The “queen of hills” of South India, situated amidst the Nilgiri hills, Ooty hill station, situated in the tri-junction of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala gives people a chill and calm environment. Situated at a distance of 555km from Chennai, Ooty was the summer capital of the Madras Presidency during British rule.
Udagamandalam or Ooty is an integral part of the western ghats, which are also a Unesco World Heritage site.
This paradise is a cultural hub, one can do numerous activities here, like trekking, hiking, going for a bicycle ride and exploring tea plantations.
This place is a retreat for many. The calm and serene Ooty attracts tourists from all around the world.
Ooty was first found in 1819 by John Sullivan. He was the Collector of Coimbatore and it was subsequently named Ootacamund or Ooty from the word Ottakkalmandu, which implies the ‘town of a solitary stone. Udagamandalam is the Tamil name proposed by the public authority. The whole area was the home to the Toda tribe.
Ooty has made its charm in Bollywood too. few movies which are shot in Ooty and loved by all of us are
Barfi, Dil se, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Raavn, Ajab prem ki gazab kahani, Andaz apna apna, etc.
So many romantic scenes from these movies and various others are shot in Ooty, this is another reason why you should not miss a trip to Ooty. Go and let your inner actor create some Bollywood-style memories here.
How to Reach Ooty Hill Station
Now, since we have got an idea of how beautiful Ooty hill station is just by reading about it, let’s search for ways how we can visit this paradise in southern India.
Via Air: The closest airport is in Coimbatore, 100 km away. You can get a non-stop trip to Coimbatore from Chennai, Kozhikode, Bangalore, and Mumbai. Indian Airlines flies Delhi-Kochi via Mumbai and Coimbatore.
Via Train: Indirect train routes to Udagamandalam are throughout the country. One can take a train up to Coimbatore and afterwards the charming Nilgiri Mountain Railway, otherwise called the toy train. It is one of only a handful of leftover diesel motor trains and although it throws up enormous dark clouds of pollution, it is a significant vacation thing.
The closest wide rail line head from Udhagamandalam is in the minor Mettupalayam, which is 46 km away. Mettupalayam is associated with Udhagamandalam by a four-hour venture on the Mountain Railway. The significant rail route intersection is Coimbatore. Coimbatore is associated with all significant cities in the country.
Via Road: Ooty is very much connected to major roads and highways. It is 535 km from Chennai (using Salem), 89 km from Coimbatore, 18 km from Coonoor (through Gudalur), 155 km from Mysore, 187 km from Calicut, 290 km from Bangalore, 281 km from Kochi (through Coimbatore and Palakkad), 236 km from Kodaikanal (through Coimbatore and Palani).
There is an ordinary bus service from Bangalore, Mysore, Coimbatore, Calicut, Kanyakumari, Thanjavur, Tirupati, and Cochin. Buses run routinely to Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Kotagiri, Coonoor, and Doddabetta.
Ooty hill station has taxis, three-wheeler bike carts, neighbourhood transports, and during the season, guided tours to take you around the city. Fixed costs for standard visitors’ sights are recorded at the Charring Cross taxi stand.
Best time to visit
The best thing about Ooty is that every time is the best time to visit here. Each season has something new, something different to offer.
This “ Queen of hill stations” gets tourists around the year. The most preferred time is from October- June.
Ooty in Summers: March-June
Ooty is a sense of relief in the scorching heat. With the day temperature of around 25 degrees, which is a little hot, it is still bearable in comparison to so many other cities in the country. While the days are just okay the nights get pretty pleasant. It is the perfect weather to walk around.
You may get occasional rain too
Ooty in Monsoon: July-September
The temperature during this time remains between 5-15 degrees. Well, this might not be the best time to visit here if you’re travelling with family. But if you are a nature lover, and you are planning to visit here just to relax, there is no better time than Monsoon.
The waterfalls will be filled, tea gardens will be rejuvenated, and you can feel floating clouds while roaming around. This is the best time to avoid all the tourist crowd. But this is also a comparatively dangerous time to drive around. The mountain roads get slippery because of all the rain.
Ooty in Winter: October-February
The weather gets chilly, the concept of morning walk ends, probably the treks and adventure activities get closed because of snow, hence winters can be avoided for a trip to Ooty.
The days stay sunny, yet the breezes can make you shudder. Thus, you should carry warm comfortable clothes with you. Snap a few pictures at the well-known shooting centres in Ooty or take a ride on the Toy Train, it will be a deep-rooted memory for you. Furthermore, winter likewise is the collecting season for some tea samples. Thus, you may get some new tea flavours from the neighbourhood shops.
Sightseeing options in Ooty
Ooty is a saviour to the hustle & bustle of city life. With panoramic views, lakes, Nilgiri mountains, and toy trains there are so many things to do in this town.
Here are a few of the best options from the city for you to visit.
Every spot in Ooty guarantees an extraordinary and energetic experience that will leave you in awe for a long time to come. With these outstanding and unique spots to see, you will have a memorable trip to Ooty.
Avalanche Lake: At a distance of 28km from Ooty, this lake has attracted many tourists because of its history. This natural lake was created because of a landslide. This is a perfect place in the city for a family outing. You can just sit here for hours or you can do various activities like fishing, hiking or camping.
Ooty Lake: A man-made lake, developed only for fishing purposes, has now gotten possibly the most famous spot in Ooty with scenic views in all directions you see.
It is a spot you just can’t miss on your outing to Ooty. Also, the popular celebrated summer celebration is organized here in which the boat races and other such games attract the crowd. Besides, you can do cycling here by taking a cycle on rent.
Emerald Lake: Situated close to the Emerald Village in the Nilgiri District, Emerald Lake lies in a place known as Silent Valley. It is around 25 km away from Ooty.
An excellent lake offers an ideal spot for an outing where you can relax and invest some quality time with your loved one. Tea gardens on the other hand add beauty to the lake.
Nilgiri mountain railway: The World Heritage Site also known as The Toy Train, introduced by the British, is one of a kind activity to do in Ooty. An excursion in the toy train gives its travellers a lifetime experience as the ride offers you dazzling scenes, thick woods, a streaming waterway, and the sun sparkling wonderfully over them. It is the steepest track in Asia and as the train takes you to the higher elevations, you will witness how beautiful Nilgiri is. You will observe a ton of scenes on the ride. The 5 hours in length Journey to Ooty is the time you will love spending on this 46 Km track as it is a once-in-a-blue-moon sight.
Kalhatty Waterfalls: Around 13 km away from Ooty, on the Ooty-Mysore Road, Kalhatty Waterfalls is quite possibly the most wonderful waterfall that you will see in your Ooty Tour. This waterfall can be reached through a journey of 2 miles from Kalhatti town. It is believed that the incredible Hindu holy saint Agastya once lived here. With its rich avian fauna, it is regularly visited by bird watchers too. Its beauty makes sure to leave you enchanted.
Botanical Garden One of the most popular and favourite places for nature lovers. Here one will find a unique variety of flowers, plants, and ferns. The garden is divided into three green segments that are spread across the area of 55 acres of land and decorated with rich green yards and artificial lakes. Another well-known fascination of the Botanical Garden is the Fossil Tree Trunk which is 20 million years old. There are more than 600 types of plants and flowers developed here. Hence, this place is like a paradise for flowers and plant lovers. It requires around 3 hours to explore this garden completely.
Toda Huts: Want an extraordinary memory and love witnessing something unique? Well, then you should visit the Toda Huts in Ooty. These are the living spots for the Toda tribe, one of the native clans of Ooty. The cabins are made to look like semi-barrel. These cottages don’t have any windows and extremely low entryways where one needs to stop and enter. While once you are inside the hut there is space to stand comfortably.
Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary: A tiger reserve, a treat for wildlife enthusiasts, this wildlife sanctuary located in the Nilgiri district is home to 50 tigers. A wildlife safari to be enjoyed, encircled by greenery, with the sweet hints of the birds behind the trees, appears to be advantageous to invest your energy here. Mudumalai National Park is another best place to visit by nature lovers when on their visit to Ooty.
Wax World Museum: Situated at a distance of 2 km from the central town or the main city, Wax World is certainly a must to see in Ooty. Some genuine sculptures of extraordinary Indian characters have been shown here. A portion of the sculptures at this historical centre is of Mahatma Gandhi, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Mother Teresa, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, the late Dr.A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, and some more. This place is very informative and a must to see.
Places to visit near Ooty Hill Station
Now we know the queen of hills has got so much to offer, it’s time to visit its neighbours for more beauty, adventure, and peace.
Coonoor: Located at a distance of only 19kms from Ooty, Coonoor is an enchantingly peaceful spot away from the buzzing of the city. It is situated at a height of 1930 meters and is an ideal spot to have a one-road trip from Ooty. If you are wishing to have a better and more beautiful view of the Nilgiri mountains then there is no better place than Coonoor for you. One of the spots that you should visit when in Coonoor is the grand Catherine falls which offer a majestic and refreshing view. Different places that you should visit are Law’s Falls and Sim’s Park. Dolphin’s Nose, and Highfield Tea Estate among others for a memorable trip.
Bandipur: The home to Bandipur National park and one of the best-known tiger sanctuaries. The Bandipur National Park offers a serene view of the Nilgiris. In light of its great biological surrounding, it is the territory for a few different creatures like elephants, hornbills, deers, pythons, sloth bears, pythons, jaguars, and so on. On the chance that you are a nature and wildlife enthusiast, this park is probably the best spot to visit close to Ooty. It is situated at a distance of 41kms from Ooty and is an extraordinary spot for an ideal escape.
Coimbatore: Coimbatore has arranged a way off of roughly 85km from Ooty. Popularly called the ‘Manchester of South India’, Coimbatore enchants with its dazzling mountains, amazing cascades, mouth-watering foods, and lovely climate throughout the year. It is probably the biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Coimbatore is known worldwide for an immense and noteworthy 112 feet tall sculpture of Lord Shiva, known as the Adiyogi Shiva Statue.
Wayanad: An unexplored, untouched destination nestled in the western ghats offers a pristine place to visitors. This place is home to the world’s second-largest and India’s largest earth dam, the Banasura Sagar Dam. This place not just offers cool and pleasant temperatures, but a lot more, like, it has a few of the rare woods, cloudy mountains, and long spread plantations. Popularly known as the spice garden of India, Wayanad has numerous tourist places and immense plantations of different spices like cardamom, Black pepper, Star Anise, Fenugreek, Black cumin, and then some.
Munnar: Munnar lies at a distance of 237 kilometres from Ooty, and it takes around seven to eight hours to reach there. It is an extraordinarily captivating hill station situated in the Idukki region of Kerala. Settled in the Western Ghats, and offering panoramic views of tea gardens, Munnar is an incredible spot to enjoy some quality time with your loved ones. The name Munnar means ‘Three Rivers.
Best things to eat in Ooty
No matter if you are a localite or a visitor, you always crave local food, a way to know the culture. Ooty has so many tempting or mouth-watering options to offer the people.
Chicken Chettinadand or “Kozhi Varutharachathu” will surely become a part of your favourite list if you like your chicken on a spicy side.
Avial, a dish made by blending seven to eight vegetables is one of the untouched top choices of the people in Ooty. The dish tastes marvellous and is likewise profoundly nutritious.
The coconut burfi which you get in the pastry kitchens of Ooty is an absolute to-try dish.
Whenever in Ooty, how can you miss a cup of coffee or tea from its plantations?
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