Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
walk around hills, tribal villages and tea plantations. The tourist office can give basic in-
formation about some self-guided hikes but doesn't have any leaflets or decent maps of
them.
More serious trekking in the best forest areas with plenty of wildlife - such as beyond
Avalanche to the south or Parsons Valley to the west, or in Mukurthi National Park - re-
quires Tamil Nadu Forest Department permits and you will probably need to take a guide
from the department. Take a written application and your passport to the
District Forest Office
Nilgiris South Division
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
( 2444083;
dfosouth@sancharnet.in
;
Mount Stuart Hill)
or
District
Forest Office Nilgiris North Division
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
( 2443968;
dfonlg@tn.nic.in
; Mount Stuart Hill)
:
permits, if granted, are normally issued the same day. The department has basic accom-
modation available in some locations. A great trek of three to five days, if you can organ-
ise it, is the 'Silent Valley' route southwest from Bangithappal in Mukurthi National Park,
to the Sispara Pass and down to Walakkad and Sairandhri in Kerala's Silent Valley Na-
tional Park.
Stuart Hill; 10am-1pm & 3-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat)
can be helpful with trekking advice. Its
members can act as guides for ?2000 to ?3000 per day (including food).
Boating
9am-6pm)
by Ooty's lake. Prices start from ?100 (with a ?100 deposit) for a two-seater
pedal boat (30 minutes).
Horse Racing
Ooty's racecourse dominates the valley between Charing Cross and the lake. Racing sea-
son runs from mid-April to mid-June, and on the two or three race days each week the
town is a hive of activity; it's an event you can't miss if you're in town. Racing happens
between about 10.30am and 2.30pm.
Tours
Fixed taxi tour rates are ?800 for four hours tootling around Ooty, ?950 for Coonoor (four
hours), or ?1600 for Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.
