Gudalur
Gudalur is a small town near Ooty in Tamil Nadu, India. Gudalur is a cheap alternative to Ooty as there is very little traffic and accommodation is not that expensive. Nature is the main attraction of Gudalur.
Understand
A place with mountains, valleys, evergreen forests, spices, tea, coffee, paddy and vegetables. Gudalur is the meeting point of three cities -- Mysore, Ooty and Calicut.
Get in
Gudalur is three hours by bus from Mysore. You can also reach here from Kozhikode and Ooty by bus. There is no rail link. When you come to Gudalur from Mysore, the road is two track with a toll booth in the middle. The major tourist attraction is the S.G.S.Ashram with an aviary, library and museum inside. There are good restaurants like Rhythm.n.Hues, The Evergreen, the Grand View and Vishnu Cafe before reaching the airport. This is a very silent airport as no flights are operational now. Before airport there is a scenic place with a lake and bend in the road.
After Kadakola town, there are two Punjabi dhaba restaurants offering private outdoor huts. There is a riverside temple at Sujathapuram and also India's oldest railway bridge is located here. Cafe Coffee Day has an outlet here. Royal Hotel provides Kerala style food. Nanjangud town has many lodges and restaurants. Many Kerala restaurants dot either side of the road. There is a drive-in-cafe 15 km from Nanjangud. There is an outlet of Cafe Coffee Day another ten kilometer forward. The stretch of road from Gundlupet to Gudalur is a single line track passing through two national parks. You can find humps every 300 meters and the driving is very unpleasant. The road from Gudalur to Ooty is a very scenic uphill route but traffic blocks are very common near the Frog Hill viewpoint. They last for one or two hours.
Get around
The ubiquitous yellow autorickshaws are easily available everywhere. They do not charge much.
Government-operated government bus services are also available from all nearby locations and main areas.
See
- Bandipur.
- Chandanamalai temple.
- Devarshola.
- Devon Estate. A beautiful tea estate close to town.
- 🌍 Frog Hill (Frog Hill View) (view point). Frog shaped mountain
- Hanging Bridges.
- 🌍 Mudumalai National Park.
- 🌍 Needle Rock, 5 km. Fantastic view point
- Undulating Tea Estates (wherever you look).
- Tropical Gene Pool Garden (Nadugani). 2424 acres area. 47,000 plants. second best of its kind in the world. Museum of butterflies. Accommodation, food and trekking facility.
Do
Gudalur is an ideal place to stay if you are interested in visiting the tea gardens on the way to Ooty. Pykara lake is only 30 km away
- Mango Orange village, Pandallur, Devala (17 km). Excellent place for trekking.
Buy
- Ganesh Bakery, Ooty Road.
Eat
- Archies Curry Lounge, Ooty Road (1 km), ☏ +91 4262 263 907.
- Hotel Runs, Ooty Road. Hotel has a good non-vegetarian restaurant.
- Indian Coffee House (ICH), Mysore Road. ICH offers quality vegetarian food.
- Suya Mess, Mysore Road (2 km).
Sleep
- Anasuya Regency Hotel, Police Station Road, ☏ +91 4262262463.
- Cafe Inn, Chevidipet, Mysore Road (2 km), ☏ +91 94871 31734. ggtgrand.com
- GGT Grand Hotel, Mysore Road (1 km), ☏ +91 4262261290.
- Hyrana Homestay, Calicut Road, Near the Orphanage (3 km). Cottages inside a tea estate. ₹1,500.
- Misty Grove Resort, Nadugani (2 km). Upmarket property.
- Rockgardens Holiday Resorts, Mysore road, ☏ +91 94862 55687, drsamnilgiris@yahoo.com.
- Runs Hotel and Restaurant, Ooty Road (1 km). Good Rooms ₹500.
- S. S. Lodge, Ooty Road, ☏ +91 94435 23811. ₹300.
- Star Lodge, Near new court, ☏ +91 4262262260. ₹500.00.
- Venus Hotel, Near Bus Stand. ₹500.
- Swamy Dormitory, Mela Gudalur. This place has good views but restaurants are available only down the hill.
- Hilltop Lodge, Akkad Road, Opp. Hanafi Masjidh, ☏ +91 9442081354. There are 23 rooms in total. ₹200 for a single room, ₹500 for a double room with bath.
Connect
There mobile network coverage of B.S.N.L. There is a post office run by India Post.