Visit to Tirupati, Hyderabad, Bangalore,Mysore,Uti

rudra75

Am glad that you saw my point.
Now,thanks for your input regarding Bandipur and Madhumalai. But is one and a half (1.5)day in Ooty sufficient ?
Can you tell me the safari timings of Bandipur and Madhumalai ?
What about Mysore? What are the places to see there and when ?
Is it advisable to take KSTDC Tours in Mysore and Ooty ?
What about KSTDC tours in Banaglore ? Since I stay in Bangalore for 2 half-days, I think I cannot take the day long tour of KSTDC.
And lastly, can you provide me with the address of KSTDC in Kolkata ? I could find out their Kolkata address, not in my travel guide nor on the internet.
Best of regards.

rudra75

Hi N Kumar,
Got no response from you.
Are you busy ?

pmvelu

@Rudra,

See My comments inline !

Q:- Now,thanks for your input regarding Bandipur and Madhumalai. But is one and a half (1.5)day in Ooty sufficient ?

A:-Ooty needs at the minimum 2 Days . 1 Day for ooty's tourist spots & 1 Day for Coonoor's Tourist spots

3rd Day may be you could Visit Mudumalai WLS & Bandipura NP and continue your travel towards Mysore. Both Mudumalai & Bandipura are in ooty - Mysore Highway and hiring a cab will be the better option for exploring this 2 WLS on your way back from Ooty to Mysore


Q:-Can you tell me the safari timings of Bandipur and Madhumalai ?

A:-6 - 9 am & 3 - 6 pm !

Q:-Is it advisable to take KSTDC Tours in Mysore and Ooty ?

If you want to cover all tourist Places in short duration in a budget way, Yes KSTDC Tour in Mysore & TTDC Tour in ooty is worth !


Q:-What about KSTDC tours in Banaglore ? Since I stay in Bangalore for 2 half-days, I think I cannot take the day long tour of KSTDC.

A:- 1/2 Day tour is also there with KSTDC Bangalore.


Hope this helps

Velu

rudra75

Thanks pmvelu for your precise info.
I will be reaching Ooty on Day 3 around 12.00, Stay full Day 4 and leave for Mudumalai/Bandipur on Day 5.
During my stay at Ooty how can I plan to see all the places ?
What can I visit on my Day 3 at Ooty ie half a day ? What else can I visit on Day 4(Full day) ? Could you give me a detailed pla n?
Regarding day 5, when can I start from Ooty, so that I can catch the safari at Mudumalai, since the safari timings are 6-9 and it takes 2.5 hrs from Ooty ?
I think then I will be able to catch Bandipur Safari only in the evening. What is the distance and time required for Mudumalai to Bandipur ? Then there is a problem of the gate closing at 6.30PM for reaching Mysore ?
Will I have to book the safaris beforehand ? I will be going in the end of December.

In short, can you also plan my Day 5?
Thanks in advance.

pmvelu

@Rudra,

About Ooty :-

In Ooty, Tamilnadu Government's TTDC arranges 1 Day ooty trip which covers all tourist spots in ooty. Also there is 1 Day Coonoor Trip . Also there is 1/2 day Mudumalai / Theppakadu Trip !

All these are economical for a short Visit to Ooty ! Apart from that there are "N" number of private operators offering Several packages. No worry on this. Just once you are reach ooty ,take a call on this. Not at all a problem on this front !

IF you have extra time in ooty, try to "Repeat visits to" Doddabetta OR Spend 2 hours in Botanical garden and both are worth and Botanical Garden is 2 kms from ooty bus stand and hence an auto would Suffice ! For "Doddabetta ONLY visit " a Cab from Ooty bus stand will cost you around 150 Rs with a Waiting time of 1 1/2 hours in "Doddabeta" and "To& Fro" cost also !!

And still if you have extra time, ask your cabbie to take "Gudalur" Route to Bandipura instead of "Kalhatti Ghat road which I described in the next section" which will be circuitous but you will be in the luxury of being in "Nilgiris Cool climate for some more time" and also you could visit 2 to 3 Scenic View points between Gudalur to Mudumalai !

About Mudumalai / Bandipura :-

Mudumalai is just 45 minutes from ooty over a very steep Ghat road called "Kalhatti Ghats" which is the route any cabbis is going to take !

Mudumalai is around 30 kms from ooty via this short cut and from Mudumalai , Bandipura is just another 10 kms towards Mysore !!

As both this WLS are just 10 kms apart you may not see any differrence in Topography , Climate etc and both are in plains !

Mudumalai is heavily loaded with "OOTY Tourists" as it's a 1/2 Day package offered to all tourists in OOTY !. And so possibility of sighting any animals is relatively difficult.

My suggestion is just skip mudumalai and reach bandipura and try out the Wildlife safari there.

And Lastly there is NO GATE CLOSSING Concept at 6:30 pm between bandipura and Mysore . YES , Officially court ruling Says 9 pm - 6 am CLOSURE of highway between Gunlupet-Bandipura [ Part of Ooty - Mysore Highway] BUT on ground it's as of now enforced between 02:00 am to 06:00 am only !!


P.S:- Also , May be you could Skip Bangalore sight-seeing and spend that extra day in mysore !
It's Worth the stay !!

Hope this helps


Velu

rudra75

It sure helps.
Thanks a lot again for your precise and thoughtful suggestions.
About skipping Mudumalai, I will definitely think it over and let you know.
Regarding that 1 day Coonoor Trip, what else is there to see apart from Sims Park ? Can you name a few sites there ?
Now regarding Mysore, I think there is a day-long trip of KSTDC, covering Mysore City, Somnathpur, Srirangapattan & Brindavan Garden.
Apart from this, there's Chamundi Hills and Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary(very near to Srirangapattan). Are there more places to see ? Can you tell me the reason behind your suggestion to skip Bangalore and to extend my stay in Mysore for a day ?

Lastly, what are the checkout times for Hotels in Bangalore(I think it is 24 hrs), Mysore and Ooty ?
Can suggest some good budget hotels in all the three places ?
Since I am going in the end of December (rush time), is there any need to book Hotels prior to my visit ?
Can I book KSTDC tours from Kolkata ? I can't find the address of the KSTDC office in Kolkata.

pmvelu

Coonoor , When I visited I did Dolphin's Nose, "Shooting Spot" and also included a "Aborted-trip" to Avalanche [Due to very poor roads] and I visited one or 2 more tourist spots but I forgot the name. You could do a search in internet on Coonoor's tourist places !


I just thought Mysore is more calm/ Quiet/ with no Traffic / pollution when compared to Bangalore and has lot more for tourists to visit .

Tentatively, in mysore itself,

Day 1 :

Morning -> Palace + zoo
Post Lunch -> Karanji lake + Chamundi Hills

Day 2:-

Shrirangapatna tourist spots + Ranganathittu BS [until 4 pm] followed by a visit KRS

Day 3 :-

If time is there, You could hire a cab and do Talakkad[ Temple under Sands], Somanathpura [ Excellent hoysala Architecture] followed by a Visit to Shivasamudra Waterfalls [ This is seasonal and hence you could take a call when you are at mysore]. All these 3 places make a perfect day !

Reg. Hotels :-

In Ooty ,I shared what I experienced over here [ Post: No: 2]

Recommendation on Hotel in Ooty


In Mysore, you could get an idea about accomodation in this thread


Mysore accommodation help!

Also, you could visit "Hotels" Subforum in Indiamike for hotel recommendations for many places in India!

Also December is officially "Second Season" for ooty and Mysore will also be loaded with tourists and hence an advance reservation on rooms may be better !


I am not sure about address of KSTDC in Kolkatta !!

Velu

rudra75

Hi Velu,
You are precise and informative as always. I won't waste time in thanking you again and again, because your inputs are invaluable for someone like me who's groping in the dark.
Will go through the links.
Now, there's a slight change of plan. I will be staying at Bandipur before continuing to Mysore. Taking your advice, I decided to skip Mudumalai.
Regarding Bandipur, where to stay in the jungle, so that I can feel the environment and take the safari?

Day 1: Boarding Chennai Mail from Howrah
Day 2: Reaching Chennai at 17.15; Boarding Nilgiri Express at
21.00
Day 3: Metupalaiyam at 06.15; Boarding Toy Train(07.10) to
Ooty(Sightseeing)
Day 4: Ooty
Day 5: Ooty (Sightseeing); Ooty to Bandipur; Stay in Bandipur;
Take the Safari
Day 6: Safari in Bandipur(If not taken the previous day);Bandipur
to Mysore
Day 7: Mysore
Day 8: Mysore sightseeing; Mysore to Bangalore (Bangalore
sightseeing)
Day 9: Bangalore sightseeing; Bangalore to Yesvantpur; Boarding
train at Yesvantpur
Day 10: Train
Day 11: Howrah

pmvelu

@Rudra,

If you are specific about staying in "Bandipura", Budget way is to book Forest Department guesthouses !. Please be aware, you should be a real "Wildlife Enthusiast" to stay in Forest Dept Guesthouse as you can't [ Not Advisable] to venture out of your room from 5:30 pm + until 6:00 am ! Booking for this is possible ONLY in bangalore that too over phone only.. Might be a difficult option to reserve but all the best !

If you are on high end, you could book JLR , Bandipura and there are other 2 lodges just oppostite to JLR, Bandipura[ Jungle Lodges & Resorts] !

And if you want a relaxed stay, you could explore "Masinagudi/ Bokkapuram" area [ 3 kms before Mudumalai NP / 13 kms before Bandipura NP when you come from ooty] where you have many a lodges /resorts !. I do not have any personal recommendations. IF nothing works out with Bandipura Stay, you could try in this area and Masinagudi / Bokkapuram is Plains from where the Ghat road to ooty / Gudalur starts and you will have a fine view of Nilgiris Mountain ranges from any resort / hotel from this location and climate will be good !

Your overall itenary looks fine !. And If you do not know, Bangalore Jn / Majestic Bus stand are just opposite to each other [And From Mysore if you are taking Bus or train to bangalore you will be reaching any of the two] ! From there, Yeswanthpura Jn is 50 Rs in Auto Or 150 Rs in Taxi !

Have a Fantastic Trip Ahead !

Velu

n kumar

Hi rudra,
I was little busy, sorry. I am sure staying in bandipur forest guest house will be a wonderfull experience and i have stayed with children in almost all their guest houses in bandipur, nagaraholle, kallahalli, dandeli, badra, etc and they advice us not to venture beyond a particular distance thats it, if you tip the forest guy and that will be different story. You cannot book these rooms thru phone, you should personally meet the deputy conservator of forest to get the booking.
You can try your luck with conservator of forest ooty, govt of tamilnadu and try to get the booking from their if possible. The eelphant ride in the morning and elephant feeding time in the evening will be wonderfull experience in madumalai.

rudra75

Thanks Velu. You are singularly informative as usual.
Been asking around here in Kolkata. Safari Lodge(is this under JLR ) costs Rs 2750 (per head all inclusive) for a night's stay. Though I don't know whether they are available or not. The agent told me they will only know after they send an email to Karnataka Forest Dept. Can you give me the email id of the Karnataka Forest Dept. to book cottages in Bandipur.

Hi, N Kumar. Good to have you back. I cannot personally meet the deputy conservator of forest, since I am in Kolkata. Can you suggest me an alternative way to book the cottages/dormitories in Bandipur from Kolkata?

Waiting for your replies.

Rudra

n kumar

Hi,
JLR has got nothing to do with forest department, karnataka jungle lodges and resorts is a seperate body altogether. I had to use influence to get the accomodation booked at the forest dept,

n kumar

Hi rudra,
Please visit this website http://karnatakaforest.gov.in/FRH_KFD/FRH.html#Mayur

alok_verma27

why not u miss banglore also?

rudra75

Visited your link. But I think if I opt for forest department rest houses, there's a possibility that if some VIPs come, I will have to vacate the rooms immediately. I think this is the condition for any forest department rest houses across India. This will be a problem.

@alok_verma27
Couldn't get your point.