Ooty travelogue!

Ooty: Excitement in another mountain!

While living in Kathmandu surrounded by beautiful Himalayan mountains one would not want to spend a holiday in another mountain range. That’s what I argued with my parents when we decided to go to Ooty during our Dashain break. Nevertheless, coupled with some other places in the southern part of India, we still headed to Ooty. Also known as the ‘queen of hill station’ or Blue Mountain, Ooty, in retrospect, I think, was a great choice and a fascinating experience.  

We drove from Mysore through famous Bandipur national park in Karnataka to reach Ootywhich is situated at an altitude of 2,240m. We needed to drive on very steep slopes and turns appropriately called ‘hairpin bends’, covering 34 km and the entire altitude within an hour from the plains. Ooty, officially known as Ootacamund is a small town, a municipality, and the headquarters of the Nilgiris district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The highlights of my trip are the toy train ride, visit to the botanical garden and photography at the tea gardens! The toy train ride from Ooty to a nearby town Coonoor is the best part and must not be missed. It is so popular that one has to stand two hours in the queue for buying the ticket. The ride in the mountains is 1h 5min long and covers 17 km giving you a breathtaking experience, something which one must experience. Coonoor is an extraordinary place to be, the best place for looking at splendid mountain peaks from a view point locally known as Dolphin Nose. On the way back, one should come via road to enjoy the tea gardens with stunning view. People stop there for photography. We did as well. 

Strolling around the Ooty streets after 7:00 pm was also a memorable experience. We enjoyed shopping from the streets and eating lip-smacking south Indian food in the cheapest possible price on the street. To be honest, it tasted much better than the one in the big restaurants. We stayed in Meadows Residency and I would highly recommend newcomers going to that hotel. It is one of the most value for money, neat and clean with great service hotel in Ooty. Oh my God! How can I miss talking about the Ooty’s special chocolates! Yummy, the locally made chocolates from Ooty are the best possible gift you can give to anyone. We in fact saw a small chocolate factory but we couldn’t go inside. There are several varieties of chocolates coming in various shapes, sizes and tastes with a very reasonable price tag.  You must not miss out on this special gift from Ooty. 

My trip to Ooty was indeed very good, enjoyable and enriched my mountain experience in addition to the hills around Kathmandu.  I would recommend Ooty for people who want a relaxing and beautiful holiday to a splendorous place in the Western Ghats offering a complete different culture, mountains, food and experience than the Himalayas. If I had to pick one favorite moment from the trip, it has to be the tea garden and the stunning pictures. So, you have planned your next trip already to Ooty right? Well if not, you should since Nepal Airlines offers you a direct flight from Kathmandu to Bangalore in a very reasonable price and Ooty is only a few hours drive from Bangalore through the beautiful Mysore palace and the famous national park. I hope your trip will be as exciting as mine! 

Shreyas Agrawal

Year 9, 

The British School, Kathmandu