Udhagamandalam / Ootacamund (Ooty)

Location : Niligiri District, Tamil Nadu
Area : 36 Sq. kms.
Attractions : Ooty Lake, Dodabetta peak, Botanical Garden
Ideal Time to Visit : February to May and September to November.

¤ Ooty, The Queen of Hills

Known as the "Queen of hill stations" Udhagamandalam (Ooty), is the capital of Nilgiri district. Ooty is situated at a distance of 105 km from Coimbatore, at an altitude of 7,349 feet above the sea level in the Nilgiris. The temperature ranges from 25 degree Celsius in summers, to chilling cold in winters. Doddabetta is the highest peak of 2623 kms and the height of the hills in the Nilgiri range varies between 2280 and 2290 meters.

Ooty is situated at the meeting point of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, three southern states of India. This lovely hill station was established by the Britishers, in the first half of the 19th century. It also serves as summer headquarters for the government of Madras. Earlier, the area was inhabited by Todas, the tribal people who still live here.


¤ Attractions At Ooty

The beautiful hill station of Ooty, draws quite a good number of tourists from all over the world. The natural beauty of this region is outstanding and memorable. Apart from the natural splendors, Ooty has many more attractions that are worth a visit. Some of the important ones are the Botanical Gardens sprawled over an area of 50-acre. It was established by Marquis of Tweeddale in the year 1848. These gardens lie on the lower slopes of the Doddabetta peak, the highest point in Ooty. Another exotic garden found here is the Rose Gardens, situated about 3 to 4-km away from Charring Cross. They are spread over an area of 10 acres of land with 2000 variety of roses.

There is also a Mini Garden over here along with a children amusement park. Definitely, a worth visiting site. Another famous attraction here is the Ooty Lake, a charming artificial lake. Constructed in 1824 by Mr. John Sullivan, the then Collector of Coimbatore. A noteworthy attraction of Ooty is the St Stephens Church situated in the hilly area on Club Road. It is said to be the oldest church in the Nilgiris. This church was built in the year 1829 and consecrated in 1830. The cemetery close by houses the grave of John Sullivan, the founder of Ooty. Another outstanding attraction here is the Doddabetta peak. It is the highest peak (2623 meters) in the Nilgiris and is situated about 10-km from Ooty, offering a beautiful view of the Nilgiri hill ranges.

Another engrossing attraction here is the Deer park situated at a distance of 1-km from the Lake. It is a worth visiting park. There is also a Government Museum, situated at Mysore Road in Ooty. It owns a wide collection of items of tribal objects, district's ecological details and representative sculptural arts and crafts of Tamil Nadu. It was set up in 1989, with an aim to provide education benefits to the residing and visiting population of Nilgiri district. Another attraction here is the Hindustan Photo Films, one of the major industrial units of the district. It is located about 5-km away from Ooty railway station and is sprawled over an area of over 300 acres, near the Ooty golf-links on the Ooty- Mysore road.


¤ Excursions

Ooty offers a lot of exotic excursion destinations. Some of the important excursion destination are The Mukkurthi Peak and National Park, located around 40-km from Ooty. The Kollaribetta and Nilgiris Peak are other major peaks around. A number of little perennial streams flow between these peaks, which fall into Bhavani Puzha. Another major excursion destination here is the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, located near the Nilgiri Hills. This sanctuary has varied landscape with open grassland, swamp and valley.

Near Ooty, Pykara is an important excursion destination, situated at a distance of 21-km. The tourist attractions of this place are the Toda settlements, untouched meadows and rich wildlife habitat. Other added attractions at Pykara are the Pykara Dam, Pykara falls and a lovely reservoir.


¤ Adventure

The Nilgiris near Ooty are a trekker's delight. Here you can try your hands on adventure sports like Hang-Gliding, Angling and Trekking. A trek can be a thrilling experience, full of excitement and adventure. It will change your way of seeing and enjoying nature.


¤ Festivals

At Ooty, a summer festival is held each year during the month of May in the Botanical Gardens. The Flower Show is the highlight of this festival. There are many Cultural programmes organized for those interested in traditional classical arts. Adventure sports like trekking also forms part of the festival. The annual "Tea and Tourism Festival" celebrated in the month of January is a festival attracting quite a good number of tourists.


¤ Shopping

There is a range of things that one can buy from Ooty. Exclusive Nilgiri products including Nilgiri tea, fruits, natural oils like Eucalyptas, Toda embroideries, plant nurseries are easily available in the town. Some of the best places to shop fruits and general groceries are Co-operative Super Market and Municipal Market. Kairali of Kerala Handicrafts and Poompuhar of Tamil Nadu Handicrafts have their showrooms near to Super Market Buildings on Charring Cross.


Reach Ooty

By Air : The Coimbatore airport, situated around 105 km from Ooty, is the nearest airport.
By Rail : Ooty is on the narrow gauge railway, connected to Mettupalayam (47 km), which is directly connected to Coimbatore and Chennai. The famous toy train connects Ooty with Mettupalayam and Coonoor.

By Road : A good network of roads and national highways connect Ooty with all major towns and cities. There are regular bus services to and from Coimbatore, Trichy, Bangalore, Madurai, Kanyakumari, Mysore, Palghat, Calicut, Tirupati and other important destinations in South India. Ooty is also well connected with major cities of Kerala and Karnataka.

Local Transport :Taxis, tourist cabs, auto rickshaws are available in plenty. Except for tourist cabs there are no standard rates. Town buses are also available to all important places. Conducted sight seeing tours are arranged by the private operators and the Government Tourism Development Corporation.