Ooty is the famous hill station of Tamil Nadu, and it’s another name is Udhagamandalam. This Nilgiri hill place is a sheer beauty and pleasure place of the South India. The natural beauty of the spot is capable of make the moment memorable. The plush tea gardens, lined streets, falling orchards, green pine and trees of eucalyptus with multi-coloured floral offers this place as first choice for a nature lover. Toy train of Ooty is special as lots of songs and movies being made on this train.
Attraction of Ooty:
Botanical Garden: This is the famous the
park which is spread in 55-acre land area. This garden is situated at Dodabetta
hill, and it is the top peak point of Ooty founded by John Sullivan. John was
the collector from Coimbatore and also a discoverer of Ooty for summer season.
Here tourist will be able to enjoy watching diverse flora, which includes 30
varieties of eucalyptus, and colourful avian city. Special events conducted in
the summer season could be different experience for a tourist. The Summer Festival
is performed every year in May. Tourist can enjoy events such as flower shows,
cultural programs, dog-shows and trekking sports.
St. Stephens Church: this is another spot,
which is located on Club Road of Ooty. This church is designed with
gothic-style. This oldest church of Nilgiri hills is the good place to visit.
Ootacamund Club: This club is added into
the list of best preserved colonial clubs in the country. Playing golf or
selecting different activities in this club is diverse experience.
Rose Garden: This is the park located at 3
km distance from Charring Cross. The area of park is about 10 acres and there
are more than 2000 varieties of roses in the garden.
Lake of Ooty: lake of Ooty is one more spot
where a tourist can watch the natural beauty of the hill station. It is just
2.5 km far from the local bus stand, and its founder is John Sullivan. This
lake is turned as the most beatific spot of tourist in Ooty. The mini-train
helps the visitors to take a round of the park. Boating is another option in
this park and tourist can enjoy the fishing with other events as well. However,
tourist has to take prior permission for fishing from the concern department.
NMR (Nilgiri Mountain Railway): this is the
most amazing part of journey of Ooty. This World Heritage Site covers a good
distance of 46 kms through various Nilgiri Hills. There are 208 curves, 250
bridges and 16 tunnels throughout the journey. This journey starts from
Mettupalayum, which is 1069 ft higher. The train takes approximately 290
minutes to reach Ooty, which is situated at the good height of 7,440 ft.
Adventure escapades: those people who love,
hang-Gliding, Trekking and Angling kind of activities can reach the Ooty
adventure escapades to enjoy some amazing sports.
Some nearby tourist spots of Ooty:
Coonoor: just, 10 kms away from Ooty where
people can enjoy Dolphin's Nose Viewpoint, and many other things such as water
falls and parks.
Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary: this is
another spot, which is just 67 kms from Ooty bus stand. It is one of the
largest populated areas of elephants in India. The wild dogs, Nilgiri langur
(monkey), gaur (Indian bison), jackal, bonnet macaque, hyena and sloth bear are
some big animals that visitors can watch in this sanctuary.
Avalanche: next-best spot near Ooty is an
avalanche which is just 26 kms away from the city. Here people can do the
fishing and some more water sports though, summer is the best season to visit
this place.
Some more places like Mukurti (36 km),
Pykara (21 km), Kalhatty Falls (12 kms) are other places for visitors.
Reaching Ooty:
By Air: nearest airport to reach Ooty is Coimbatore.
The journey between Coimbatore and Ooty is 3 hours 30 minutes. Frequent flights
are available from various parts of the country to reach Coimbatore.
By Train: The Nilgiris Express is directly
connected from Chennai to Mettupalayam. Mettupalayam is the closest railway
station to reach Ooty. This small town is situated at foothills of the Nilgiri
Mountain. The train commences at 6.30 am so visitors should plan their trip
accordingly. From Mettupalayam, the Toy Train is available to reach Ooty. This
toy train moves twice a day so tourist can reach the spot accordingly. However,
passenger capacity is less of this toy train so first come first serve is the
procedure to get the train.
By Car: the beautiful hills and their
amazing view from the car could be different experience for a tourist. The Blue
Mountains known as Nilgiri’s are full of natural beauties and deep valleys. The
heavily forest winding roads and sharp bends give diverse feeling.
By Buses: Buses from different
parts are reaching directly to Ooty so visitors can go through deluxe or
comfort buses. Selection is based tourist comfort as there are lots of public
transport vehicles are available. Coimbatore is just 89 Kms away, Mysore is 160
Kms, Bangalore is 290 Kms, Kumarakom / Calicut is 187 Kms, Kochi / Cochin is 281 Kms, Kodaikanal is
256 kms, Tiruchirappalli / Trichy is 302 Kms away from Ooty.