Tamil Nadu Tourism - Ooty

Ooty is known as the "Queen of hill stations". Udhagamandalam (Ooty), is the capital of Nilgiri district. Ooty is situated at a distance of 105 km from Coimbatore, at an altitude of 7,349 feet above the sea level in the Nilgiris. The temperature ranges from 25 degree Celsius in summers, to chilling cold in winters. Doddabetta is the highest peak of 2623 kms and the height of the hills in the Nilgiri range varies between 2280 and 2290 meters.

Ooty is situated at the meeting point of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, three southern states of India. This lovely hill station was established by the Britishers, in the first half of the 19th century. It also serves as summer headquarters for the government of Madras. Earlier, the area was inhabited by Todas, the tribal people who still live here.








¤ Tourist Attractions of Ooty

* Doddabetta Peak
Doddabetta peak is the highest known peak in the region of Ooty and its altitude stays to be more than 2,623 meters in height. It actually stays in the suburbs of Ooty and is hardly 10 kms from the place. Ooty being the hilly place, the areas in the suburbs can too be easily captured in the camera and the hillock as well as the valley is indeed a great sight seeing place. It is a wonderful place for shooting and capturing nature's scenic beauty in the camera and forecast it to the people all around the globe. The hilly regions of Mysore and the open plain lands too can be easily captured in the camera and it is the best place to take a shot.

* Emerald Lake
Emerald lake is a wonderful lake in the upper plateau region of the Nilgiri hills. It is a part of the silent valley and is beside the Red hill nature resort which is a best picnic place of the region. The site of the lake is wonderful and one would definitely love being at that place. One would hold one's breathe by looking at the wonderful sites of the nature and fun is to the fullest. The chirping birds and ducks and other swimming creatures add beauty to the place and the sun set and sun rise is also spectacular here. There is tea plantation in the suburbs and one can enjoy different flavors of tea, fresh and fine.

* Kamraj Sagar Lake
Kamraj sagar lake is a dam and is located in the suburbs of Ooty. It is situated far away at a distance between the woods and greenery all around and hence is a great picnic sport for the people. There is a wide variety of herbs and shrubs available in the terrain and is a good sport for picnic as well as it has been a great sport for the people to capture the scenic beauty in the camera. Several good movies are shot in the neighbourhood on the open roads and on the slopes of the Wendlock sagar. The waters are highly cold and one can have good experience fishing in the place. Fishing industry has flourished there and the chief food available is fish and rice, and one can stuff ones belly in all varieties cooked from the fish.

* Kandal Cross
Kandal cross is Roman Catholic church located in Nilgiri and is the best church for the Nilgiri Catholics of the place. It is considered to be the Holy Shrine of the place. It is also the Calvary of Tamilnadu and is located near Udhagamandalam. It is renowned place for the people of the region and is well known for the wishes of people coming true. That is what the belief of the people is and is known for curing the ill, blessing the people and wishes coming true. People light the candle in the church and wish something from the bottom of their heart, with the great hope of it coming true. It's a great pilgrim place where sacred prayers are always offered on Friday evening.

* Ketti Valley
Ketti valley is a small village developed in the valley region of the Nilgiri Mountains in Tamil nadu. Ketti valley is a valley, which stays to be 7000 feet deep inside the mountains near coonoor. The climate is wonderful and it stays to be good enough all year round. The temperature fluctuations in the year are not much and it stays in the range of 25 to 21 degree centigrades. There are different tea plantations available in the region and tea plantation was firstly introduced in this particular region in southern India. The village is wonderful and it goes to sleep early and follows the old traditional approach of life, which is indeed wonderful.

* MacIvor's Bund
MacIvor's bund is in the suburbs of Ooty and Dodabetta peak. The motor car or bike would be the easiest way to reach the place while one is in ooty. It is a hilly region and one would definitely love to go riding on the motor bike on the roads which have curves and which go steep high in the mountains. There is a beautiful church in the place and it is just 12 kms from ooty. It is very close to the avalanche hills and is just 7 kms apart from there. It is a plain region just in the center of the mountains, which cover it from almost all the sides.

* Main Bazaar
Main bazaar is the central hub and the best shopping junction of the place. All the things which are produced in the city along with all small groceries and cutlery are sold here under a single umbrella. The chief thing produced in this area is tea and all variety of tea is available for tasting as well as purchase. Handicraft and specific paintings made by the local residents is appreciated and highly liked by several people all across the country. Special goodies for the festival are made available and clothes are available in specific local variety which has the essence of the prevalent culture of the place.

* Marlimun Lake Marlimun Lake is located in Ooty and is a wonderful lake of the region. It has all the things which come in one's mind when one thinks of lake. It is clean and neat and is a best place one would love to go for. Several different kinds of boats are made available in this region and one can go boating with the family. Boats are generally in the form of house boats or shikaras and even open boats are available to choose from. The lake is not much deep but it is sufficiently wide enough to have the fountains and water fall in the place which does increase the scenic beauty of the place.

* Mukerti National Park and Lake
Mukerti National Park is situated in the southern region of the Nilgiri and is spread across the whole eastern region too. The park is an abode for a large number of animals and they can breed freely and reside in the protected environment, which is deployed for wild life cultivation. Several measures have been taken by the government to protect this wild life so as to protect the species which are on the verge of extinction. Mukerti lake is jointly established along with the park and birds and ducks which love to live in water are provided with an eco friendly environment so that they can live in a natural environment. Boating is encouraged in the lake and it's a wonderful time going boating in the lake beside the park. The main attraction of this place is Nilgiri Thar (Hamitragus hilocrius). You can also spot Sambhar, barking deer, Nilgiri marten, otter, jungle cat and jackals. Among birds, you can see Laughing and whistling thrushes, woodcock, wild pigeon and black eagle. It also has a large variety of butterflies including blue admiral, Indian red admiral, Indian Cabbage white, Hedge blues, Rainbow trouts and Indian fritillary.

* Mudumalai National Park
The Mudumalai National Park is about 80 KM from Coimbatore on the interstate boundaries with Karnataka and Kerala. It was started in 1940 and the first wildlife sanctuary in South India. The sanctuary is contiguous with Bandipur National Park and Waynad Wildlife Sanctuary. Activites includes Elephant Safari and Jungle Safari. Other attractions are elephant feeding camp,Kallatty falls,Pykara Lake,Moyar River,Museum. A private guest house provides the Jungle Home facility.

* Mukurti Peak
Mukurti peak is amongst the array of mountains in the southern plains of kerala. The place consists of mountains surrounded by great plains on all sides where one can enjoy the beauty of the mountains from the plains and the beauty of the plains from the hillocks. The mukurti peak is about 2553 km in height and is a wonderful place to be in. There are small huts in the place where one can halt and enjoy the culture in association with the nature. The sun rise and sun set can be seen clearly and finely from the hillock and one can enjoy the sights of nature to the fullest.

* Ootacamund Club
Ootacamund club is located on the Nilgiri hills high up in the air. It is almost 7000 feet above the sea level. It is highly popular golf club in the world. It has its footings more than 100 years down the line and is a wonderful place for the people to play and have all great fun playing in the club. It has its wonderful website too so that people can book their visits online and have a planned visit to the place. Apart from the games, poker and casinos is what is most loved and opted for by most of the people. People come there from distant places so as to have great fun and enjoy the weekend with their family members and friends.

* Ooty Botanical Gardens
It's the best garden ever known in India and is a great tourist destination. It is located on the hillock of Ooty which is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. It has a wide span of more than 50 acres and is spread along the Dodabetta peak, which stays to be the highest peak in the region of Ooty. The garden is taken great care of by the government and the Horticulture department and has a wide variety of plants and trees. It has been lovers point and has been appreciated by all kinds of people alike. May stays to be the best time to visit the place, and there are several programs organized by the local crowd so as to attract the tourists to visit the place.

* Ooty Lake
Ooty Lake stays in the heart of Ooty with its L shape construction. It is the best place for boating and the summers are primly wonderful. Several boat races are conducted and people have a wonderful time enjoying the sport as such a wonderful place on earth. The function is well planned and organized and there is a huge crowd gathered around the lake at the time of the race. The boat houses is the place where the people reside and its also a great experience staying in a boat house. There are a few children parks where the tourists can halt and have a wonderful time with kids. The means of conveyance stays to be horses and ponies and horse ride is the favorite sport for anyone visiting the place.

* Ooty Rose Gardens
Rose garden is the heart and soul of city of Ooty. The construction is so beautiful and there are small tunnels made wherein the roses are planted in tunnels. This botanical garden stays to be the best flower show of the century and it has the highest amount of rose production in the country. Different kinds of roses are grown in all colors and sizes, incorporating different hybrid quality like tea and miniature roses which are gathering great footing in the market place these days. The roses grown in the Botanical garden are best sold at higher prices in the market and stay longer and are best for the bouquets to be created and are a great memorable gift for the beloved.

* Coonoor
The serene hill station of Coonoor lies in the arms of the Nilgiri Hills. In fact Coonoor is located at an altitude of 1800 m. Geographically speaking, Coonoor lies at the head of Hulikal ravine.This picturesque retreat is covered by grassy meadows, tea bushes, a profusion of sunflowers, marigolds and rhododendrons, all growing wild. Coonoor is essentially a small tea garden town where the weather remains pleasantly cool throughout the year.

* Fernhills Palace
Fernhill Palace was the erstwhile summer residence of the Maharaja of Mysore.The first Fernhills bungalow was built in 1844. This former palace situated around 1 km from the Ooty bus stand.

* Kotagiri
Kotagiri is one of the oldest hill stations in Nilgiri.Situated at an altitude of 6,503 ft. The name ‘Kota-giri’ itself means ‘mountain of the kotas’,the traditional artisans and are experts in the art of pottery and terracotta baking.

* Pykara Lake and Pykara Falls
Pykara Lake and the fall are on the path going from Ooty to Bangalore and are situated close to mudumalai. The lake is a wonderful example of nature's beauty and is a paradise on earth. One would definitely love boating in the wonderful lake and the pykara falls close to the lake is a fantastic place where one can enjoy photography. Several movies have been shot at this place and there is a dam in the suburbs, which provides water to the people in the neighbourhood. There is a wonderful bridge in the place where one can enjoy the shooting and photography too.

* Raj Bhavan
Raj Bhavan is the abode of the governor of Tamil nadu and is located in the City of Madras. Initially Raj Bhavan was in Parade Square, which was destroyed by the French. These days it's located in the Guindy Park and the area covers the region of about 156.14 acres, and several public places are also made in the suburbs. A small part of it has been provided to the forestry department. Several other areas like Adyar River Bed and Ikkadu Thangal too belong to Raj Bhavan and these places are used as water pumping station these days. Several animals like deer, birds, and reptiles too are provided a warm and friendly environment with the nature friendly intention of protecting those species of life on earth. It has more than 150 years of history and is a worthy place keeping up the status of the resident.

* Sanctuary Avalanche
Sanctuary Avalanche is situated in the Nilgiri hills and is a wild life sanctuary which was constructed with the holy intention to protect the wild life in southern India. Several species on the verge of extinction are reared with great care and caution and are provided with an eco friendly environment where they can breed easily and have life going on. The national park is situated about 67 kilometers away from ooty and is a wonderful place for people who love wild animals. Killing of wild life is strictly prohibited in this zone, so if shooting is the passion, this is not the right place to opt for.

* St Stephen's Church
St. Stephen Church is the Gothic church of the place and is one of the best known colonial structures of Ooty. People gather in church and offer sacred prayers from the bottom of the heart. The true feelings of the people reveal the fact that still somewhere on earth, the God is still alive. The church was constructed and carved totally from wood and is the best architectural model from wood. The coolness in the church is wonderful as the whole place is made of wood. It's indeed a great experience staying a closet made from the pure wood obtained from Tipu Sultan's palace and was brought at this place with the aid of series of elephants.

* The Tea Factory
There are several small tea factories which cater the life of the people and provide livelihood to a wide number of people earning their bread from the meager income they avail by working in tea factory. Tea factories are well equipped and produce tea of different qualities and focus on a large international market. The whole process of manufacturing the tea is well optimized and is highly grounded up with well planned process so as to produce highly edible and good quality tea to be sold in the market place. The taste of the fresh, just made tea is so fine that one should taste it once to have that essence of freshness. It would surely be a wonderful experience.

* Tiger Hill
One of the most charming places in Ooty is the Tiger Hill. This beautiful spot lies to the east of the hill station and towards the lower end of the Doddabetta peak. It is located at a distance of about 16km from the main town. You can enjoy a trek upto Tiger Hill. At the site there is a drinking water reservoir which meets the water requirements of the town. There is also a cave close to Tiger Hill. This cave is believed to be associated with many religious legends. This is a beautiful picnic spot and locals and tourists flock to this place to unwind and relax.

* Upper Bhavani Lake
Upper Bhavani lake is a very wonderful lake and has lots of water in it all year through. The lake is wonderful and has great natural beauty. Once if one visits the lake the memory of the lake stays in the mind for a long time. A huge dam is constructed on the lake, which helps in providing water to the nearby regions and that has highly aided in the development of agriculture in that particular area. Specific tea plantations have been encouraged and have flourished well due to the construction of dam near the upper bhavani lake. The name of the dam is Upper Bhavani Dam and it has been named after the name of the lake.