Jan 2012 : Ooty

Travel Title: Spending the long weekend in The Nilgiris District, Tamil Nadu, India.

When: January 2012

About The Trip:

Purpose: Spending the long weekend in The Nilgiris District, Tamil Nadu, India.

Days/Nights: 3 Days 2 Nights

Arrangements: Travel Agent / Self-guided Tour

Route: Tiruchirappalli INDIA – Ooty INDIA (1 night) – Coonoor INDIA – Wellington INDIA – Ooty INDIA (1 night) – Tiruchirappalli INDIA

Traveling Method & Time:

Tiruchirappalli – Ooty = by car (≈ 6 hours)

Ooty – Coonoor = by Nilgiri Mountain Railway Train (≈ 1 hour)

Coonoor – Wellington = by car (≈ 15 minutes)

Wellington – Ooty = by car (≈ 30 minutes)

Ooty – Tiruchirappalli = by car (≈ 6 hours)

Details:

Ootacamund (Ooty) is a popular hill station located in the Nilgiri Hills. It is also a town, a municipality and the district capital of the Nilgiris District in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Lying deep within the Nilgiri hills, is also known as The Blue Mountains. Originally, Ooty was occupied by the Todas (Toda tribe). However, at the end of the 18th century, the area came under the rule of the East India Company. Because of its stunning beauty and splendid green deep valleys, the British had named it Queen of Hill Stations. Temperatures here in Ooty 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.

Places to visit while in Ooty:

1. 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.

2. Ooty Botanical Gardens: The lush, green, 22-acre Ooty Botanical Gardens was laid out in 1847 and is well-maintained by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The Gardens have around a thousand species, both exotic and indigenous, of plants, shrubs, ferns, trees, herbal plus a 20-million-year-old fossilized tree and a model of a Toda tribe hut.

3. Ooty Lake: Ooty Lake covers an area of 65 acres and is set among groves of Eucalyptus trees with a railway line line running along one bank. The Boat House, constructed alongside the lake in 1824 by John Sullivan (the first collector of Ooty), offers boating facilities to tourists and is a major tourist attraction in Ooty.

4. Doddabetta Peak: It is the highest peak (2,623 m) in the Nilgiris, located about 10 km from Ooty. One can enjoy a panoramic view of the landscape here.

5. Pykara: It is a river located 19 km from Ooty and is considered very sacred by the Todas. The river has a dam and power plant but the boat house by the Pykara falls and dam is the main attraction to the tourists.

6. Tea factory & Museum: There are several tea gardens and factories in Ooty. At one of the factories, the tourists can ejoy free tea tasting and will be offered some tea packets to buy.

7. 9th mile Shooting Medu: It is actually a film shooting location (rolling hill) where a lot of Tamil and Hindi movies were shot. It is located about 9 miles from Ooty town.

8. Homemade Chocolates: Ooty is famous for its homemade chocolates. The best place to have them is at King’s Star as they are the first chocolate makers in Ooty. Currently, the family business are run by the 3rd generation of the family.

9. Tibetan Market & Commercial Road: You can pick up jackets as cheap as Rs100 (MYR 8.00) and hats and gloves from Rs10 (MYR 0.80) along Commercial Road and at the Tibetan Market located near the entrance to the Botanical Gardens. Most of the sellers are from Sikkim.

10. Glyngarth Villa: It is a Heritage Home built in the year 1850 by Sir Walter Mounde, located at about 7,600 feet above sea level and surrounded by boundless tranquility and splendor. It has been home to countless British officers and their families as well as many dignitaries and famous persons including the former Prime Minister of India, the late Jawaharlal Nehru. During the night, one can enjoy some warmth provided by either the fireplace in the main building or the bonfire set outside in the garden. A great jungle experience, try spending the nights in one of their elegant woodhouses.

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2 Responses to Jan 2012 : Ooty

  1. KT says:
    February 11, 2016 at 11:12 am

    Great and livid write up of your experiences. We visited the hill destination of Ooty recently and had an amazing time. Here is an account of our experience – http://www.expressions-kt.in/2016/01/ooty-jewel-in-nilgiris-south-trip-2.html

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