Ooty
Ooty, short for Ootacamund (an anglicized name for Udhagamandalam), is a popular hill resort in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India. The name Udhagamandalam is derived from the TODA word "othakal-mund" which means "house in mountains". Ooty stands at 7,347 feet above sea level in the Nilgiri mountain range. It was founded in the 19th century by the British, and served as the summer headquarters of the Madras Presidency (Madras is now Chennai).
Ooty located at a distance of 105 Kms from Coimbatore is a gem in the repertoire of places in Nilgiri Hills and the Hill Stations in India. It is understood to be the Queen of Hill Stations in India nestled among the picturesque Nilgiri Hills, which once again form a favorite retreat for the people of Southern India. Devoid of snow despite being a Hill retreat, it is a much sought after Hill Station in India. India Travel Destinations organizes and arranges for tours to Ooty with its vast paraphernalia of linked tours and excursions to the nearby sylvan environs.
Places to See
Lake View: About one Km. distance, an artificial lake can be seen with a charming look, which was formed in 1824 by Mr. John Sullivan,the then Collector of Coimbatore.
Doddabetta: It is surrounded by dense sholas. One can have a panoramic view of the landscape. 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.
The Mukkurthi Peak & National Park: Mukkurthi Peak is about 40 Kms. form Ooty. The area is chained by innumberable beautiful and perennial little streams,which fall into Bhavani Puzha. The Mukkurthi National Park is located on the Southern corner of the Nilgiris Plateau. The area contains a viable population of Nilgiri Thar (Hamitragus hilocrius). The Kollaribetta and Nilgiris Peak are other major peaks around.
Government Botanical Garden : This garden was laid out earlier by Marquis of Tweedale, the then governor of Madras in 1847. This garden covers an area of 22 acres. The flora of the garden consist of six section comprising varieties of tree species, grass carpet, variety of ferns, fashioned beds laid beds laid out in an Italian style, multi coloured flowering plants, house ferns and orchids and nurseries. This garden will create tourist's mind a memorable one.
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.
Pykara: It is situated about 21 kms from Ooty, on the Ooty-Mysore Road. The tourist attraction are well protected fenced sholas, Toda settlements, undisturbed grassy meadows and also a good wildlife habitat. The Pykara Dam, Pykara falls and the reservoir attracts many tourists.There is a forest Rest House at Pykara. a boat House with Restaurant is available.
Hindustan Photo Films: The HPF, one of the major industrial units ot the district, is a public sector enterprise. This unit is located (about 5 Km away from Ooty railway station) over a sprawling area of over 300 acres, near the Ooty golf-links on the Ooty- Mysore road.
Travel Information :
The Coimbatore airport is the closest to the hills at 3-1/2 hours by road. There are flights into Coimbatore from most parts of India.
The hills are connected to Chennai by a nightly train. The Blue Mountain Express leaves from Chennai at night, and reaches Mettupalayam, a small town at the foothills of the Nilgiris early the next morning. The road trip from any state is quite scenic, although the Coimbatore-Mettupalayam-Coonoor-Ooty road (i.e. the Tamil Nadu route) is the most travelled and well maintained.
Ooty, South India Hill Station
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