The Narrow Trail - Ooty, Tamil Nadu

A journey in the mountain train of Ooty is heavenly. Starting at Mettupalayam, 46 Km southeast of Ooty, Blue Mountain Express gets pushed by an engine instead of being pulled! This small town is full of crowd and it is practically impossible to ascend the train from Coonoor, a stop Enroute to Mettupalayam. However, the overpowering Nilgiri landscape enchants you so that you forget the discomfort of the crowds and get lost into the blissful greenery.

This is a journey nobody should miss. A journey where you jostle with unimaginable crowds and squeeze into tiny coaches, a journey where you feel you can actually reach out and touch the elusive Nilgiris. It starts at Mettupalayam, 46 Km southeast of Ooty, where you board the Blue Mountain Express that gets pushed by an engine instead of being pulled! When you hear frequent references to the Ooty mountain train, you would somehow conjure up Lilliputian images of people sitting in orderly, storybook fashion. That'd sure mistake, for this small train of the Nilgiris couldn't be more full, with human forms oozing from every pore! And if you still harbour rosy images, try clambering on from Coonoor where it stops en route to Mettupalayam. This is a precious travel tip, mind you.

But once you're on, it's heaven. The overpowering Nilgiri landscape has the ability to make you oblivious of the human ocean around you and the greenery is bliss. It's a memorable 4?5-hour journey, so don't miss it for anything.