General
Wildlife & Tea Tasting tour to Ooty & Coonoor is a 6 day experiential tour through forests of Bandipur & Mudumalai and the Tea havens of Ooty and Coonoor . Key highlights include wildlife safari at Bandipur & Mudumalai, Elephant camp at Theppakadu, Tribal research centre at Ooty, Tea Plantation walk, Tea leaves plucking, Tea tasting, making handmade Tea and visit to Toda Tribal Village for a glimpse into the lives of these ancient people who revere the buffalo.
Day 1 – Bandipur forest
The tour departs from Bangalore (other cities also available) at 630 am. We will go past rustic villages and the towns of Kanakpura, Malavalli and Bannur before reaching Mysore by 1130 am. We go past Mysore and Nanjangud to enter the magnificent forests of Nilgiri biosphere with its breathtaking scenery. We are expected to reach Bandipur around 130 pm.
Our stay is planned inside the Bandipur forest which is both a Tiger and an Elephant reserve. Gaur, deer, leopard, bison, dhole, sambhar, boar and sloth bear are the other inhabitants. The wild life safari is planned in the evening when the animals come to the waterhole.
Day 2 -Mudumalai forest & Theppakadu elephant camp
Today in our Wildlife & Tea Tasting tour to Ooty, we will begin the day by visiting Theppakadu Elephant camp. We will get to see how the elephants are bathed, fed and taken care of. Safari at the Mudumalai forest reserve is the other agenda of the day.
Day 3 – Ooty & Coonoor
After breakfast we leave Bandipur and ride past the forests of Bandipur & Mudumalai once again and head to Coonoor. This 2 hour journey will take us past the popular hill station of Ooty. In Ooty we make a brief stopover. First we visit the incredibly beautiful botanical gardens. Spread over 22 hectares the garden has a 20 million old fossilized tree trunk, an arboretum and thousands of species of plants, shrubs, ferns, trees, herbal and bonsai plants.
Next we ride to the Tribal research centre at Ooty, which is dedicated to the various tribes that inhabit the Nilgiri Mountain ranges like the Todas, Kotas and Paniyas. The museum here provides a good account of the culture and lifestyle of these tribes by way of tribal artifacts, books, audio visual material.
We proceed towards Coonoor which will be our home for the next 3 days. Our stay is planned in a working Tea Estate. After lunch the rest of the day is at leisure. The local cuisine of Badaga community will be served at Dinner.
Day 4 – Plantation walk & Tea tasting
In our Tea Tasting tour to Ooty, today is dedicated to the legendary Nilgiri Tea! Nilgiri Tea is an intensely aromatic, fragrant and flavoured tea. The elevation over 6000 feet, soil type and climate of Nilgiris, gives the Tea a unique balance of flavour and strength. We will start the day with a walk around the Tea gardens and neighboring forests. The guided walk tour will help you appreciate the Eco-system of the Nilgiris. This will be followed by a Tea Tasting session. This will be the highlight of the tour! We will get to taste a wide range of Nilgiri Tea varying in levels of strength and flavour.
Day 5 – Toda tribal experience
We will visit a real Toda Village. Todas are the native tribes of Nilgiris. They are a pastoral people and revere the Buffalo. Buffalo milk products like cheese, yogurt and buttermilk forms their staple diet. We will get to see their unique huts and life in the hamlet. They usually wear a single piece of cloth like the plaid of a Scottish highlander over the dhoti and skirt.
Day 6 – Return journey
We checkout after breakfast and drive back towards Bangalore. We go past Ooty, the forests of Mudumalai & Bandpur, Mysore and reach Bangalore by 5 PM to bring an end to this tour.
Wildlife & Tea Tasting tour to Ooty includes
- Transport- Car/SUV/Coach or Motorcycles as chosen
- Services of a tour guide
- All Meals
- Mentioned activities & experiences
- Accommodation
Next Steps
Call +919845677446
Email contact@5sensestours.com
For guided tours from Bangalore on Royal Enfield Motorcycles please visit 5 Senses Motorcycle Tours.
Belur and Halebid are remarkable sites with Hoysala architecture. For a day tour from Bangalore visit Belur & Halebid tour.
We also organise culture and heritage walks in Bangalore. For a guided walk in Bangalore visit 5 Senses Walks.