Ooty, The Most Beautiful Hill Station of India

Ooty Lake

Ooty, also called as Queen of Hills, is one of the most beautiful hill stations in India. It's located in Nilgris district of Tamil Nadu, India at the junction point of Eastern and Western Ghats. Otacamund, Uthagamandalam, Nilgiris and Uthagai are some other names of Ooty.


Its elevation is about 2,286 m above sea level and total area is 36 sq Km . This beautiful hill station attracts thousands of tourists from both domestic and foreign countries each year. Cloud dwelling peaks, chill weather, endless green carpet like tea estates, thick evergreen tropical forests, magnificent lakes, picturesque natural sceneries would make any one to love this place.

Ooty was developed during the end of 18th century by the British people as they wanted a neat place to spend their summer days. Once this place had been the summer capital for the Madras presidency. Its deep green valleys and high mountains with dense forests attracted Britishers and made them call it as the'Queen of Hills'

Weather of Ooty

During summer days Ooty has a maximum day temperature of 25 degree Celsius and a minimum temperature of 10 degree Celsius and in winter season the night temperature goes down zero and day temperature lies between 15 to 20 degree Celsius. Both North-East and South-West monsoons bring copious rains to Ooty. The average annual rainfall is 120 cm. The better time to visit this place is 15th April to the end of May.

Places to Visit in And Nearby Ooty

Ooty boasts many worthy places to enjoy. It can be said as a paradise for the people who want to enjoy ultimate beauty of nature. Ooty Lake, Botanical Garden, Doddabetta Peak, River Pykara, Coonoor are some places of attraction in and around Ooty.

Ooty Lake

This is an artificial lake constructed by John Sullivan, British officer, in the year 1825. It's located at the heart of town and spreads over 4 sq. Km. This has been surrounded by different species of woods including eucalyptus and pine. Pedal boats are available for hiring and we can enjoy the beauty of Ooty while riding on boat. There is an amusement park for children nearby the lake.

Botanical Gardens

Botanical Gardens

It can be said as the most attractive place in Ooty. The garden has been beautifully constructed and maintained and lies at the central place of  the town. We can enjoy very rare species of plants, trees and flowers and beautiful green dawn here. The numerous variety of roses in different colors is the special attraction of the garden. It's is also provided with rare variety of trees like cork, paper bark, monkey puzzle and so on. There is a glass house at the center of  the park containing  plants and flowers that we have never seen before in our life. This garden is under the management of Horticulture department of Tamil Nadu.

A view from Doddabetta Peak

Doddabetta Peak

Doddabetta is the highest point from where we can enjoy bird's eye view of the hill station and surrounded areas. It is located at about 15 Km away from Ooty at an elevation of 2,637 m above sea level. There is also a telescope house from where we can get closer look at different parts of Ooty. One should not miss this peaceful and the most beautiful point of Ooty.

River Pykara

River Pykara

 This is an important river flows in Nilgris district. We need to travel about 20 Km from Ooty to reach this river. During South-West monsoon period water flow will be more due to frequent heavy rainfall. A dam and power plant here will offer a peaceful and wonderful atmosphere. The forest rest house is an additional attraction. Boating is also available in the dam area.

Coonoor

Coonoor is the second largest town in Nilgris district and it is located at an altitude of 1840 m above sea level. We will come across this place while we are traveling to Ooty from Mettupalayam. This is also provided with many interesting items. Sims park is a worthy place to visit here.

Traveling to Ooty by Train

That would be really an amazing experience if you had a chance of traveling to Ooty by train. The train runs between Ooty and Metupalayam. We can enjoy heart winning natural sceneries of Nilgiris while traveling by this train which will run trough hundreds of bridges, thick forests, green plantations and about 18 tunnels.

Accommodations at Ooty

There are many hundreds of luxurious hotels here. Some of them are The Willow Hill, Blue Valley Resort, Sagar Holiday Resort, Nagar Residency Hotel, Hotel Khems and these are located desirably at the central part of the town. If you want to have a pleasant stay with reasonable tariff, you can visit Hotel Tamil Nadu located at Charing Cross Road.

Getting there

Ooty is well connected by road and rail from other parts of the state and country. The nearest airports are Coimbatore, Mysore and Chennai.