#IndiaOffBeat 2nd Day – Visiting the Sanctuary Avalanche in Ooty
It is an amazing feeling to wake up in the hill stations. The mornings with the foggy view outside your window and the another 5mins you wish to be in your bed. As no one will pull you from your bed as you can’t go out till it clears up. We had to wait too before we started our #IndiaOffBeat 2nd Day – Visiting the Sanctuary Avalanche in Ooty.
The 5mins Was Over
Yes, I was still in bed when the 5mins turned to be an hour. We were 30mins early before the buffet breakfast would have closed for us to starve. Grabbed as many items as I can on my plate to keep me full until the evening. As the place we were visiting had not much around but a canteen as I read online.
The Fog Was Still Not Over
It was still quite foggy as we left the hotel in our Ola Outstation Cab. We wanted to visit two places today as it was our last day there. So we drove towards Doddabetta – Highest Peak in Tamil Nadu/Eastern Ghats. You can read about it visiting the link as this wasn’t the first time I was visiting there. But still, the telescope’s were not there in the telescope house at Doddabetta.
After spending some time at the Peak we headed towards The Sanctuary Avalanche. Which was around 31 kms away from Doddabetta. And took us 2 hours to reach there which we never felt as the beautiful roads kept us busy with landscapes changing with every km. I think we were about 5kms away from the spot when we lost our network. And Google too acted weirdly as we felt lost in the middle of the dense forest.
Even our driver was there for the first time and felt a bit worried as the roads were not that great and we had no connectivity to check. But we drove ahead and finally saw some cars parked at a distance. There were no signboards or anything which could have helped us to reach the place.
Also, I made a video on the Sanctuary Avalanche Check that out as well below –
The Sanctuary Avalanche
This was I hope the most beautiful and natural parking spot I have ever visited. With the clouds moving around the trees high on the mountains and approx 50 monkeys all around the place. Jumping all over the huts I think made for people who want to spend the night there. With plans already made if I visit Ooty next time, I will surely spend a day at this place. Ignoring the fact that the monkeys would definitely join us for dinner and sleep.
You are not allowed to take your vehicle into the Sanctuary except for some with permission from the forest department. But there were government buses to take you inside and out. So we headed towards the ticket counter, which looked like the houses of Hobbiton in the movie Hobbit. You had to register your names first which was later called out to buy the tickets. The timings for visiting the Sanctuary Avalanche is 9:30 AM – 3 PM and you are charged 150 Rupees/Person if you take the bus. And if you want the Jeep Tour it would cost you 1200 Rupees for 8 People. We took our tickets for the last bus that day as it was already getting dark and was around 2 PM.
Entering the Sanctuary Avalanche
The whole experience the ride in and out of the Sanctuary Avalanche is called the Eco Tour. I felt sad that people are not allowed to ride on this road. Because of every moment out there, it was mesmerizing you won’t even blink your eyes. As the view kept changing with every turn we took. I wished if I could ride on my own around this place for once.
Shola Falls
After some time we reached the first spot of the Eco Tour. The Shola Falls, which was a small roadside waterfall with a view of the forest in front. With so many trees you would take days to count. Sholas have been derived from the Tamil word “Solai” meaning an evergreen forest. After the falls, we headed over to the Avalanche Lake the main or the prime destination of the Eco Tour.
Avalanche Lake
With a waterfall far from us and the whole area covered with fog. I wondered, what if the lake was too fogged out for us to miss this opportunity to see it. The beautiful naturally formed lake in 1823 AD due to the massive landslides. That is how it got its name the Avalanche Lake.
As we reached the place it was half covered with fog, but everyone, including me, was in love with the view. Never ever seen something like this in my life. In no time the fog disappeared, giving a glance of the whole lake I grabbed my camera to take as many pictures as I can before the lake vanishes again. We spend some time there even though it was cold and headed back.
The Temple
On our way, we encountered the Bhavani Temple and asked the driver to stop for a moment. So I could take a picture of the awesome Temple as you can see. There was a waterfall flowing below the temple with tremendous speed. Which was also an amazing addition to the Eco Tour. We didn’t get time to stop at the temple as it was getting dark. And we had a long ride too after reaching the parking spot. Also, as it was the habitat of wildlife like Tiger, Leopard, Gaur, Nilgiri Thar, Sambar Deer, Sloth Bear, Barking Deer, and Nilgiri Langur.
So that was the Eco Tour of the Sanctuary Avalanche. With incredible gems created by nature for you to wonder how as you take the ride into the Sanctuary.
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Fantastic photos and the place is amazing. I missed it on my Ooty trip. I repent of that. Anyway, enjoyed your post.
Thanks….Next time don’t forget to visit 😀
Wow! Its beautiful isn’t it? Love the western ghats!
It was an amazing experience 🙂