Ooty Travel Blog: Our Incredible 3-Day Trip

Ooty travel blog: Sitting by the pavements of our campus, we were all excited about the trip we’d planned out – a 3 days visit to Ooty. We all had our phones out, one planning the transport, others calculating the itinerary budget, while I looked for cheap homestays.

However, upon reaching – our booked stay changed, the car we had digested more fuel, and ultimately, the trip was nothing short of an adventure. This is our experience of Ooty, Tamil Nadu – Ooty travel blog. 

As we drove up the hills of Ooty through the hairpin curves, we couldn’t help but stick our heads out of the window. We even stopped at certain points for pictures where the buildings on the slopes added to colorful backdrops.

Never having visited Ooty before, I couldn’t get enough of the picturesque spot – the simple streets, the narrow curvy roads, and chocolates everywhere we went. 

We were a group of 8, all my branch mates from college and also, hostellers like me. Since we had a week off on term end and most other kids had gone home, we had nothing to do n the campus.

That’s when we took off! We hadn’t had a trip in a long while since the pandemic and this was no doubt exciting, to begin with

Driving to Ooty
 

Since we were a large group, we decided to rent a car for 6 of us. One guy had a Royal Enfield and he declared to bring that along. The transport got sorted out quickly – 2 on the bike and the 6 in the car.

We drove from Bangalore through Mysore and the Bandipur Tiger reserve down to Tamil Nadu Ooty through the steep hairpin curves.

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It was a 6-hour journey and 3 of us could drive (not me). So they took turns driving, each fighting on who’d drive up the curves on Ooty. In the end, my roommate who’d come along on the trip and not to mention, an excellent drive, took the wheel.

Thank god. I didn’t know how well the others drove, but I knew this guy drove smoothly. So we were in safe hands up the narrow curves after crossing the Bandipur reserve.

I could tell the route wasn’t for amateur drivers as huge buses and trucks zoomed past us by inches on the narrow paths. With blind spots, there were traffic mirrors on every hairpin curve for aid. To add to it was the chilly fog that slowly became denser as we moved up the mountains

The Other Way to get There
 

Did you know self-driving rental cars are banned in Ooty? Call up any cab service in Ooty and they’ll offer you a tour with a chauffeur. I asked a couple of drivers myself and they said they don’t rent cars unassisted.

With the roads narrow and tourists unused to them, rental cars aren’t allowed in Ooty anymore. Though the Bandipur reserve path was great, the recommended route (that we missed) is the Nilgiri Mountain Railway line (NMR) from Coimbatore. In fact, this train covers one of the best things to see in Ooty with it being a World Heritage site.

This is a 5-hour trip from Coimbatore where you get to land straight in Ooty train station. To say so much of it and we missed it. 

We Changed our Stay TWICE!
 

I’d booked the stay for all 8 of us from Booking.com where we’d stay together. As we’d primarily focused on budget travel, we’d picked the 

cheapest one as it caught our eye right away.

But that’s where it went wrong. Our stay sure had the facilities mentioned on the site. But it didn’t say where it was. As we reached its address, we had come down a ditch with almost no view of the beautiful slopes we’d crossed.

So we asked our hosts for some arrangements and later got a villa with a beautiful view behind it for a sweet price.

 

Ooty Travel Tip: Check up the location of your stay and make sure to get one on the higher slopes overlooking the town below – their prices don’t differ much!

Here’s a map with some stays around the Ooty main city I found for you from Booking.com along with their prices and locations. Check out your preferred stay! 

Driving Through Bandipur Tiger Reserve
 

Early at 5 am, I managed to drag myself out of my bed and get ready as we were leaving early. It was a 6 and a half-hour drive from Bangalore and we got all our things into the car and on the bike and we began.

Driving for two hours or so, we had breakfast at a vegetarian restaurant by the road and began our trip again. Renting out a comfortable Innova for our 3 days trip to Ooty was probably the best and most expensive thing on our budget. With its cushiony seats, we didn’t have trouble through the hours. Besides, the views through the Bandipur Tiger Reserve (also called the Mudumalai reserve from Tamil Nadu) were exciting as we slowly drove through the sanctuary. We weren’t allowed to stop inside the reserve so we kept moving with our eyes wide open to catch a glimpse of an exotic breed.

 

3-Days Ooty Travel Diaries
 

Day 1 in Ooty

Less than 3 days to be more accurate. As we reached Ooty, it was already over 12 in the afternoon. Our hosts suggested a place to dine in where it cost us much more than anticipated. We spent around Rs. 350 per person, it was EXPENSIVE.

Rs. 350 for an afternoon meal is great for once in a while, but we decided to be more cautious as we had to spend 3 days here. After all, food wasn’t the only thing we were going to spend on. But I’ve to say the meal was pretty good and some of us could barely finish it.

Our next stop was the villa which we were going to check out for the first time. Located on the higher slopes of a locality in Ooty called Tiger Hills, we had an epic view behind the stay with a garden and pathway out the front.

We made no hesitation – it was perfect! We rented it out right away. 

Visiting the Ooty Markets

It was already late in the evening as we unpacked and left our villa again for a tour. So we decided to pay the markets of Ooty a visit. I think the market, unlike my assumptions, was the sweetest market I’ve visited.
 

With the plastic ban in Ooty, no junk skims on the roads, coffee shops offer hot chocolates in ceramic mugs rather than disposable cups, and the cold makes the smokes of grilled corn makes all the more pleasing.

Woolen attires including beanies with pom-poms, hot street-side delicacies, local chocolates and coffees, and exotic plants are some of the beauties one’s bound to see while strolling here.

After a couple of hours of roaming, buying some chocolates, and trying hot coffee, we called it a night and returned to our stay. 

Day 2 – Touring the Town

While most of our team woke up lazily as the sun rose, I along with another guy who owned an iPhone (the same guy who drove really well), decided to stroll up the hill we were staying on. We passed by a few local houses, kids playing with firecrackers – yes in the morning, and then… bingo!

We hit a beautiful offbeat viewpoint towards the end of the path. The road ahead was blocked with the sign ‘Tiger Reservoir ahead, no trespassing allowed. But right before it was a high point overlooking the city down the valley.

With no vehicles and no soul around, we took in the mesmerizing air of the unperturbed wind. Not to mention, we got some amazing shots of the scenery. 

Doddabetta Peak

Returning from the morning viewpoint, we freshened up for the day’s itinerary. We decided to visit the Doddabetta peak point first.

Since there were many things to see, we planned to see the places nearby to any attraction to visit. So heading up the curves of the Doddabetta Peak, we found a chocolate and tea factory and put it on our checklist.

Before the Doddabetta point, there was a road intersection with a steep view on one side where people had stopped to take pictures. Curious, we stopped here too only to find an amazing view of the tea plantations running down the hills from where we stood. 

qwer tyui

Drive time from The Hosteller Agra: 3 minutes (900 m)

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Taj Mahal | Credits: Canva

2. Sheroes Hangout

Sheroes Hangout is a unique cafe in Agra, founded in 2014 by Alok Dixit of the nonprofit Stop Acid Attacks. It has since expanded to a second location in Lucknow. Initially launched as a crowdfunded project, the cafe operated on a "pay what you want" model, allowing flexibility as employees learned the ropes. By 2020, it transitioned to a fixed menu with set prices.

The cafe provides a supportive environment for women who are survivors of acid attacks. Many faced isolation and struggled with trauma, often attacked by people they knew after rejecting marriage proposals or advances. Sheroes Hangout offers these women community, acceptance, and employment opportunities, empowering some to become primary earners for their families.

Timings: 10:00 am to 10:00 pm

Drive time from The Hosteller Agra: 4 minutes (1.4 km)

Sheroes hangout | Credits: aalokshrivastav, Instagram

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