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{{Orphan|date=March 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2019}}
{{infobox road
|country=IND
|type =
|name = Mysore-Ooty Road
|translation=
|map=
|map_notes=
|length_km= 158
|direction_a=
|terminus_a= [[Mysore]], [[Karnataka]]
|junction=
|established=1799
|direction_b= East
|terminus_b= [[Udhagamandalam]], [[Tamil Nadu]]
|formed=
|history=
|states= [[Tamil Nadu]], [[Karnataka]]
|cities= [[Gudalur, Nilgiris|Gudalur]]
|maint =
}}
'''Mysore-Ooty Road''' or ''Mysore-Udhagamandalam Road'' is a tourist trail of South India starting from [[Mysore]] in Karnataka state and ending in Udhagamandalam in Nilgiri district of [[Tamil Nadu]] state, [[India]]. Both routes pass through [[Bandipur National Park|Bandipur National park]] in Karnataka and [[Mudumalai National Park]] in Tamil Nadu.
[[File:Bandipur.Karnataka Tamilnadu Border.jpg|thumb|Karnataka Tamil Nadu Border]]At the crossing there are statues of a tiger, a leopard, a gaur, a deer and an elephant.

==Distance==
* Small vehicles take a 124 km route by Mysore-Theppakkadu-Masinagudi-Kallati-Ooty Road.
* Buses and trucks take a longer route of 158 km route by Mysore-Theppakkadu-Gudalur-Pykara-Ooty Road.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mysore.ind.in/mysore-to-ooty-routes|title=Mysore to Ooty Routes|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.h]]olidayiq.com/How-To-Reach/From-Mysore-To-Ooty-472-490|title=Mysore to Ooty - distance, journey time & traveller reviews - HolidayIQ|first=|last=HolidayIQ.com|website=www.holidayiq.com}}</ref>

Ooty is well connected by roads. It is 260 km (172 mi) from Bangalore, {{convert|598|km|mi|abbr=on}} from Chennai<ref>{{cite web|title=How to Reach Ooty|url=http://www.mistairrealty.com/reaching-ooty/|publisher=Mistair Realty|access-date=6 August 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130804212412/http://www.mistairrealty.com/reaching-ooty/|archivedate=4 August 2013}}</ref> (via Salem, Erode, and Coimbatore), {{convert|80|km|mi|abbr=on}} from Coimbatore and {{convert|124|km|mi|abbr=on}} from Mysore.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bandipur|url=http://mysore.ind.in/bandipur|publisher=mysore.ind.in|access-date=13 January 2013}}</ref> Ooty is situated on [[National Highway 181 (India)|NH 181]] and is connected by road via the five main accepted [[Nilgiri Ghat Roads]]. Bus services operated by [[TNSTC]] and KSRTC connect major towns in the state and nearby towns in the district such as [[Coonoor]], [[Kotagiri]], and [[Gudalur (Nilgiris district)|Gudalur]], Mysore and Gundalpet.

==Bandipur National Park==

[[Bandipur National Park]] ({{lang-kan|ಬಂಡೀಪುರ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಉದ್ಯಾನ}}) established in 1974 as a tiger reserve under [[Project Tiger]], is a [[national park]] located in the south Indian state of [[Karnataka]]. It was once a private hunting reserve for the [[Maharaja]] of the [[Kingdom of Mysore]] but has now been upgraded to Bandipur Tiger Reserve.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bandipur National park|url=http://mysore.nic.in/tourism_bandipur.htm|publisher=Mysore.nic.in|accessdate=2012-10-08}}</ref> Bandipur is known for its wildlife and has many types of [[biomes]], but [[Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests|dry deciduous forest]] is dominant.

The park spans an area of {{convert|874|km2|sqmi|sp=us}}, protecting several species of [[List of endangered animals in India|India's endangered wildlife]]. Together with the adjoining [[Nagarhole National Park]] ({{convert|643|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}), [[Mudumalai National Park]] ({{convert|320|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}) and [[Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary]] ({{convert|344|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}), it is part of the [[Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve]] totaling {{convert|2183|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} making it the largest protected area in southern India and largest habitate of wild elephants in south Asia.
Bandipur is located in Gundlupet [[taluq]] of [[Chamarajnagar district|Chamarajanagar district]]. It is about {{convert|80|km|mi|sp=us}} from the city of [[Mysore]] on the route to a major tourist destination of [[Ooty]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Bandipur|url=http://mysore.ind.in/bandipur|publisher=mysore.ind.in|accessdate=2013-01-13}}</ref> As a result, Bandipur sees a lot of tourist traffic and there are many wildlife fatalities caused by speeding vehicles that are reported each year.<ref>{{cite web|title=Taming traffic in Bandipur National Park|url=http://wildlifetrustofindia.org/news-archives/2008/10/16/taming-traffic-in-bandipur-national-park/|publisher=Wildlifetrustofindia.org|accessdate=2012-10-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121217050209/http://wildlifetrustofindia.org/news-archives/2008/10/16/taming-traffic-in-bandipur-national-park/|archive-date=17 December 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> There is a ban on traffic from 9 pm to 6 am of dusk to dawn to help bring down the death rate of wildlife.<ref>{{cite web|title=Night traffic ban at Bandipur extended from 9 to 12 hours|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/205090/night-traffic-ban-bandipur-extended.html|publisher=Deccanherlad.com|accessdate=2012-10-08}}</ref>

==Mudumalai National Park==

The '''[[Mudumalai National Park]] and Wildlife Sanctuary''' ([[Tamil language|Tamil]]:'''முதுமலை தேசிய பூங்கா மற்றும் விலங்குகள் சரணாலயம்''') also a declared [[tiger reserve]], lies on the northwestern side of the [[Nilgiris (mountains)|Nilgiri Hills]] (Blue Mountains), in [[Nilgiri District]], about {{convert|150|km|mi}} north-west of [[Coimbatore|Coimbatore city]] in [[Kongu Nadu]] region of [[Tamil Nadu]]. It shares its boundaries with the states of [[Karnataka]] and [[Kerala]]. The sanctuary is divided into five ranges – Masinagudi, Thepakadu, Mudumalai, Kargudi and Nellakota.

The protected area is home to several [[Endangered species|endangered]] and [[Vulnerable species|vulnerable]] species including [[Indian elephant]], [[Bengal tiger]], [[gaur]] and [[Indian leopard]]. There are at least 266 species of birds in the sanctuary, including [[critically endangered]] [[Indian white-rumped vulture]] and [[long-billed vulture]].<ref name="atree">{{cite web|url=http://www.ecoinfoindia.org/lldb_mudumalai_ws.php|title=Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary|work=Conservation database|publisher=[[ATREE|Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment]] Eco-Informatics Centre|accessdate=2009-11-09|location=Bangalore|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091224213607/http://www.ecoinfoindia.org/lldb_mudumalai_ws.php|archivedate=2009-12-24}}</ref>[[File:Masinagudi_-_mudumalai.jpg|thumb|Mudumalai tiger reserve]]
The [[Western Ghats]] Nilgiri Sub-Cluster of {{convert|6000|km2|sqmi}}, including all of Mudumalai National Park, is under consideration by the [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Committee]] for selection as a [[World Heritage Site]].<ref name="UNESCO" >UNESCO, World Heritage sites, Tentative lists, Western Ghats sub cluster, Ooty. retrieved 20 April 2007 [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/2103/ World Heritage sites, Tentative lists]</ref>

==The driving experience==
{{unreferenced|section|date=December 2019}}
===Mysore to Nanjangud===
The road in this sector 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 dhabha 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.

===Nanjangud to Gundlupet===
This stretch also has two way road without any toll. There are some beautiful churches and temples on this way. 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.

===Gundlupet to Gudalur===
This is a single line track passing through two national parks. You can find humps every 300 meters and the driving is very unpleasant. Night traffic is banned and animal sightings are rare during daytime except for elephants and deer.

===Gudalur to Ooty===
This is a very scenic uphill route but traffic blocks are very common near the Frog Hill viewpoint. They last for one or two hours. The two sides of the road are very scenic with shola forests, undulating hills and lakes.

==Image gallery==
<gallery>
File:Kakkanallah checkpost.Bandipur.jpg|Kakkanallah Checkpost
File:Gundalpet.Mel Kamanahalli.jpg|Melkamanahalli village
File:Theppakkadu Junction.36 km to Ooty.jpg|Theppakkadu Junction
File:Gudalur Busstand junction.2017.jpg|Gudalur Bus Stand Junction
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Nilgiris district]]
[[Category:Roads in Mysore district]]
[[Category:Roads in Chamarajanagar district]]
[[Category:Roads in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Roads in Mysore]]

Mysore-Ooty Road - Revision history

imported>Vijethnbharadwaj: added category