Day 1

I went on a small refreshing trip to Kotagiri this weekend and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a 3-day trip, totally unplanned and unprepared. The only preparation we (me and my husband) had was – if something goes wrong with this unplanned trip, we are not going to let that spoil our mood.

We started at 5 on Saturday morning. This was the first time we were going on a long drive and we both were excited about driving. So, we took turns in driving and reached Kamat Lokaruchi after an hour or so. If at any time you are on this road and you spot Kamat Lokaruchi, do stop by and check it out. The breakfast they serve is fantastic. Do try it out, though its too crowded at peak hours.

We had steaming coffee to drive away the slumber and set on again. Our next destination was Mysore. Once we reached Mysore, we lost our way. On a particular circle, there were two boards which showed Ooty in two different directions and there was a traffic cop there who pointed us to a totally different route! We were so puzzled and took some random route and took a mini darshan of the city. On the outskirts, we spotted Kamat Madhuvan and stopped by. I must say I am highly impressed with Kamat group of hotels! After a decent breakfast, we started out again.

Once we reached Bandipur, then the journey was pleasant. The road is through dense forest and if you are lucky, you can spot some wild animals. We were lucky enough to spot monkeys, that’s all. The last 5% of the journey was through hills – ghat section. Since this was the first time we were driving uphill, we had a tough time. Basically, the engine got heated up and it wouldn’t pull us. At one point, we were stuck on an uphill hairpin bend and the car just shut off. We were literally sweating by the time we reached Ooty, which was at 1!

Once in Ooty, we had lunch and set out for the quest for the permission letter. We got the permission letter from the forest officer. Met the tourist officer and got the trek routes. The tourist officer, Mr. Visvan, was really very co-operative and he answered all our queries with great patience. We thanked him profusely and bid him good-bye.

Day 2

D- day or rather T- day (trek day). We started off at around 9 with just a few snacks and a bottle of water in our sack. The weather was perfect for a trek – cloudy and misty. We started walking (well, what else did you expect us to do?). We enjoyed every bit of the trek we had. The scenery was too good – tea plantations, greenery everywhere.

We even diverted and barged into a tea plantation. It was fun! We stopped on the way and had some junk food. We reached our destination – St. Catherine Falls – after 4 hours (11 kms ) of walk. To our utter disappointment, there was not a drop of water in the waterfall!

We were so frustrated that we decided we will not walk back, but take a bus! While we were waiting there for the bus, there were hordes of people in fancy dresses and fancier cars who had come to witness the magnificent waterfall. We did not turn ourselves into noble humans and tell them that there is no water. Instead, we gave them a sheepish smile which made them wonder what was wrong with us! We caught a bus and reached Kotagiri by 4. Had a wholesome lunch and decided to go to Pykara falls. (We had to see some falls, if not St. Catherine). So, we checked out from the hotel and set out on our journey to Pykara. Its about 20 kms from Ooty, so it was at a distance of 40 kms for us, which we expected to cover in at most 2 hours. By the time we reached Ooty, it was 5.30 and we were hopeful that we will reach Pykara by 6.30. We had been told that the waterfalls (and the boating) will close by 6. So, we planned to spend the night in a tourist bungalow in Pykara and see the falls the next day.

So, off we started and the road was horrible. One could see potholes literally after every foot or so! (One advice – please do not take this road. There is another road, please take that) The road is through dense forest and even though it was only 6, it looked as if it was 10 in the night. It started raining cats and dogs and fog built up very quickly. We could hardly see a few inches from the car and the roads were deserted. Not a vehicle around and dense forest and heavy rains – what else do you want? We were scared to death and were almost certain that we will bump into some tree. Luckily, we reached Pykara safely and guess what – the tourist bungalow is closed. Even the tourist office is closed. So, we had no where to spend the night. So, off we went searching for an accommodation and we ended up finding one after a tedious journey of 2 hours! It was 9.30 by the time we reached Gudalur. We thanked our stars that we were still alive and went to sleep.

Day 3

We both were in bad mood because of the disappointment and the adventure. We could have gone back and seen Pyakara – but we decided against it. So, we started off at around 10 and reached Bangalore by late evening. We were tired! The previous day’s trek started showing its effect and our body was aching like mad! As my husband put it – our legs were saying ‘Sit, sleep, stand. But, DON’T walk!’

We slept peacefully that day, happy to be back and more importantly safe. An unplanned adventure trip turned out to be just that. We had a lot of adventure and we had a lot of fun. And my husband wants to do something like this every month! God save us!

Contact Information

Nilgiris Trekking Association,
31 D,
Bank Road,
Ooty

Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation Ltd.,
Tel: (044) 560294 / 582916
Fax: (044) 561385
Email : ttdc@md3.vsnl.net.in

Tourist Officer
Tourist Office
Wenlock Road, Ooty – 643 001
Tel: (0423) 2443977
Fax: (0423) 2444369

Nilgiris Wildlife and Environment Association
C/o DFO (North)
Mount Stewart Hill,
Ootacamund, 643 001
Tel : (0423) 2447167

Wildlife Warden, Ooty Tel: (0423) 2444098
District Forest Officer (North) : Tel: (0423) 2441950
District Forest Officer (South) : Tel: (0423) 2444083

Links

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