Skip to main content

Adieu to Ooty : A Road Trip to Nilgiris

Adieu to Ooty : A Road Trip to Nilgiris - V

Last day of our road trip to Nilgiris, started towards Gudalur packed with lots of attractions to cover. We were delighted to see the weather being good to us at least on the final day of our trip, clear blue sky without any mist or rain.
Road trip to Nilgiris
Nilgiris
Our first stopover was at Sandynulla or Kamraj Sagar dam, can be viewed from the highway itself.

Sandynulla or Kamraj Sagar dam
Sandynulla or Kamraj Sagar dam
After about ten minutes’ drive from Sandynulla, we stopped at the Tree Park or the pine forest located on the right side of the highway. This is also called as the 6th mile shooting spot. The walk through the pine forest was very much soothing. Beyond the trees you can have a view of the typical slopes of Ooty grasslands.
6th mile shooting spot ooty
6th mile shooting spot
Another 15mins drive from 6th mile, is the Wenlock downs of 9th mile shooting spot. This is a must see, with beautiful panoramic views of the grass slopes, lake, and grouping of various species of trees.
Wenlock downs of 9th mile shooting spot
Gorgeous slopes of Wenlock downs
shooting medu ooty
Scenic views of 9th mile shooting medu
Nilgiri Hills ooty
Shades of trees
We continued our journey towards Pykara falls and after reaching the place, got to know the river is dried up so we decided to drive to Pykara Lake.
Pykara Lake Boating house
Pykara Lake Boating house
Pykara Lake is about 1km from the Highway; having relaxed for a while we started at 2.45pm to last destination of our road trip, which was Needle Rock view point. As it was already late and we had to reach Bangalore, so we didn’t go for boating at Pykara.

About 25mins ride from Pykara Lake, was a picturesque spot near TR Bazaar and we couldn’t resist, so we parked our car and went on to explore the lake. This was a perfect spot for photograph, with a lake, green grass, lovely trees, clear blue sky, and mountains in the backdrop.
Picturesque spot near TR Bazaar on the Ooty-Gudalur highway
Picturesque spot near TR Bazaar on the Ooty-Gudalur HWY
We spotted a roadside waterfall on the highway and on other side of the highway was a view of the Mudumalai forest below.
Roadside waterfalls on the Ooty gudalur highway
Roadside waterfalls on the HWY
We reached our last attraction of our road trip, Needle Rock View Point. Time was already 4 past, so we were not sure to trek to the view point, having thought many times we decided to go for it. The place is maintained by the forest department; a 500m trek from the highway takes you to the needle rock view point, and also has a well paved pathway.
Needle Rock View Point
Looks like heavens are opening their doors
The view from the needle point is amazing with a 360 degree panoramic vision. At the Karnataka side is the forest view at lower flat grounds and on the TN side is the view of higher Nilgiri hills, which makes it special. Also Gudalur can be spotted from here. The views stretch across Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Mudumalai National park and Bandipur National park, giving a vision of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka states from the view point. Wasn’t it special and a perfect place to end our journey. 

Needle Rock View Point
It was time for the sun to go down forming magical shades of light through the valley


Labels:
Location: Wenlock Downs, Tamil Nadu

Comments

  1. UnknownFri Jan 05, 03:30:00 PM 2018

    I like the post format as you create user engagement in the complete article. It seems round up of all published posts. Thanks for gauging the informative posts.
    cara menggugurkan kandungan

    ReplyDelete
  2. gunardiSun Aug 19, 12:38:00 PM 2018

    A formidable share, I simply given this onto a colleague who was doing just a little analysis on this. And he in reality bought me breakfast as a result of I discovered it for him.. smile. So let me reword that: Thnx for the treat! However yeah Thnkx for spending the time to debate this, I feel strongly about it and love studying extra on this topic. If possible, as you develop into expertise, would you mind updating your blog with more particulars? It’s extremely helpful for me. Large thumb up for this blog publish!
    Tangki Fiberglass

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sky Islands to the Pacific shores - Part 1: The Sky Islands of Southeastern Arizona

In August 2026, I crossed the Atlantic to chase a long-cherished dream, stepping into the vast, untamed birding horizons of the American Wild West. Across a sweeping route through Arizona, Texas, Utah, and California, I logged 108 total species -  the vast majority of them absolute lifers for me! While the landscapes were vast and the wildlife was extraordinary, what truly made the Arizona portion of the trip unforgettable was the incredible warmth of the local birding community. At almost every trail, feeding station, and wetland, I met welcoming, friendly locals who were quick to share site tips, point out hidden roosts, and make a first-time visitor feel right at home. While North America’s diverse habitats delivered endless surprises, it was Arizona's high-desert canyons, towering rims, and lush riparian corridors that anchored the trip. Here is a location-by-location breakdown of the top birding hotspots, standout avian highlights, and unexpected wildlife encounters from the A...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sky Islands to the Pacific Shores – Part 2: Desert Valleys, Urban Wetlands & The Grand Canyon

If you missed Part 1: The Sky Islands of Southeastern Arizona , we explored the cool, high-elevation pine-oak Canyons of Madera, Montosa, Ramsey, Ash, and Carr, tracking hummingbird diversity and vibrant montane species across the legendary Sky Island ranges. Leaving the high, pine-scented peaks of the Sky Islands behind, the journey transitions into the sprawling lowlands and desert basins of Arizona. This second leg follows a dramatic ecological gradient—from open desert waters and lush suburban wetland oases into the iconic giant Saguaro forests of the Sonoran Desert, before ascending the Colorado Plateau to the high-elevation pine rims of the Grand Canyon. 3. Canoa Ranch Conservation Park Nestled in the Santa Cruz River Valley, Historic Canoa Ranch combines rich Southwestern heritage with wide-open water and vast desert horizons. Spending the late afternoon here delivered a bustling wildlife spectacle right up until dusk. Active hunters like the Belted Kingfisher, Black Phoebe, Ver...
Post a Comment
Read more

Seabird photography adventure on the Isle of May

Seabird Photography Adventure on the Isle of May – July 2025 Tucked off the east coast of Scotland, the Isle of May National Nature Reserve is a dream for wildlife and photography enthusiasts alike - especially during seabird breeding season. My trip in early July 2025 turned out to be more thrilling and rewarding than I had imagined, thanks to an unexpected boat change, incredible wildlife encounters, and a few lucky early moments of solitude with the stars of the island— the Puffins . A puffin staring right at the lens, proud of its catch. Getting There: A Wild Ride on the North Sea Originally, I had booked a standard boat tour with BlueWild from Dunbar harbour, but due to a last-minute issue with the vessel the night before, our journey was downgraded - well, depending on how you look at it - to a RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) . What followed was a wild, wind-whipped ride across the North Sea , bouncing over waves with little warning. Thankfully, our guide kindly offered me a spar...
Post a Comment
Read more

Birding in the Netherlands

The Netherlands has a coastline of over 451 km, wide open to the north sea. Much of its land has been reclaimed from the sea and is below sea level, not surprisingly its coastal wetlands make up some of the best birding hotspots, apart from the inland nature reserves. Close to 500 bird species are recorded in the country, much of them are waders and water birds due to its geography. As a non-resident birdwatcher it was not an easy task to locate the right bird watching spots, whilst ebird helped considerably, the rest was on me to explore the Dutch lands. Nevertheless, the country is much safer to explore and the good facilities such as birding hides at the right places, easy access to most reserves makes it a birder friendly country. I have explored two of the birding hotspots, the Texel Island and Oostvaardersplassen nature reserve. Apart from these, I found bird watching and bird photography can be interesting in the neighborhood city parks and also tourist places such as Zaans...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chennakeshava temple of Belur- Exteriors

Chennakeshava temple of Belur: Some facts about the Chennakeshava Temple: Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana defeated the Cholas at Talakad & to commemorate this great event built many temples in 1117 A.D., of which Chennakeshava temple at Belur is the most important & beautiful , dedicated to Keshava one of the 24 forms of Vishnu. Although the temple was completed by Narasimha, it took over 103 years to finish the structure. Though the legends assign this temple to have been built by Jakanachari, as per the inscriptions the master builders of this temple are Dasoja and his son Chavana, other sculptors include Chikka-Hampa, Malliyana, Padari Malloja, Masada and Nagoja who bestowed their best in creating this masterpiece. Chennakeshava Temple, Belur Back to the travelogue: Most important aspect of these Belur Halebeedu temples is that Chennakeshava temple is famous for beautiful and intricate interiors and Hoysaleshwara temple is famous for the magnificent sculpture...
3 comments
Read more