Red Hills: Information & Tips

          

                                    For stories from my Red Hills trip, read this blog

 

Travelled in: October 2009

 
Getting there: 

From South Bangalore, it was a very leisurely 9 hour drive including a lunch break (approx. 320 kms). We drove slowly through the forest stretch at Mudumalai & had a late lunch stop at Ooty (at Sidewalk café, with fresh wood-fired pizzas). You could get there in about 7 hours.

I would recommend at least a 2-night stay, just so that you get a chance to relax & haven’t spent all your time driving back & forth from Bangalore

Accommodation:

There is only one option for overnight stays: the ‘Red Hills Nature resort’. Though, I would call it more of a ‘very comfortable home-stay’ than a resort. Their website: http://www.redhill-india.com/  
All the land around the area is either a no-development zone or protected land or privately owned land. So, there are no shops or restaurants & none likely to come up either. 

They’re closed during the monsoons (June to August). Check with them if that has changed. 

Tips: 
The road from Ooty to Red hills (approx. 30 kms) is not too suited to all vehicles, except SUVs or 4-wheel drives. The home-stay has parking arrangements for your vehicle at Ooty, from where they can pick you up. That’s what we did.  

The rooms have no TV. That worked great for me. For those inclined to get bored, carry books / board-games.

Carry woolens any time of the year, except summer. 

Always carry a pair of good trekking shoes as there are many treks you can go on. The trek up Red hills, right behind the home-stay, is highly recommended. It has views to die for!