Ooty Tourism | Ooty Travel Guide | Ooty Travel Destinations

General Info

Area : 36 sq.kms
Population : 87,763
Rainfall : 121 cms
Climate : Max - 25 Deg c , Min - 5 Deg c
STD Code : 0423

History

Udhagamandalam or Ooty is rightly called the "Queen Of Hill Stations" on account of its unrivalled beauty and everlasting charm.It is in the Nilgiris where the Eastern and Western Ghats meet.The mystic beauty of Ooty lied unknown to the rest of India until it was discovered by the British in the early 1800's.Besides coffee and tea plantations,eucalyptus,pine and wattle dot the hill sides of Udhagamandalam.The summer temperature is rarely higher than 25 Deg c with a minimum of 10 Deg c and winter with a high of 21 Deg c and a low of 5 Deg c,rarely it touches 0 Deg c.

Sightseeing Places In And Around Ooty

Botanical Garden
The botanical garden maintained by the Horticulture Department is a unique place containing a wide range of plants that include different kinds roses,important shrubs,rare flowering plants,eucalyptus trees,several old trees and even a fossilised tree trunk that has become a hard stone in about 20 million years.A beautiful Italian garden,green carpets of well maintained lawns attract the visitors inclined to relax.The summer festival is held here annually in the month of May.The annual flower show is the pride of this festival,besides,cultural programmes are also organised to bring to light traditional classical arts.Adventurous sports like trekking also form part of the festival.

Mini Garden
It is about 1 km from the railway station.This mini garden also called "Children's Lake Garden" is on the way to Boat House.There is a children's amusement park here.A snack bar is also available.Maintained neatly by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation.

Ooty Lake
It is an artificial lake created by Sullivans.It has boating facilities.Even fishing can be done in the lake with a permission.

Rose Garden
Just 4 kms from the Railway Station is the Rose Garden.It is about 10 acres full of roses of 1419 varieties - a real feast for the eyes.

Wenlock Downs
It is heaven for nature lovers,sprawling over 20,000 acres.It was the famous erstwhile Udhaga - mandalam Hunt.The Gymkhana club,the Hindustan Photo Films Factory,The Government Sheeps and the Golf Course are all in the wenlock downs.

Upper Bhavani
It is about 10 kms from Korakundha and 20 kms from Avalanche.This spot is a naturalists paradise.This is also a rich and undisturbed wildlife habitat.From Bangithapal via sirpura one can trek to Silent valley.The permission of the forest department is necessary to go there.

Viewpoints Around Udhagamandalam
Elk Hills,Green Valley View,Snowden Peak and Doddabetta Peak are the most important viewpoints and the chief among them is the Doddabetta peak which is the highest and is at a height of 2623 m.If the day is clear,one can see as far as the plains of Coimbatore and the plateau of Mysore.

Coonoor
17 kms from Udhagamandalam,Coonoor is at an altitude of 2000ft and is the first of these hill stations.It is a small town with an equable climate that has made it popular.The sim's park is the major attraction,though small it is well maintained and contains varieties of plants not to be found in other hill stations.Lamb's rock,Lady Canning's Seat,Dolphin's Nose,St Catherie Falls,Law's Falls,Rallia Dam,The Droog,Pomological Station,Kallan Agricultural Farm and Burliar Agricultural Farm are the other important view points,picnic spots and places of tourist interest in Coonoor.

Mudhumalai Wildlife Sanctuary
It is the most prominent in the state and the most important in the southern region.The thickly forested Mudhumalai borders the Bandipur National Park in Karnataka and the Wynad Sanctuary in Kerala.Tiger,spotter deer,elephant,gaur,sambar,barking deer,wild boar,civet cat,flying squirrel,four-horned antelope,bison,mouse deer,common langur,leopard,hyena,sloth-bear and jackal roam about the forest.The birds of the forest include peacock,woodpeckers,several species of owls,vultures,buzzards and the grey jungle fowl.

Theppakadu
It is an elephant camp within the sanctuary.

Kalhatty Falls
It is on the Kalhatty slopes,13 kms from Udhagamandalam on the Mysore-Kalhatty ghat road.The height of the waterfalls is 100 ft.Kalhatty - Masinagudi slope is rich in wildlife such as panthers,bisons,wild buffaloes,wild dogs,spotted deer,sambars and different varieties of hill birds.

Pykara
It is 21 kms on the Ooty - Mysore road.Pykara has a well protected fenced sholas,Toda settlements,undisturbed grassy meadows and wildlife habitat.The pykara dam,Pykara falls and Pykara reservoir attract many tourists.The Pykara power station to which water is carried through pipelines along the slope is a fascinating sight.

Kotagiri
It is 31 kms from Ooty.It is 6503 feet above sea level.The climate here is very salubrious.It is shielded by the Doddabetta ranges which receives much of its rain from the north-west monsoon.One can enjoy a pleasure ride on roads flanked by green tea beds on either side.

St.Catherine Waterfalls
From Dolphin's nose,Coonoor,one can have a magnificient view of St.Catherine waterfalls which is about 250 feet high.But it can't be reached from Kotagiri which is 8 kms from here.To reach the top of the hills,tourists should take a diversion at Araveni on Kotagiri-Mettupalayam road.

Hanging Bridges
It is 14 kms from Gudalur on the way to Mudhumalai wildlife sanctuary.A siva temple at Baro Wood Valley,Marava Kandy Dam at Masinagudi and Moyar waterfalls are the other places of tourist attraction here.

Festivals

Summer Festival
The summer festival in Ooty is the best event during the season in May.Regular cultural programmes,fashion shows,flower and fruit shows,boat races,boat pageantry,dog shows etc..are held during the festival.It is a gay occasion of fun and frolic and enjoyment of never - forgettable experiences.

How To Reach There
The nearest airport is at Coimbatore (100 kms) and flights connect you from there to Chennai,Mumbai and Bangalore.Ooty is on the narrow gauge railway connected to Mettupalayam which is directly connected to Coimbatore and Chennai.Mettupalayam 89 kms from Coimbatore is the down hill station.It is also well connected by good motorable road.There is also a road link from Mysore.