Coonoor - Sojourn in Nilgiris

Tea Estates as far you can see and some Sunshine 

I took my head out to feel the fresh rain drops , the nippy mountain air , I have just woken up from a nap with some discomfort in my neck and the view just made me forget all the inches of my body that ached because of long sitting.

We were headed to Coonoor, a quaint non commercialized hills station in the Nilgiris in southern India. It is at a distance of 297 KMS from Bangalore and takes between 9-10 hours depending on the breaks you take.

The drive goes through Mysore road , bypassing Mysore directly leading to Bandipur National park before the hill drive starts  towards Ooty, the hill drive has 36 hairpin bends , good road , no mobile network and amazing view of the valley.
We started from Bangalore at 6 am with 1 long break for breakfast on the Mysore road( lot of highway joints) , other small break to fill up just before forest area starts and reached at 2pm

Tip: Start early ,be aware of the traffic you will experience in Ooty as you will need to cross it to reach Coonoor.

We have chosen Sunvalley Homestay because of the reviews on TripAdvisor , we booked 15 days in advance and got the last 2 rooms available. On their website it showed booked, we still sent a query and they got back with good news! This place is not a traditional home stay ! The rooms are big , clean and very well maintained. The entry point looks disappointing but the view from rooms are breathtaking! The staff was the most courteous we have ever seen, even after reaching way past lunch time they served us hot pipping food with so much love.

Tea pickers gathering leaves

You will meet the laziest dog Soni , bunch of rabbits, pigeons ,house sparrows which i believed was extinct.The place is done nicely with small touches of bird feed , lines of lilies , exotic flowers and a restaurant that offers mesmerizing views.

The rooms had big balconies which opened into the tea plantation estate.

At Sunvalley , with modest rooms and panoramic views 

Being on road for 9 hours left us tired and aching for bed ,while others got cozy to catch up some sleep i ventured out in the tea plantation for an hour long walk ( the advantage of dozing off in the car).
The sun had started to set , the entire area was washed by golden light ,birds returning to their nest and such calm, i could hear my each step and breath.
I sat in the middle of all shades of green to listen to my thoughts , there were none. The view had silent the mind and calmed the breath ,nature does this to you.

During the long walk in Tea estate, sunset is a great time to venture out 

You will wake up to chirping Mynas 

Magical Sunsets

Next day we decided to wake up at leisure and ventured out after having fulfilling south Indian breakfast. We dropped the idea of toy train because it gets heavily crowded, is very slow ( impatient people like me will jump off) and  need to queue up 6 am in the morning to get ticket( you may still not get the ticket).

We decided to have lunch at The Culnarium ,  a pretty restaurant on the way to Ooty that offers mix of Italian and french food ,the food was good but we had to wait for 1 hour to get a table.
we headed to Kotagiri, another small town in Nilgiris which is still untouched and has some breathtaking views, we depended on Google maps to reach Rangaswamy peak and pillar but got lost multiple times, the drive is scenic , you will spot small houses in the middle of nowhere , tea plantations , mighty mountains blooming with vegetation .

At Kotagiri you will spot multiple such residences in the middle of Tea Estate 

It was already day 3 and we regretted coming here for such a short duration, you can easily  spend 5 days if you are a nature lover. After a really early walk in the plantation , sumptuous breakfast we started for Bangalore with a plan to visit Tea factory . There was a major accident on the route which delayed us , again we dependent on google maps and got lost twice! Ooty was jammed as expected and the direction that google maps showed for the tea factory was a dead end so we cancelled the idea and headed directly to Luru!

Until we meet again 

Once you get out of Ooty its less crowded, the roads are free. Make sure to buy spices in Ooty itself as you will not find any shop on the way. Keep the windows open , stack up snacks and enjoy the view .

On the way back we ate at Glanton Manor which is right at the end of hill drive and beginning of Bandipur National Park they are famous for their biryani but we liked the food in general,

                                                              IMPORTANT TIPS

1. There are plenty of fuel stations so no need to stack up!

2. It gets really cold, in the day it goes up-to 18 degrees and night temperature can be as low as 16 degrees. Carry 1 thin and 1 thick jacket if you want to venture out in night

3. There are almost no shops to buy liquor, if you plan to drink Wine carry some!

4. Don't follow google maps all the time, its a good idea to ask locals if you know the language.

5. Its ok to not visit any tourist spots as they are really crowded, instead go for drive to Kotagiri and
take long walk in tea plantation

6. Book in advance if you want to stay at a good place!

7.Entry to Bandipur national park is restricted after 6 pm so plan the entry/exit accordingly.

8. Carry binoculars if you are fond of birding.

                                                                         

The only photo of 4 of us together - What a trip guys <3