Major Attractions of Ooty

Ooty, short for Ootacamund or Udhagamandalam is a Beautiful Hill Station of  Tamil Nadu, India.

The word ‘udhagamandalam’ is derived from the Toda word, ‘othakal-mund’ which means ‘house in mountains’.  It stands at 7347 feet above sea level in Blue Mountain Range. 

It was found out and founded by the British in early 19^th century and as such the British influence could be seen in every walk of life even today after a lapse of  two centuries, right from chocolates, cheese, to hand-rolled cigars, etc. Enveloped in mist throughout the year and dotted with orchards of peaches, plums, tea plantations, eucalyptus trees, etc,  it a fabulous Hill Station that you would cherish to spend your precious time with.

Major attractions of Ooty are Ooty  Lake, Botanical Gardens, etc

Ooty Lake

It  is an Artificial Lake constructed by John Sullivan, the First Collector of Ooty.  It has an irregular L-shape and it stretches for more than 2 km in length, however its width varies at regular intervals.   Overall area of Lake is about 1.5 sq miles.

It is located  behind Bus Stand and the railway Line runs along one of the banks of Lake itself.  There is a  Boat House at its far end where  rowing, paddle boats, etc,  are available on hire so that you can undertake boat rides .

Boat Races, Boat Pageantry, etc, are organized during summer.

Its  other attractions are toy train, garden, etc

Botanical Garden

Laid out by Marquais of Tweedale in 1847 and  spread over 56 acres with lawns, etc, it houses rare tree species like cork tree, paper bark tree, monkey puzzle tree, etc.  The peculiar feature of Monkey Puzzle Tree is even monkeys can’t climb over it.  Also it houses a 20 million years old fossilized tree, an Italian style garden, a vast variety of flowering bushes,  plants, etc,  in myriad hues, a Fern House with a vast range of ferns, orchids, etc.   A Flower Show with Exhibition of rare plant species is held every year in May at the Garden. It has a wide variety of plants that include different types of roses, imported shrubs, rare flowering plants, etc.

Climate

Its climate is very cool and its temperatures vary from 5 to 25 degree celsius in winter and summer respectively.

The Best Time to Visit

November to March

How To Reach

By Air

Coimbatore is the nearest airport, about 90 km

By Rail

The nearest Railway Junction is Coimbatore,90 km.  Board Tea Garden Express from Coimbatore to Mettupalayam and then board The Blue Mountain Express from Mettupalayam to Ooty.  Distance from Mettupalayam to Ooty is 45 km

By Road

It has a good network of roads and so you can reach over here by road easily.