Travelling From Bangalore To Ooty

By Author: Rashmiranjan Patil
Total Articles: 261
Comment this article

The beautiful hill station of Ooty or Ootacamund is one of the most popular hill stations in India and often visited by a number of tourists from Bangalore for whom it is the ideal weekend destination. Ooty is perched at an altitude of 2286 m nestled amidst the beautiful Nilgiri Hills.

Ooty is fringed by mighty mountains peaks and is also the site of the highest point in Southern India, the Doddabetta Peak. This mountain peak is a favourite adventure site for many adventure seekers who come from Bangalore to Ooty to indulge in some adventure tourism. The landscape of Ooty is beautified by its carpet of plush green tea plantations, cascading waterfalls and a wide variety of flora. Apart from tea plantations, Ooty is also famous for its spice gardens which grow a variety of spices. The region is also famous for its oil extraction from eucalyptus tree, plants like lemongrass and geranium.

One of the highlights of Ooty, apart from its spectacular scenery is the Toy Train ride along a very scenic route. This narrow gauge train traverses through a 46 km long route climbing up and down several hills and offers tourists ...
... a breathtaking view from every angle of the entire journey. The journey commences at a small station near Mettupalayam called Kallar and takes quite a long time to reach its destination since the steam engine needs to be frequently replenished with water.

Among the many popular tourist attractions in Ooty, most noted ones are Ooty Lake, Deer Park, Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, the Rose Garden, Ooty Botanical Garden and the Stone House. The Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, a national park and tiger reserve also draws a large number of tourists to it.

The city of Bangalore is situated around 267 km from Ooty by road. a well-laid network of roads and rails, connect the city of Bangalore to Ooty. There is no direct train to Ooty, however those wishing to traverse the distance by road can do so by taking a train from Bangalore to Mettupalayam and then from there Ooty is a toy train ride away. Ooty does not have an airport of its own and the closest airport is in Coimbatore. Travelling to Ooty via flight is not a recommended way to travel as it is not only uneconomical but is also quite a time consuming option. a cab ride from Coimbatore airport to Ooty would set you back by around INR 2500. An excellent mode of transport is by the state run KSRTC bus, which are available in plenty. A number of private buses also operate on this route. Hiring a cab is another way to reach Ooty and the scenic drive through winding roads is very refreshing.