Nestled
beautifully in the Nilgiri Hills, Ooty short for Ootacamund or Udhagamandalam
is located in Tamil Nadu at a height of 2240 m above sea level. It is one of
South India's most popular hill stations and is also known as the "Queen
of Hill Stations". Mother Nature has bestowed Ooty with lush green
forests, scenic landscape, pristine lakes and beautiful tourist attractions.
Conifers, pine and eucalyptus trees grow abundantly in this region and make the
environment fresh, clean and pleasant. Ooty is a destination that can be
visited throughout the year. Summers are quite pleasant, winters are cool, and
monsoons are beautiful.
Ooty
was an untouched area inhabited by Todas, an aborginal tribe who inhabited the
place since ancient times. It was discovered by the British in the early 1800s,
who made it the summer capital of the Chennai Presidency. Various popular
tourist spots in Ooty are the Rose Garden, Botanical Garden which has some rich
flora of the region, Ooty lake, tea garden and coffee plantations, Mudumalai
Wildlife Sanctuary, Pykara fall, mini garden etc. However, in order to truly
experience the beauty of this place, you can take the little Blue Mountain
train to Ooty from Mettupalayam. There, you can indulge in a routine of
picnics, pony rides and fishing. You can even pay visit to the lively Botanical
Gardens, Ooty Club with its British Raj-era ambience, Elk Hill, Club Hill etc.
In order to witness the rolling grasslands and the unique conical huts of the
Toda tribe, a visit to Pykara is a must. Ooty also has the Nilgiri's oldest
Church, the St. Stephen's church which reflects the city's long association
with the British. You can also explore Government Museum to witness tribal
artifacts of the region and other historical relics.
Globetrotters
from all around the world throng Ooty to be a part of it's festivities.
Festivals are a very ingrained part of the lifestyle of Ooty. The Ooty
Mariamman Temple Festival which is held in the month of April every year is an
example of a specific Ooty festival. Similarly, Bokkapuram annual festival(
held in February), Coonoor Mariamman Temple Car Festival (held between April
& May) are festivals that represents the cultural richness of the region.
Food-lovers will love the delicacies that Ooty offers such as South Indian
delicacies, Chinese cuisines, Chettinad chicken pepper (local preparation),
crunchy nuts, fruit chocolates etc. Shopping in Ooty can be done in Charring
cross which is located in the middle of the Ooty town. Here, you can find a lot
of super markets and shops for purchasing home made chocolates and nilgiri tea.
Most of the places in Ooty are within 1 km from this place, like botanical
garden, rose garden, St Stephens church and taxis are easily available.
A
visit to these places will guarantee wholesome contentment & will get you
exposed to widespread tea gardens, coffee plantations, forests and mountains
that characterize Ooty. This eco-friendly land with lush greenery, radiant
flowers, deep forest, lakes and waterfalls offer a fantastic sight and make
your stay laudable.
Fast Facts
Temperature:
Summer : 25 - 10 C
Winter :
21 - 0 C
Best
Season:
April
to June and September to October
Getting
to Ooty
AIR
The
nearest airport is at Coimbatore (105 km).
RAIL
Udhagamandalam is connected by toy train
services with Mettupalayam (46km), which in turn is connected through Chennai
and Coimbatore (98 km) to major cities in India.
ROAD
Good motorable roads connect
Udhagamandalam with:
Mumbai (1,320
km)
Bengaluru (290
km)
Calicut (178
km)
Coimbatore (89
km)
Coonoor (19
km)
Kotagiri (29
km)
Mudumalai (64
km)
Chennai (535
km)
Mysore (160
km)
Thiruvananthapuram (498 km)
Tiruchirapally (302
km)
