Ooty or Udhagamandalam in the Nigiri mountains is one of India’s most popular hill stations. It is also known as ‘Queen of hill stations’ in India. It was made popular by the British when they ruled India and made Ooty their summer getaway. The evergreen mountains and huge grasslands lure travelers to this place. Ooty is also famous for its tea plantations. Another attraction to Ooty is the narrow gauge train journey from Mettupalayam to Ooty. It is a thrilling experience in itself to see the deep valleys, greenery, tea estates and tunnels.
Best For:.
Picturesque views of the ravines and mountains.
The lake which is a tourist attraction
The vast expanses of tea gardens.
The climate of Ooty is cool all around the year as it is a hill station. The winter temperature ranges from 21ºC to 5ºC. The summer temperature is between 25ºC to 10ºC. Carry woolen clothes in winters and light woolens or a shawl in summer. The peak season is from April to June and October November. To avoid the crowd you can travel to Ooty from November to March.
Almost all hotels in Ooty accept international credit cards. There are many ATMs in the city. There are money changers in good hotels in Ooty to help you with foreign exchange.
No permits are required to travel to Ooty. Just a visa to India is all what is needed.
By Air:Coimbatore is the airport nearest to Ooty. It is around 100km from the Ooty. There are regular flights to Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Pune, and Sharjah. Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, Jetlite, Deccan, Paramount Airways and Go Air have regular flights to Coimbatore
International Flight:
The nearest international airport is Kochi which is at about 300 km. There are flights to the Middle East and Sri Lanka from Kochi.
By Rail: For a train route, you can take a train to Coimbatore from any major city in India and travel to Mettupalayam by road. From Mettupalayam, take a narrow gauge toy train to Ooty which takes you there in four hours.
· Ooty botanical gardens have a good collection of plants, trees and shrubs with exotic flowers. It is a beautiful place to visit.
· Boat House Lake is the most famous attraction for travelers to Ooty. You can spend a couple of hours boating in this lake. There is a children’s park next to the lake.
· Doda Betta is the highest point in the Nilgiri Mountains at a height of 2636m. It is located 8km away from Ooty. It gives an amazing view of the valley below.
· Tiger Hill is a nice hill located to the East of the city near Dodabetta.
Nearby excursion from Ooty include
· Pykara River which is at a distance of 21km from Ooty is apparently the largest in the Nilgiris. It was considered holy by the local Toda tribe.
· Glen Morgen which is at 17km from Ooty is a dense forest. There are many varieties of trees and important spices here.
· Avalanche, which is located at 25 km from Ooty is a nice place for nature lovers. It has a beautiful lake where you can go fishing by obtaining prior permission. It is also a nice place for bird watching and mountain trekking.
· Conoor which is at 17km from Ooty is another hill station in the Nilgiris.
· Kothagiri which is 28 km from Ooty is a lesser known hill station here. It has fewer crowds and is a peaceful place.
Being a popular hill station, all kinds of cuisines are available in Ooty. The authentic south Indian dishes like Idlis and Dosas are also common. If you are a coffee lover, you can drink cups of aromatic filter coffee here in Ooty. Chandan veg restaurant offers good food. Side walk café and The Garden café are also great eating joints. You can have a nice cuppa coffee at the Ooty Coffee House. Tandoor Mahal serves non vegetarian food.
Where To Stay:
There are hotels for all budgets in Ooty. The luxury ones include The Taj Savoy Hotel, Holiday Inn and Hotel Sinclairs. Medium budget hotels include Hotel Dasaprakash, Hotel Nahar, Hotel Mount View and Hotel Lake View.
