OOTY - the queen of hills

Ooty also known as "Udhagamandalam" situated at an altitude of 2,240 meters above sea level is the "Queen of hill stations" and the capital of Nilgiris district. It is one of the most popular tourist resorts in India. Nilgiris means "Blue Mountains" and used to be popular summer and weekend getaway for the Britishers during the colonial days. An added attraction for the tourists to Udagamandalam is the mountain train journey on a ratchet and pinion track which commences from Kallar, near Mettupalayam and wends its way through many hair-raising curves and tunnels and chugs along beside deep ravines streams and tea gardens.

Ooty is also a great Honeymoon Destination. Its visited as part of Bangalore - Mysore - Ooty holiday packages.
 

How to Reach Ooty?

By Road
Ooty is situated on National Highway 67. There is a regular bus service from Bangalore, Mysore, Coimbatore, Calicut, Kanyakumari, Thanjavur, Tirupathi and Cochin, Sulthan Bathery and Gundulpeth.

Distances from Ooty

Ooty to Chennai - 535 km (Via Salem)          Ooty to Coimbatore - 89 km

Ooty to Coonoor - 18 km (Via Gudalur)         Ooty to Mysore - 155km

Ooty to Bangalore - 290 km                        Ooty to Calicut - 187 km

Ooty to Cochin - 281 km (Via Coimbatore and Palghat)

Ooty to Kodaikanal - 236 km (Via Coimbatore and Palani)

By Train
Nearest broad gauge railway head is Mettupalayam (46 kms). Major broadgauge railway junction is Coimbatore. It is connected with all major cities. Mettupalayam to Ooty, is connected by a Mountain Railway which is 4 hours journey.

Niligiri Mountain train

The Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) is one of the oldest mountain railways in India. The NMR was declared by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in July 2005. It is the only rack railway in India, and uses the Abt system. The 'Nilgiri toy train' connects Ooty to Mettupalayam, at the foot of the Nilgiris.  It was in 1854 that the first plans were drawn to build a mountain railway from Mettupalayam to the Nilgiri Hills. But it was a good 45 years later in 1899 that the first train chuggd up this track. The train is hauled uphill by steam engines, designed and built by the Swiss Locomotive Works. The train covers the 46 km to Udhagamandalam in four - and -a half hours. There are five stations between Mettupalayam and Coonoor - Kallar, Adderely, Hill Grove, Runnymede and Kateri.

By Air
Ooty does not have a civilian airport and is not connected by air. The nearest airport is in Coimbatore, 100 km away. Also Ooty can be accessed from Kerala side through Calicut International Airport (146 km) west of Ooty.

Must See in Ooty

Ooty Botanical Gardens - The 22 Acre Botanical Garden was laid out by Marquis of Tweedale, the then governor of Madras in 1847 and is presently maintained by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The original purpose of the "Botanical Gardens" was purely academic: to promote and study the various flora in and around Nilgiris. A flower show along with an exhibition of rare plant species is held every year in the month of May at this garden. The garden also has a 20 million year old fossilized tree.  The garden is also ideal for birding.

Ooty Lake & Boat House - This is an artificial lake built by John Sullivan. It used to be much larger at that time.The lake is bound by grooves of eucalyptus trees which augment the scenic beauty of the area. Next to the lake there is a Mini Garden with an amusement park for children and a toy train.
 

Ooty Railway Station - The railhead of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway itself is part of this World Heritage Site. Ooty Railway station offers a unique glimpse of the British raj built railways

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St. Stephen's Church - This one of the oldest churches in the town, it architecture is essentially old style with tall spires. It is located near the District Court house building.

Wax World - A wax museum that houses life-size look-alike wax statues of personalities of Indian history, culture and heritage housed in a 142 year old bungalow.

Doddabetta Peak - It is the highest peak (2623 meters) in the Nilgiris and is about 10 Kms from Ooty. It lies at the junction of the Western & Eastern Ghats and offer beautiful vistas of the Nilgiri Hill ranges. There is road access to the summit. There is a reserved forest area around the peak.

Tea Plantations -Tea plantations are present at a lower altitude and attract a large number of tourists.

Ketti Valley - This valley is referred to as the 'Switzerland of Southern India' due to the year-round pleasant climatic conditions. There is a view point called "Valley View" on the main Ooty to Coonoor road.

Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary - This Sanctuary lies at an elevation of 1140 mts in the junction point of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and extends over and area of 321 sq.kms.A variety of habitats ranging from tropical ever green forest, moist teak forest, secondary grass lands and swamps are found. Panther, Sambar,spotted Deer, Barking Deer, Wild boar,Porcupine etc. The avifauna is varied with Minivets. Hornbills, Fairy Blue Birds, Jungle Fowls etc. It is approachable from Ooty by road Via two different routes. Via Kalhatty 36 Kms from Ooty and the other route is Via. Gudulur which is 67 Kms. form Ooty.

Pykara falls - This is the most accessible of all the nearby lakes. A boathouse and picnic area has been developed to provide access to this area.

Wenlock Downs - This is a grassland area typical of the original bio scape of the Nilgiris. It has gently undulating hills, and is often compared with areas in the British isles such as the Yorkshire Dales. This is a popular film shooting area, particularly two areas situated approximately six and nine miles (14 km) out of Ooty on the main Ooty to Pykara road (also known as Mysore Road). These locations are accordingly named "Sixth Mile" and "Ninth Mile".

Rose Garden -Established on 20th May 1995, in celebration of the centenary of the Ooty flower show, this garden sprawls over 3 to 4 kilometers and is at an elevation of 2200m above sea level. It exhibits a wide variety of roses in the most fascinating colors and sizes. The garden also boasts of more than 10,000 different kinds of roses. It is also called as"Centenary Rose Park."

Cairn Hill - It is situated about 3 km on the road to Avalanche Cairn hill. It is one of the few surviving original walks. The entrance road to the bill is flanked by dense cypress trees.

Mukurthi National Park - A large protected area generally not accessible to visitors. It also contains a lake and peak of the same name.

Tamil Nadu Holiday Packages

Royal Tamil Nadu(14 days)	Tamil Nadu with Kerala (21 days)
Tamil Nadu with Karnataka (16 days)	Tamil Nadu Temple Tour (16 days)
Tamil Nadu Cultural Tour (19 days)	Six Abodes of Lord Muruga Tour (7 days)