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When to visit
Ooty is a great year round destination. The best seasons are April to June and September to November.
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For Whom
Ooty, the queen of hills, with its scenic environs is an ideal getaway for families, honeymooners and the lone traveler. The climate is excellent and there is plenty to see and do!
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Getting Around
Taxis, tourist cabs and auto-rickshaws are available in plenty. Getting around is very convenient even if you don't have your own transport.
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Cuisine
Ooty is famous for its bread, buns, varkis, cakes and handmade chocolates. So,don't forget to check out the local bakeries!
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Trivia
The name Ooty is short for Ootacamund, which in local dialect translates to 'house in the mountains'.
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Places to stay
Located in the mountainous range called the Nilgiris ("Blue Mountains"), Ooty draws swarms of tourists every year. Ooty used to be a popular summer and weekend getaway for the Britishers during the colonial days. The weather is quite pleasant at a mean of 15-20 C around the year, dropping to lows of 0 C during winter. The landscape is marked by rolling hills covered with dense vegetation, smaller hills and plateaus covered with tea gardens, and eucalyptus trees. Many portions of the hills are preserved as natural reserve forests.
The hilly region also houses smaller towns like Coonoor and Kotagiri. These towns are less than an hour's drive away from Ooty and enjoy the same climate.A popular attraction for the tourists is the mountain train journey on a ratchet and pinion track which commences from Kallar, near Mettupalayam and wends its way through many hair-raising curves and fearful tunnels and chugs along beside deep ravines full of verdant vegetation, gurgling streams and tea gardens. One can notice a marvellous change in vegetation, as one goes from Kallar to Coonoor.
Fondly called the queen of hills, it is a visual delight with its lofty mountains, dense forests, sprawling grasslands and miles and miles of tea gardens.
- Enjoy the weather.
- Travel in the Railway. The charming Nilgiri Hill Railway, blue and cream with wooden coaches and large windows, is widely regarded as a marvel of engineering.
- Go for long walks and hikes.
- Visit a tea plantation and if possible a tea factory.
- Catch a round of golf at the Gymkhana Golf course (membership or introduction required)
- Visit the local Army cantonment - the Madras Regimental Center and the DSSC (Defense Services Staff College).
- Visit terrace farmed cabbage fields around Ooty.
- Visit the Mudumalai forest sanctuary (1-2 days minimum).
- Sample the local bakeries (Kingstar bakery near Charing Cross in Ooty sells sinfully delicious chocolate and pistachio fudges).
- Visit the Needle industries which is around 6km from maintown Ooty in Ketti.
- visit 9th mile and also the 6th mile where lot of movies are shot!
- Visit the Municipal Market and shop for fresh local fruits.
- Pick up farm fresh carrots on the way.
Ooty Botanical Gardens
If you are on a sightseeing tour to Ooty, you might want to visit the Government Botanical gardens.These picturesque gardens cover an area of about 22 hectares. They have well over 650 species of plants and trees, including a fossil of a tree, which is believed to be more than 20 million years old. The garden is very popular with nature lovers. If you are in Ooty in the month of May, then you can also be a part of the summer festival, which is held here annually.
Doddabetta Peak
The Dodabetta Peak stands at an altitude of 2,623 meters. It is the highest point in the district, making it possibly the best vantage point around Ooty. It is merely 10km from Ooty so you can simply grab your camera and head straight to the peak, and click amazing pictures of he valley below. Many say that on a clear day, which is honestly not that often, one can see far off areas, even the plains of Coimbatore and the flat highlands of Mysore.
Ooty Rose Gardens
This is a fabulous place to visit, especially in winters, when more that 1000 varieties of roses are in bloom.
Ooty Lake
This is an artificial lake built by John Sullivan. It provides boating options amidst picturesque settings. Next to the lake there is a mini garden with an amusement park for children,a toy train and a deer park. One can also enjoy horse rides around the lake.
The Stone House
The erstwhile residence of Mr. John Sullivan, the then Collector of Coimbatore. He is credited to have transformed this quaint town into a popular summer resort for the British. The Stone House is believed to be the first ‘pucca’ building/house to have been constructed.
Kalhatty Falls
Kalhatti Falls is about 13 Kms. from Ooty on Sigur Ghat Road. This is a beautiful picnic spot where the height of the falls is about 120 feet
Pykara
The Pykara is the largest river in the District. The Pykara river rises at Mukurthi peak and gets down majestically in a series of cascades; and the last two falls of 55 meters and 61 meters are known as Pykara falls. They are about 20 kms from Ooty. The Pykara Lake is about 21 kms from Ooty on the Ooty-Mysore road. Boating on the Pykara lake is enjoyable. A restaurant is also available. Wenlock Downs, a vast Expanse of grassy meadow on way to Pykara, is a favorite picnic location and is very popular with the movie makers of this country.
Air:
The nearest airport is in Coimbatore. A taxi from here to Ooty will take about 3-1/2 hours.
Road:
Ooty is well connected by roads. Frequent buses ply to Ooty from Bangalore, Mysore, Coimbatore, Cochin and other neighboring cities. The journey from Bangalore takes about 8 hours.
Rail:
The nearest broad gauge railway station is at Mettupalayam, which is 46 kms from Ooty.