About Ooty

Ootacamund (officially, Udhagamandalam sometimes abbreviated to Udhagai) is a town, a municipality and the district capital of the

Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu. Ootacamund is a popular hill station located in the Nilgiri Hills.

It is 290 km from Bangalore, 535 km from Chennai, 80 km from Coimbatore, 18 km from Coonoor, 155 km from Mysore, 187 km

from Calicut, 281 km from Kochi and 236 km from Kodaikanal. Ooty is situated on National Highway 67. It is connected by road to

travelers from the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka via the five main accepted Nilgiri Ghat Roads.

Climate

Ooty features a subtropical highland climate. Temperatures are relatively consistent throughout the year; with average high

temperatures ranging from about 17-20 degrees Celsius and average low temperatures between approximately 5-12 degrees

Celsius. The highest temperature ever recorded in Ooty is 25 degrees Celsius.

It is situated at an altitude of 2,286 meters above sea level.

Places to visit

Government Rose Garden

The Government rose garden (formerly known as the Jayalalithaa Rose Garden, Centerary Rose Park and Nootrandu Roja Poonga)

is the largest rose garden in India. It is situated on the slopes of the Elk Hill in Vijayanagaram at an altitude of 2200 meters. Today

this garden has one of the largest collection of roses in the country with more than 20,000 varieties of roses of 2,800 cultivars.[21]

The collection include Hybrid Tea Roses, Miniature Roses, Polyanthas, Papagena, Floribunda, Ramblers, Yakimour and roses of

unusual colours like black and green.

Ooty Botanical Gardens

The 22-acre (89,000 m2) Ooty Botanical Gardens was laid out in 1847 and is maintained by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The

Botanical Garden is lush, green, and well-maintained. A flower show along with an exhibition of rare plant species is held every May.

The Gardens have around a thousand species, both exotic and indigenous, of plants, shrubs, ferns, trees, herbal and bonsai plants.

The garden has a 20-million-year-old fossilized tree.

Ooty Lake

Ooty lake covers an area of 65 acres. The Boat house established alongside the lake, which offers boating facilities to tourists, is

a major tourist attraction in Ooty. It was constructed in 1824 by John Sullivan, the first collector of Ooty. The lake was formed by

damming the mountain streams flowing down Ooty valley. The lake is set among groves of Eucalyptus trees with a railway line

running along one bank. During summer season in May, boat races and boat pageantry are organised for two days at the lake.

Stone House

Stone House is the first bungalow constructed in Ooty. It was built by John Sullivan and was called as Kal Bangala by the tribals

(Kal means stone in Tamil). John Sullivan started building Stonehouse in 1822, acquiring land from the Todas at one rupee an acre.

Today, it is the official residence for the principal of the Government Arts College, Ooty.

Toda huts

There are a few Toda huts on the hills above Botanical Garden, where Todas still dwell. There are other Toda settlements in the

area, notably Kandal Mund near Old Ooty.

Ooty Mountain Railway

The Nilgiri Mountain Railway was built by the British in 1908 and was initially operated by the Madras Railway Company. The

railway still relies on its fleet of steam locomotives. NMR comes under the jurisdiction of the newly formed Salem Division

St. Stephen's Church

St. Stephen's Church is located on the road to Mysore in Ooty. It is one of the oldest churches in the Nilgiris district. The church

dates back to the 19th century.

Wax World, Ooty

A wax museum that houses life-size look-alike wax statues of personalities of Indian history, culture and heritage housed in a 142-

year-old bungalow.

Ooty Golf Course

Ooty Golf Course is located in Ooty town. The golf course is set at an altitude of 7600 feet. It is owned by the Gymkhana club in

Ooty. The course extends over 193.56 acres and comprises 18 holes.

Tribal Museum

The Tribal Museum is home to rare artifacts and photographs of tribal groups of Tamil Nadu as well as Andaman and Nicobar

Islands and anthropological and archaeological primitive human culture and heritage. The Tribal Museum also displays houses

belongs to Toda, Kota, Paniya, Kurumba and Kanikaran.

Places to visit around

Doddabetta Peak:

It is the highest peak (2,623 m) in the Nilgiris, about 10 km from Ooty. It lies at the junction of the Western and Eastern Ghats and

offers beautiful vistas of the Nilgiri Hill ranges. It is surrounded by dense sholas. One can have a panoramic view of the landscape

through the TTDC telescope. TTDC restaurant caters the needs of tourists.

Pykara river

Pykara is a river located 19 km from Ooty. The Pykara is considered very sacred by the Todas. The river has a dam and power

plant.. The falls are approximately 6 km from the bridge on the main road. There is a forest rest House at Pykara. A boat house

by the Pykara falls and Dam is added attractions to the tourists.Pykara boasts of well protected fenced Sholas, Toda settlements,

undistributed grassy meadows and also a good wildlife habitat. The Pykara Dam, Pykara falls and the reservoir attracts many

tourists. Being one of the oldest plants in south India, the Pykara station still functions, generating about 60 megawatts.

Pine forest:

Situated between Ooty and Thalakunda, this tourist destination was once featured in a song sequence in the Tamil movie "Dheena".

It is a small downhill region where pine trees are arranged in an orderly fashion.

Wenlock Downs:

This is a grassland area typical of the original bioscape of the Nilgiris. This is a popular film shooting area, particularly two areas

situated approximately six and nine miles (14 km) out of Ooty on the main Ooty to Pykara road (also known as Mysore Road).

These locations are accordingly named "Sixth Mile" and "Ninth Mile".

Kamaraj Sagar Dam (also known as Sandynalla reservoir)

It is located at a distance of 10 km from the Ooty bus stand. It is a picnic spot and a film shooting spot on the slopes of the Wenlock

Downs. The various tourist activities the dam include fishing and studying nature and environment.

Mudumalai National Park

Now also declared a Tiger Reserve, Madumalai National Park lies on the northwestern side of the Nilgiri Hills (Blue Mountains),

which means 'first hills’, is one of the first wildlife sanctuaries established in India. There are at least 266 species of birds in the

sanctuary, including critically endangered species like the Indian White-rumped Vulture and the long-billed vulture.

Mukurthi National Park

Mukurthi National Park is a 78.46 km² protected area located in the south-eastern corner of the Nilgiris Plateau west of Ooty. The

park was created to protect its Keystone species, the Nilgiri Tahr.

Parsons Valley Reservoir

This is the primary water source for the town and is mainly in a reserved forest and is thus largely off-limits to visitors.

other water attractions are Emerald Lake, Avalanche Lake and Porthimund Lake.

Adventure sports in Ooty

Located around 20 km from Ooty, Kalahatty in the mountain ranges of Nilgiris is a world-class site for hang gliding. This adventure

sport involves hanging suspended by a harness from a large type of kite that is known as hang glider. Kalahatty has a launch area

that can be reached by a jeep. From March to May, hang gliding training courses are organised in Ooty.

Travel tips

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