Ooty Reviews

Food, sight-seeing and shopping
Food: mostly you'll get only south Indian, but there are a lot of north Indian restaurants also, but their authenticity is under question. Major hotels serve continental food for foreigners. Attractions: Doddabetta should not be missed, Botanical garden is easily the best in the country. Lake and dams are not clean and well maintained, but boating in the chill wind can be a different experience. The Mudumalai forest is badly maintained and is a clear example of the sad state of many wild life preservations across the country. For a wildlife lover, Mudumalai offers nothing, so better avoid. However for a adventure traveller a night stay in the Mudumalai jungle can be a bit thrilling (don't expect tigers and leopards around you, at the max you may encounter elephants or bison). But do check if this service is offered by the forest officials before going as by my guess this service is for a limited time alone in a year based on the season. For a family picnic a day's camp at Avalanche can be a memorable experience (carry your tents). Tea plantations and other estates offer breath taking beauty, so try spend sometime (with your camera) at tea estates of ooty and coonoor. Shopping: Home made chocolates are very famous, some tastes like the original swiss rum chocolates. These are available in every sweet shop/ super market in the ooty main town. Other than this Eucalyptus oil and tea are quiet famous and available in plenty. Dont believe in the bogus sales attempts to sell you ointments and beauty oils that they claim are made out of mountain herbs and shrubs. Although they are truly made out mountain herbs, their medicinal value is left to your own belief and knowledge.

Activities & things to do
A day at Avalanche, A day at a tea plantations and estates, A elephant ride in mudumalai, a quick evening walk in Botanical garden and the incomparable, invaluable train journey from mettupalayam to ooty can make this ooty trip of yours unforgettable for your entire life.

Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.
Reaching: A breath taking (beautiful) train journey from mettupalayam to ooty. There are 2 trains, 7:30 and 10:30 am each day from mettupalayam. A bus journey from coimbatore to ooty (4 hours). A bus journey from Mysore (4 hours). A bus journey from bangalore (8 hours). Buy a lonely planet guide for entire range of hotels, tariffs and phone numbers, so that u can book your room prior to travelling. April to June is peak time, so if you are travelling in this time, make your bookings at least a month before. One good hotel I know is hotel Khems, phone: 2444188, 2441635 Contact person: Mr. Sasi Kumar. Tariff: Rs. 900 for a double room. Restaurant offers, Continental, fare- good north Indian and south Indian.