Udhagamandalam (Ooty), is spread over a large area amongst rolling hills and valleys. Between the lake and the racecourse are the railway station and bus stand. From either of these it's a 10 minute walk to the market area and 20 minutes to Ooty's real centre, Charing Cross(the junction of Coonoor, Kelso and Commercial roads ). Places To See: Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary: In the luxuriantly forested foothills of the Nilgiri, this 321 sq. km sanctuary is part of a much larger reserve (3000 sq km ) which includes Bandipur and Wynad in neighbouring Karnataka and Kerala. The larger reserve ranges in vegetarian from semi-evergreen forests to swamps and grasslands.

Mudumalai, the mostly dense forest is home to chital, gaur, tiger, panther, wild boar and sloth bear. The park's wild elephant population, one of the largest in the country, supposedly numbers about 600, however you're more likely to see their domesticated brethren carrying out logging duties. The best time to visit Mudumalai is between February and June. Heavy rain is common in October and November and the park may be closed during the dry season.

Travel Information:

Bus the state bus companies all have reservation offices at the bus stand, most open daily from 9 am to 5.30 pm. There are 20 buses daily to Mysore ( five hours ) and many continue to Banglore ( eight hours ) . There are buses every 30 minutes to Coimbatore ( three hours ) three buses a day to Chennai (15 hours ) and also direct services to Kanyakumari (14 hours ), Thanjavur (10 hours ) and Tirupathi ( 14 hours ).

Train the miniature railways is the best way to get here. Departures and arrivals at Mettupalalyam usually connect with Chennai.