arrival we were greeted with hot towels, honey herbal tea, and sandalwood paste. The slightly-sweet hot tea complemented the chilly Ooty evening, and the untimely rain helped in quickening our journey from the reception to the 1-bedroom apartment (which also had a kitchenette!). The bandh interestingly proved to be beneficial for us - our room got upgraded owing to the fact that one of the guests cancelled at the last moment! We had a hearty dinner at restaurant Ascot. We were spoilt for choice when it came to dinner, as there was every cuisine we could possibly want. With minds full of eventful experiences, and tummies full of amazing food, we finally retired to our mini-apartment for the evening.

Adorned in Colonial charm, Ooty is a delightful hill town cradled in the beautiful Nilgiri Hills. The charm of the hill station lies in its laid-back luxurious grace, a surreal destination to rejuvenate in a picturesque setting and the perfect place to visit in May in India. With enthralling sights of the Doddabetta peak and the Tiger hill, Ooty is mesmerizingly graced by waterfalls and lakes. Pretty cottage dot the back alleys, and tea plantations on hill slopes add to its scenic beauty, along with terraced botanical gardens and flower cultivation.How to get there: Well-connected by roads. Coimbatore is the nearest airport and Mettupalyam is the nearest railway station.

After travelling such a long distance we finally reached Ooty . Crossed a small market area , few hotels and then went uphill . After crossing tea factory it appeared as if we have entered forest area. I became skeptical about the place but my thought changed completely after reaching the the resort - Sinclairs Retreat . Glimpse of the city from this place was so enticing . Entire city appeared like little sparkling stars in the sky.

Ooty or the Queen of the Nilgiris, which is also known as the Blue Mountains, is one of the most fascinating hill stations in south India. Located in the Western Ghats at a height of 7,500 ft, Ooty boasts of prolific vistas, tea and coffee plantations, clear lakes, hills and stunning valleys.Ooty is where the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats submerge to become one. One can encounter rare species of flora and fauna here and the roads in Ooty are often surrounded by huge Eucalyptus trees and forests that seem to end at infinity.Ooty has always been an allurement for the people in south India but now it attracts tourists from the world over. This Ooty itinerary is your one stop guide to answer all the questions that you might have as you plan your next weekend getaway to Ooty.

OOTY

So, on our last day we decided to ditch the Doddabeta peak and head to avalanche lake. On reaching avalanche, there was no road that lead to the lake. We had to find a trail in the forest ans trek down the mountain to reach the lake. So we parked our two wheeler side by the road, and found a trail. We had to be careful as we feared the wild bisons and the snakes. On reaching down, we found a beautiful lake surrounded by forests. All that you can hear is the wind, the sound of the water flowing and the birds chirping. The calmness one can get at this particular place is on a whole new level. People who really want to destress and escape reality should visit these places untouched by the tourists. The lake is deep though. And the fresh air you get is unbelievable. After spending one full hour at the lake, we had to climb back and came back to Ooty. We had our lunch and boarded our bus at charing cross at about 6PM. We reached chennai the next morning. The whole trip was unforgettable. The best way to de stress and escape. And we really escaped reality and had nice stay in all these places. The best way to explore any place is to hire a vehicle and explore and just loiter around the city. The beautiful part was the view between these destinations. The journey was more beautiful than the destination.

So on our third day, we were on a lake sojourn. We had a thing for calm freshwaters. The first thing we had was a small trek on top of a hill which gave us a full view of the Nilgiris. We also saw the abandoned huts of the 'Toda' tribes. We spent about half an hour on the hill top and got down. When we were about to go to our next destination we found that our two wheeler was punctured and had to go back for 10kms, change the tube of the tyre and head back. Our next destination was the Pykara lake. And Ooty tourism also offers boating in this place. This is really big and has clean turquoise green water and the forest around calm you and soothes you so much. After that our next destination was the Pykara waterfalls that is located pretty near the lake. Since there wasn't enough water it was not a good experiance. It mostly comprised of rocks and the water was so minimum. So the next destination was Emerald lake. It is situated in a place called Emerald and is untouched by tourists. It is so serene and is a wonderful location to just sit and watch time fly by and bask in the cool climate that Ooty has to offer. We came to know that the avalanche lake will be closed after 3PM, which was our next destination, as told by a local. So we had to return and had our dinner in Sidewalk cafe which served pretty decent food. The best part about the whole trip was not the lakes we visited. The roads, the view, the little little things that come across during our road trip in Ooty was the best of all. We stopped so many times just to see the view, the wild life, the small lakes, the road covered with trees on either sides. It was truly amazing.