The Nature's Roadtrip

Story of a road trip from Bangalore to Ooty

Over the years, I have seen way too many movies about road trips. And all of them have been about the main characters getting involved with whirlwind romance during these road trips. In real life, you do not get to experience that, though. Ok, it's another thing if you are on a road trip with your significant other, and you can do all those sweet couple things with them. But even though I am a hopeless romantic, I enjoy my road trip solo or with my homies. 

Let me tell you a story about my road trip from Bangalore to Ooty, which bought me much closer to our mother nature - 

Go your own way - 

No, I am not talking about Fleetwood mac's song here; I am telling you to go your own way. There are three different routes you can take from Bangalore to Ooty. Well, do your research to see which path has what tourist points, which would be ideal for you, and do not get FOMO if you miss one place. Choose the route that best suits your plan, budget, and days. So, when I planned this trip, I did complete research to plan my itinerary. Still, it took me hardly a minute to decide the route, which was Bangalore – Mandya – Mysore – Gundlupet – Bandipur – Mudhumalai - Masinagudi – Ooty. Why? Well, you will know as you read further.

Mysore Morning - 

I, with a couple of friends of mine, started the journey around 3 AM. As if the chilly air wasn't enough to bring goosebumps, the excitement about the road trip had my heart beating loud. As we started our journey blasting led zeppelin so early in the morning, we reached Mysore just in time to watch the sunrise. 

The best thing about a road trip from Bangalore to Ooty isn't the tourist points you can see but the journey itself. As you drive on the roads shadowed by pines and other trees, the highway from the city leads to the dense forest, as you can't help but get lost in admiring the beauty of varying landscapes. One suggestion is to please make your road trip playlist carefully; you do not want to be interrupted by fighting with your travel partners over the music. Your car will come across steep hairpin bend curves, which will give you a gorgeous view of the valley.

As we arrived at Bandipur, the greenery on either side of the road suddenly appeared denser and thicker, and I could hear the distant sound of an elephant somewhere among this emerald maze. As we started driving through the park, we saw a peacock playing peek-a-boo behind a majestic tree. A herd of Indian elephants was busy having their green food, and I felt one of them even smile at us. Then suddenly, a few deers came out of nowhere, hopping on the road, which was a beautiful sight. We met a lot of other creatures just chilling around like deers, monkeys, langurs, peacocks, and elephants. If you see a wild bear, please do not poke them!

Eye of the tiger - 

After Bandipur, we went to drive through Madumalai tiger reserve, the entrance into Tamil Nadu. It was such a unique driving experience, and we came across around 36 sharp hairpin bends. Yes, I counted. However, we didn't meet any tiger, but the journey through lush greenery and valleys was filled with loud road trip songs and abundant laughter due to my friend's corny jokes and extreme joy.

On the road again - 

We arrived in Ooty, which, as you know, is the home for a fantastic tea. Driving through tea plantations on both sides is a mesmerizing experience. 

Driving back, you can choose the second route so that you won't miss out on the beauty over there as well. Short road trips over the weekend will give you memories to cherish for a lifetime!