ooty

           18 Places To Visit In Ooty

Also known as Udhagamandalam and sometimes 

Ootacamund, the hill station of Ooty lies near the 

Nilgiris in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The area

 came under the occupation of the East India Company

around the end of the 18th century leading to its

 popularity as a hill station. The town is famous for

 its tourism and attracts a large number of tourists.

 Apart from tourism the major sources of the 

town’s economy are agriculture, photographic

 film and medicine manufacture.

The Nilgiris lit. ‘The blue mountains’ are the major 

responsible factor for this town’s popularity. The blue

 misty haze off the eucalyptus trees that cover the area 

are considered the reason behind its name, many

 different possible sources may exist however.

In this article I have tried to list out the places 

you “must visit” in Ooty, especially when 

you’re on a short time schedule.

1. Botanical Gardens

Laid out in 1848, the government Botanical Gardens is 

located at the slopes of the Doddabetta peak. The 

terraced garden is maintained by the Tamil nadu 

horticultural society and covers an area of 22 hectares. 

The best time to visit the place is anytime except 

the monsoons. Now this place will be the first thing

 the people would mention when you visit ooty, and 

well, in my opinion it is pretty awesome. Now be 

prepared for a long walk when you visit this place, 

I would advise you not to get any kids or people who

 can’t walk for long. The place is amazing for photographers 

and casual visitors alike get a supply of food and drinks

 or you can also buy some snacks at the gardens. 

I visited this place because of my photographer friends 

and was totally amazed due to the amount of greens

 and flowers around me under an amazingly cool weather.

2. Tea Factory

Small and nice, tea factory that is frequented by

 tourists who visit ooty, although not much to do here, 

but it was quiet a new experience to me when I visited

 the place. You can smell the aroma of the fresh tea 

leaves as soon as you near the place. I love how machines

 process the fresh tea leaves and package it. There’s also

 a shop where you can buy the tea processed at 

the factory. They also provided tea prepared 

from the freshly processed leaves and it tastes

 amazingly fragrant. This is a good place to show to 

the kids as well and I’m sure they’d be delighted.

3. Doddabetta Peak

A visit to Doddabetta Peak was the reason I went to

 Ooty in the first place. I had heard a lot about the 

picturesque Nilgiris and the amazing views this place 

has to offer. The place stands at a height of around

 8,650 feet and makes it the highest peaks in 

south India. This place offers amazing trek spots 

and plenty of quiet and picturesque locations to

 solitary wanderers like me. You might want to pack 

some really good pair of binoculars when you reach 

this place to enjoy it to the fullest. There is a small 

eatery placed here courtesy of the tourism department 

of Tamil nadu that offers some okay tasting

 food at a cheap price.

4. Hyderabadi Biriyani House

I was pretty hungry and was looking for a place 

where I could get a good amount of food for a 

moderate price. While there are a couple of cafes

 in ooty which offer some good snacks but I was

 looking for something more solid. I reached

 the place, and I could smell the fragrant flavors 

of the Biriyani. Some people might need to mention

 beforehand for the amount of spice they want though. 

The portion they served was nice and did quiet a 

great job at sating the munchies out of me. I have

 always been a Mughalai food enthusiast and this 

place I must say did a fine job at delivering the taste.

 Don’t keep your expectations too high and I’m sure

 you’ll come back with a full tummy and no sweat. 

The place is located at Mysore Road, Hill Bunk.

5. Avalanche Lake

The reason I came to ooty was to actually visit the 

aforementioned Doddabetta peak but wasn’t quite 

satisfied with amount of indulgence I was seeking 

with the nature. Although It was suggested by a local 

there and wasn’t on my itinerary, this place made me

 love my visit to ooty. Located in the heart of the

 Nilgiris 28 kilometers from ooty, Avalanche 

lake is certainly a wanderer’s haven. The surrounding 

landscape is simply mesmerizing. You can camp 

beside the lake in tents and enjoy trout fishing. There’s

 also a hatchery located nearby where you can get 

the fishing rod and other fishing equipment at. It’s 

an amazing trek location that made me stay here 

for 2 days at this place. The place derives its name

 from a landslide that occurred sometime 

in the early 1800’s.

6. Government Rose Gardens

The Largest rose gardens in India, the Government 

Rose Gardens lie on the slopes of the Elk Hill at an

 elevation of 2200 meters above sea level. It also

 has one of the largest collections of roses with 

more than 20,000 different varieties.

7. Pykara River

Known as a sacred place for the Toda people, Pykara 

River flows through the plateau and form several

 cascades and waterfalls. The Pykara falls are one of 

the most popular tourist attractions in Ooty and are 

famous for the shola trees, Toda settlements and wildlife.

8. Ooty Lake

Covering an area of around 65 acres, the Ooty Lake is

 a manmade lake formed in 1824 under the British.

 It features a boathouse which offers boating facilities

 to the visitors and is famous for hosting boat races 

during the summer month of May.

9. Mudumalai National Park

Also known as a famous Tiger Reserve, the Mudumalai

 National Park is a home to several wildlife and

 bird species. The Bengal Tiger, Leopards, 

Indian Bison, Asiatic Elephants and several other

 rare species of birds and animals can be found here.

10. Emerald Lake

Although the lake is off limits for the visitors, the 

emerald lake is located in midst of a reserve forest. 

The lake can be viewed via a viewpoint on

 the dam located nearby.

11. Stone House

The bungalow of the erstwhile British Governor 

John Sullivan, the Stone house was built in 1822. Today 

it serves as a residence of the principal of the Government

 Arts College in Ooty and is also considered to be

 the first bungalow in Ooty.

12. Toda Huts

The last remaining bastions of the Todas, the huts are

 located by the Ooty Botanical Gardens. Although 

several Toda people have abandoned these huts in 

the recent years, these remain one of the 

most interesting specimens of 

Ethnic architecture of southern India.

13. Ooty Mountain Railway

Declared as a UNESCO world heritage site, the railways

 were built by the British in 1908. The trains are still 

powered using the traditional steam engines.

14. St. Stephens Church

Built in the early 19th century, St. Stephens Church is 

one of the oldest churches in the Nilgiris District in 

Tamil Nadu. The foundation of the church was laid in

 1829 and shares the date with the 

birthday of King George IV.

15. Wax World

The Wax museum is housed inside a 142 year 

old bungalow in Ooty. Although the sculptures are

 not as impressive as the ones found at 

Madame Tussauds, but display a brief insight 

on the people and culture of Ooty and surrounding areas.

16. Tribal Museum

A part of the Tribal Research Center Campus, the 

Museum is a must visit for people who like to 

know more about the culture and the inhabitants 

of Tamil Nadu and the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

 It houses some rare artifacts and houses that 

belonged to the various tribes in the Nilgiris.

17. Deer Park

Located by the Ooty Lake, the deer park is one of the

 few high altitude zoos in India. The visitors get to

 view a variety of different deer species along with

 other rare animals and birds.

18. Mariamman Temple

Dedicated to Mariamman, the Hindu goddess of rain,

 the temple is located at an elevation of 2,240 meters 

above sea level and is built in a proto-Dravidian style 

of architecture. The various stucco figures and 

sculptures are a marvel to behold.

While I wasn’t very excited to visit ooty in the first place, 

as I wanted to visit more beach destinations but this

 particular trip made me change my mind about hill stations.

 There is a lot to explore in this amazingly located 

south Indian hill station and is indeed a wanderer’s haven.