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Ooty Tourism
The endless meadows, sparkling lakes and striking hills will render you speechless. The only thing that will distract you from the rich beauty as you explore Ooty would be the dangerous yet thrilling hairpin bends of the hill station. Brace yourself as you are in for a ride!
| Ooty Tourism: A Quick View of the City | |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| Official Language | Tamil, Hindi |
| Dial Code | 0423 |
| Population | 88,430 |
| Currency | Indian Rupee (INR) |
| Time Zone | GMT +5:30 (IST) |
| Area | 36 square kilometres |
Find out what the Queen of Hills has in store you as you make your way to Ooty. Take the Nilgiri mountain toy train to Ooty and pass through lush green meadows, tunnels, tea plantations, waterfalls and wooded green hills. The captivating view as you look out the train will ensure that you don’t even glance at your mobile screen. Once you reach Ooty, do visit the Government Botanical garden spread across an area of 22 hectares. Laden with around 650 types of flowers and trees, this garden offers you several exquisite visions. If you are looking to spend some leisure time with your family or loved ones, do visit the Ooty lake. You could either have a picnic by the lake and enjoy the view or glide smoothly across the 2.5 km lake in your boat. You can visit the lake any time from 08:30 to 5:30 pm. To see the breath-taking view of the Nilgiris, you should visit the Doddabetta Peak located 10 kms away from Ooty. This is an immensely popular tourist destination with an entrance fee of just 10 rupees.
Have a sweet tooth? Lucky for you, Ooty is the hub of bakery products. Feast on a variety of homemade chocolates and more bakery items. Do not forget to try the traditional biscuits of Ooty; Vakery. A crispy, deep fried biscuit with a golden-brown colour, this delicacy has rava, flour, semolina, water, ghee, salt and sugar in it. With tea and coffee plantations spread across Ooty, delicious tea and coffee would not come as a surprise to you. Refresh yourself with a steaming cup of chai and Ooty’s aromatic coffees. Make sure that you do not miss out on a plate of piping hot momos amidst the hills from one of the street food stalls in Ooty.
The spice market and Nilgiri shop in Upper Bazaar Road will make sure that the flavour of Ooty remains with you for a long time. The market sells a plethora of spices such as jeera, chilli, pepper and nutmeg powder. Do pay a visit if you are fond of cooking or are a budding chef! Head to the Main Bazaar if you are looking for some souvenirs, winter wear, shawls and accessories. You are at an advantage if your bargaining game is strong! You can shop here till 9 pm.
If you are a tea enthusiast, you must pay a visit to the Tea Museum located not too far away from the Doddabetta Tea Factory. Deemed as heaven for all tea-lovers, this museum has a plethora of tea leaves as varied as Chocolate, White and Black. You will also find souvenirs to take back home from this museum, such as plates, cups and bowls. Since Ooty is the hub of bakery products, it also has a Chocolate museum for you to explore. Understand the process of making your favourite dessert and stuff your bag with chocolates on your way back!
The picturesque hill station in the state of Tamil Nadu is neatly tucked in the centre of four beautiful hills: Snowdon, Elk Hill, Doddabettaa and Club Hill which belong to the Nilgiri range. It is located right at the meeting point of the Eastern and Western Ghats.
The temperature in Ooty remains moderate throughout the year with spells of rain time and again. However, each season enhances the beauty of the hill station in its own unique way. The summer season could bring with it some rather hot days. However, the weather remains largely pleasant with temperatures ranging from 15C to 20C. If you are a fan of petrichor and are looking for some cool breeze to caress your hair as you sip on some filter coffee, do visit during the monsoon during the month of July to September. The winter season brings with it, pleasant weather during the daytime and rather chilly nights with the temperature falling below 5 C. The onset of winter is in the month of October, with January and February being the coldest.
By Road - This hill station is well connected to the major South Indian cities such as Bangalore, Madurai, Mysore and Kanyakumari. Both state government and private buses are easily available to and from Ooty. Driving your way to Ooty from these cities is a good option since the journey would be rather smooth with a scenic view.
By Rail - The Mettupalayam railway station lies 40 kilometres away from the hill station. The station is linked to Bangalore, Coimbatore and Chennai. The Nilgiri mountain railway however is the best way to reach Ooty from the station rather than any other transport. Enjoy images of lush greenery and beautiful scenery whisking past you in the train.
By Air - The nearest airport to the hill station is located 100 kms away, in Coimbatore. For international travellers, the nearest International airport is in Bangalore; 295 kms away from Ooty.
Enchanted by the scenic beauty of Ooty, John Sullivan couldn’t resist sharing his discovery with the rest of the world. In 1818, Mr Sullivan put a spotlight on this hidden beauty tucked away at the hills. Soon after the discovery of this hill station, John Sullivan recognised the value of Ooty as a tourist spot and invested in the same. The route followed to reach Ooty has a backstory to it. Mainly, the route to Ooty was decided in three phases. The first route to Nilgiri was from Coimbatore followed by the construction of Coonoor Ghat in 1832 and finally the last metaled Ghat road in 1871. Subsequently, Kannar and Coonoor are well connected through this road with 25 kms between them.
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