Ooty Hillstation Travel Guide

Udhagamandalam (Ooty), the capital of Nilgiri district, is popularly known as the "Queen of hill stations" among the tourist circuits. It is situated at a distance of 105 km away from Coimbatore.Ooty also known as Blue Mountains has many beautiful spots to offer to its tourists. You need at least one full day to visit these places comfortable.

Ooty, the Queen be seated in this heavenly abode remained undiscovered to the great southern dynasties and it took the British to explore it in the early 1800s. They were, however, not the first friends of this land as a tribe called Todas had been living there long before the British came, claiming that the Nilgiris had been their home since time immemorial. The British constructed the first railway line in the area and made it the summer capital of the Chennai Presidency.

Ooty is one of the most beautiful hill stations in India. This hill station has splendid green downs and lofty hills of extraordinary scenic beauty and is endowed with a salubrious climate similar to the English summer.

Ooty has become more of a 'honeymooner’s paradise' and a de-facto filming location. Apart from coffee and tea plantations, trees like conifers, pine and wattle dot the hillside of Ooty and its environs. While visiting you will also come across many eucalyptus trenches . The fresh smell of eucalyptus trees in a trendy and clement breeze will make you psychedelic for sure. The funnel-shaped blossoms covering the hills in floral profusion and the lavender-blue flowers spread over the mountains will pack you with memories for a lifetime.

The establishment of numerous tea estates made Ooty famous. Lofty mountains, dense forest, sprawling grasslands and miles and miles of tea gardens greet the passengers on most routes. The annual Tea and Tourism Festival attracts crowds in huge numbers. Visit Ooty during this festival, when tea lovers from all over the world converge.

Attractions of OOTY:

Botanical Garden:

Located almost within the city limit of Ooty is a must visit place of Ooty. Try to spend more time here. Botanical gardens are a major tourist attraction for those who visit Ooty. Annual flower show is held here in third week May every year. This show is one of the main attraction of Ooty. The rose garden 750m from Charing Cross contains over 1,500 varieties of roses.

Government Museum – Ooty:

There are many tribal objects and items of use and crafts of Tamil Nadu are displayed here. This museum is located at the Mysore road. The government museum, Mysore Road, Ooty has items of tribal objects, district's ecological details and representative sculptural arts and crafts of Tamil Nadu. It was set up in 1989, with a view to provide education benefits to the residing and visiting population of Nilgiris district.

Stone House:
This house was built by John Sullivan. It was occupied by the Principal of the Govt. Art College. The tribals called it as Kal Bangla (stone bungalow).

Doddabeta Peak:

At a hight of 2623 meters above sea level, this is the highest peak of Nilgiris hills and it is the junction of the Western and Estern Ghats. It is located at a distance of 13 Kms from Ooty.
This is a great place to enjoy the spectacular view of the mountainous valleys and peaks. The place is very serene. This place has a nice view tower wherein you can use high-power TTDC telescope to view surrounding places.

Kalhatty Falls:

The Kalhatty falls are located on the Kalhatty slopes at about 13-km from Udhagamandalam on the Udhagamandalam - Mysore Kalhatty ghat road. Also known as the "Kalahasti Falls", the water here cascades down a height of 122m.

Rose and Mini Garden:

This is a rose garden with more than 2500 varieties of roses. The Rose Garden is situated about 3 to 4-km away from Charring Cross. This garden has largest collection of roses among any Indian garden. There are large and different color flowers available inside the garden. Go for a walk along the side of the different terraces. Carry an umbrella for occasional rains. There are beautiful spots created for taking photos with flowers arches around.

At about one kilometre distance Tourist can visit this mini garden (Children's Lake Garden) which is on the way to Boat House. Children's amusement park is housed here. A snack bar is also available. It is maintained by Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation Limited .

Ooty Lake:

The beautiful artificial Ooty Lake is a favourite haunt of tourists. This lake was built in order to provide an irrigation tank to the people. The 2.5km long lake covers an area of more that 25hectre with the famous narrow-gauge toy railway line running along one bank; rowing boats are available for hire. You can also go for horse-back riding around the lake. This is one of the most popular tourist spot. Pony rides for children is a major attraction. The mini-train for children is still another attraction.

Tea and Tourism Festival:

Tea and Tourism Festival is celebrated in the Nilgiri's Jointly by the Department of Tourism, Government of Tamil Nadu and Ministry of Tourism, Government of Tamil Nadu and Ministry of Tourism, Government of India in every January/February. Cultural programmes, visits to Tea Estates and factories, fun and frolic etc., mark this celebrations. Come to Nilgiri's, during this festival, when tea lovers from all over the world converge.

How to go there:

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. There are no standard rates except tourist cabs. 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.

By Air

Coimbatore, 105 km from Ooty, is the nearest airport.