Please Review my Itinerary - Mysore - Bandipur - Ooty - Kurumba

Hello,

I am from Mumbai and would be travelling south with my wife and a 1.6 year old baby. Can you please review my itinerary and provide me your feedback whether this would be ideal and relaxing or not. Additionally do let me know other sightseeings that I can do.

May 25th - June 1

Day 1 - Mum - Bangalore via flight; then to Mysore by car. Hope to reach there by max 2 pm and check into Wind Flower spa and resorts.

Day 2 - Mysore. - Sightseeing - Palace, Zoo, Bird sanctuary, vrindavan garden, etc . They would be done on day 1 and day 2 combined.

Day 3- Mysore - Bandipur - check in "cicada resorts, bandipur" for 2 nights. Safari, etc. I don't have much idea what more to do here.

Day 4 - Bandipur

Day 5 - Bandipur - Ooty - Stay at Taj Savoy.

Day 6 - Sightseeing at ooty - Dodabetta, botanical gardens, etc again spread over day 1 and 2.

Day 7 - Ooty - Kurumba village resorts [Earlier we were planning to include 'Destiny Farmstay, Avalanchi' after ooty, but we skipped this and included Bandipur instead.

Day 8 Kurumba village resorts

Day 9 - Coimbatore - Mum

Please review my itinerary and provide your feedback about the hotels I am selecting and the best sightseeing that I can see in these 4 places. I want it to be a relaxing trip with great luxurious hotel stay and do not want to do lots of local sightseeing, but only the best and worth it ones.

Also, since I have a little one with me, I would like to include those places which would interest him as well. He loves animals and that's why I included Mysore to show him Zoo and Bird sanctuary.

One last question, what would be the weather like at these 4 places.

Thanks and looking forward to your feedback.

Cheers,
Mihir

Looks good and fairly relaxed to me.

Though I would personally spend no more than a day in Ooty, which is a crowded place, a first timer may want to spend as much time as you have chosen.

Thanks. That's what I thought.

Perfect itinerary As regards the weather, Mysore and Bandipur should still be hot !
P.S: Also check with your resort if the sanctuaries would be open during that time.

We just returned from a trip to Bandipur and Avalanchi with our two toddlers.

We stayed at Jungle Lodges bandipur, animal sighting is wonderful at this time of the year. I spotted my first ever leopard.

We wanted to avoid ooty during the summer rush, and hence stayted at Destiny's Farm at Avalanchi. The place is a working farm and has that idlyic charm. Kids loved it. Service wasn't top notch and the staff seemed lack the genuine hospitality, worth a day's stay, not more.

Your trip itinerary is fine. Post your experiences at Cicada and Kurumba resorts.

In Bandipur
Safari - The national park organizes 45-minute bus safari into the forest for a minimal fare of Rs. 95/- only for Indians. Foreigners have to shed a few extra bucks. There is also open-jeep safari for Rs. 2200/-. The safari, however, doesn't guarantee that tourists will get to see tiger, as it is a matter of chance.
Elephant rides - Kids would love elephant ride organized by the forest department for Rs. 120/-. The ride is for just 20 mins and it is not a safari.
Trekking in the jungle is illegal and has been banned

Ooty Do not miss the Annual Flower Show which is held in the month of May at the Botanical Gardens.
Sim's park in Upper Coonoor. In May you can attend the fruit and vegetable show which is held annually.
Lamb's Rock 9kms from Coonoor.
Government Museum on Mysore road
Boat House

Assuming that you will have all of day 6 and 7 to spend in Ooty, the itinerary you have is pretty decent. Taj Savoy is one of the nicer hotels in Ooty, infact may be the best too!

Sightseeing of botanical gardens and ooty lake can be done in half or 2/3 of the day perhaps in the morning. The drive to Doddabetta could take upto an hour depending on the traffic conditions and once you are there, you can plan to spend a couple of hours enjoying the view and the beautiful surroundings. Plan on walking atleast a part of the distance on your way back - it's a divine experience.

Overall, I'm sure you will have an enjoyable trip. Provided, you choose to ignore some of the petty quirks that are associated with any tourist spot that are bound to be here too!

Thank you everyone for your wonderful comments and suggestions. I welcome more feedback and would keep in mind when I go for the tour and of course, I will post my experiences here.