Ooty or Udhagamandalam or Otacamund is a hill station and resort town in the Western Ghats mountains, A major tourist destination in the state of TamilNadu state of south India’. Founded as a British Raj summer resort, it retains a working steam railway line. Other reminders of its colonial past include Stone House, a 19th-century residence, and the circa-1829 St. Stephen’s Church. Its 55-acre Government Botanical Garden lies on the slopes of Doddabetta Peak.
Open to tourist throughout the year, Oooty is however avoidable during moon season. Also called Queen of Hill Stations in India, Ooty was discovered in 1820 by John Sullivan, collector of Coimbatore. He built a permanent house at Nilgiri Hill and made it a popular tourist attraction as summer capital of Madras Presidency. Tourism in Ooty also includes visits to Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, reputed for its fragile and exquisite ecosystem. Also regarded as “India’s Switzerland” .
After independence, Ooty was developed into a major tourist destination and understandably so, given its qualification for the same, owing to nature’s abundant blessings in terms of climate, scenic splendour, local sights and sounds, its wealth of birds and beasts and of course its homegrown beverages of tea and coffee. Ooty is best known as a tourism hotspot, and justifies it selection as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
There are numerous places to visit and botanical garden and rose garden are a must visit. Also called city of lakes, there are numerous picturesque lakes worth visiting including Avalanche Lake, Ooty lake, and Emarald lake. Dotted with tea gardens, serene waterfalls, winding country lanes, and charming colonial architecture, makes Ooty the perfect place for #couples and honeymooners, A ride on the Nilgiri mountain railway, also a UNESCO World Heritage site with the steepest track in all of #Asia is a must.
Nestled among lush green forests and mountains there are numerous national parks and waterfalls around the city. these include Deer park, Doddabetta Peak, Kalhatty Waterfalls, Kamraj Sagar Dam, Mudumalai National Park, Mukurthi National Park and Needle View Hillpoint. There are numerous animals that can be found in these parks like elephants, deer, also worth visiting is Parsons Valley Reservoir, Pykara Waterfalls, St Stephens Church, Ooty Stone House, Toda Huts Wenlock Downs, and Wax World.
Well connected by ril, road and air the city is a major education centre with numerous residentiakl boarding schools dotted around the city. interested people can also visit Avalanche Biosphere Reserve, Annamalai Temple, Fern Hill Garden , Tea Factory, tribal centre, and more. adventure seekers can indulge in camping, paragliding, boating, hiking, zipling, rock climbing, trekking, horse riding, jungle safari, there are numerous hotels, reports and lodges in and around the city that provide luxurious, mid range and budget accommodation to tourist restaurants serve a wide variety of veg and non veg food that suits everyone’s palate. Although open to visit through out the year best time is in the summer months.
There are several riding schools that allow enthusiasts to go on horse riding as well as amusement parks to Ooty is a shopping paradise with numerous markets and shopping malls dotted across the city selling everything from spices, tea, coffee, chocolate,handicrafts, artfactas, textile as well as variety of branded stuff. The nightlife in Ooty is rollicking with numerous bars and watering holes. There are numerous Ind9ian Army related installations in and around the city as such military personnel are often seen here. The city is ideal location for a extended weekend visit.
