Nov 23, 2007 06:35 PM
23210 Views
I could not find KOTAGIRI, so posting my review under Coonoor as it is a part of Ooty, Coonoor circle.
After a long monotonous schedule at work, I decided to take a break. My parents were here in Bangalore for sometime so I decided to take them to some really beautiful places in South India.
I had few hill stations in my mind before I started my search. Coorg, Ooty, Wayanad, Coonoor. Nilgiris are really beautiful. During one of my earlier visit to Ooty, I had been to Kotagiri which is around 30 KM from Ooty. Its on the other side of Dodabetta mountain which saves it from cold winds and shields it from the fury of rains. Also it is little lower in altitude so the temperature remains in comfort zone. Its not in regular tourist itinerary, so not crowded at all and has very thick tea plantations.
On searching reviews about Kotagiri, I came across Ridgeway cottages which is basically a 125 years old British bungalow owned by a Goan family from Panjim. I got the mail id and wrote to the owner about the bungalow. He was prompt to send me some recent pictures which I liked and booked the bungalow.
I started in my Swift with my parents, my wife and her cousin early in the morning at 6 from Bangalore. Took route through Mysore, Bandipore(spotted many deer, sambhar, and a bison en route). Took shortcut route from Mudumalai via Masinagudi to Ooty as the road is in far better condition and distance is half of the main route via Gudalur. One benefit is only cars are allowed, no transport vehicles, no trucks and no buses are allowed. I came to know the reason when I started climbing:) it is one of the toughest ghat route I have ever seen and the road is very narrow(1.25 lane I would say). Ascend is from 800 meters above MSL to 2200 meters above MSL in just 20 KMs. Took some 1 and half hour and 1st n 2nd gear driving to reach Ooty. Roads in Ooty are really BAD with dust everywhere. Crossed Ooty and WOW. Roads are like carpet in ghats and reached Kotagiri in 45 minutes.
About Kotagiri:Kotagiri is situated at about 1793 meters above MSL surrounded by LUSH GREEN forests and TEA gardens. Kotagiri enjoys a climatic advantage over Ooty in that it is protected by the Doddabetta range from the onslaught of the south-west monsoon and strong winds.
Now coming back to Ridgeway cottages, the place is excellent. on the top of one hill and the valley of that hill has tea gardens. A huge British style bungalow with one living room, TV room, dining room, kitchen with all utensils, 2 large bedrooms, 2 guest rooms and everything what a family needs(it is holiday home for Rebellos from Goa), a small but nicely maintained garden which gives splendid view of the valley below and Tea gardens. A well maintained property. Its situated on the edge of Kotagiri and the Nilgiris biosphere is just 10 minutes walk from there(Nilgiris biosphere is thick dense forest full of wild animals) Bison and wild boars frequent the tea gardens and I was lucky enough to spot a wild boar on final day of my stay in the campus. They have a cook too who can cook food on demand and they don’t charge anything for that service. Ask him to buy groceries from local market and he will get and cook meals for you. Ideal place to spend holiday. Just sit on aaraam kursi in garden and watch clouds dancing in the valley. Overall a nice place for a very personal holiday.
*How to reach:
From Bangalore:** Kotagiri is around 325 KM from Bangalore via Mysore, Bandipore, Ooty. It is around 9-10 hours by car. Buses are available from Bangalore to Ooty. From Ooty there are frequent buses plying to Kotagiri. It takes 45 minutes from Ooty to Kotagiri. Would suggest taking your own vehicle as the route is beautiful and you would love driving on ghat roads.
From Chennai: There is an overnight train to Coimbatore. From Coimbatore, BG train link up to Mettupalayam is there. From Mettupalayam, MG train service is there up to Ooty which passes through Coonoor. From Coonoor, Kotagiri is 45 minutes by bus.
Nearest Airport is Coimbatore which is around 115 KM and has good road and train connectivity with Nilgiris.
*Places to see:
1. Old CNI Church: This is hardly 0.5 KM away from the bus stand. The building is a masterpiece. a grand one constructed some 130 years ago. The views of valley from the campus are simply breath taking.
2. Tea gardens: They are really beautiful. Lush green and with light tea fragrance around. Ridgeway has their tea estate which is a treat to eye. There is around 30, 000 acres of tea plantation in and around Kotagiri.
3. John Sullivan's bungalow: John Sullivan, a civil servent with British Empire was the person who discovered Kotagiri. His bungalow is still there with a large collection of 19th century photographs of Nilgiris and photos associated with construction of Nilgiris railway line.
4. St.Catherine waterfall:around 10 KM away from Kotagiri which is worth visiting.
5. Kodanadu view point: Around 20 KM from Kotagiri, this is one of the best view points in Nilgiris. At this place the Nilgiris mountains end and you can see a huge drop of about 5000 feet. Then there is a river in the plains and on the other side a 3000 feet high Mysore plateau. On a clear day, one can see Mysore from there. A nice place with stunning views.
6. Coonoor:This is another hill station which is about 26 KM from Kotagiri on Coimbatore road. Coonoor is an army cantonment and a very clean hill station. It has many good places to visit, like tea factory, Sims park(botanical garden), dolphin's nose(a view point).
Eating out: There are not many options as this place is not frequented by tourists. A few restaurants are there around bus stand. In Coonoor, there are many restaurants which serve both south Indian as well as North Indian food.
Places to stay:There are few good resorts in Kotagiri which are the holiday homes of some rich people and businessman staying in metros. They are available for tourists at bargain rates. You will get personalized and customized service and you can use the kitchen, all appliances there. I got a bargain deal for Ridgeway at Rs 3000 per day for whole bungalow. Only had to spend for grocery from local store and the cook prepared meals.
What to buy: There is nothing special there except TEA. You get good local tea at local grocery stores. Tea gardens also sell tea at discount rates. You can also buy local chocolate which is Yummy.
My take is that if you wish to visit Ooty, avoid staying there. Stay in either Coonoor or prefer Kotagiri. These places are not commercialized and they are very clean towns. In my view, Ooty is highly commercialized, accommodation is not value for money and infrastructure like water availability, electricity and roads are really BAD. I purposely avoided Ooty as it was Dashehra break and it was flooded with tourists. Doddabetta, second highest mountain in South India and highest in Nilgiris is must visit as it gives complete view of Ooty, Kotagiri and neighboring hill stations. Also Botanical Gardens, Pykara Lake and 6th Mile view point in Ooty are MUST see. On Sunday, 14th October, started back for Bangalore. Took the same route and reached Bangalore in 9 hours after 4-5 breaks in between.
