Ooty - Udagamandalam - The Nilgiris

Ooty also known as Udhagamandalam / Ootacamund, is the "Queen of hill stations" in India and the capital of Nilgiris district. It is one of the most popular tourist hangout in India. One can say OOTY as one of the tourism Assets of Tamilnadu. Nilgiris means "Blue Mountains" ("Neela" the Tamil word meaning "Blue" and "Giri" the Tamil word meaning "Mountain" become "Nilgiri"). It is a land of picturesque picnic spots. Used to be popular summer and weekend getaway for the Britishers during the colonial days. It is situated at an altitude of 2,240 meters above sea level.

The places of interest in and around Ooty are:  

The Toy Train: 

An added attraction for the tourists to Udagamandalam is the mountain train (The OOTY Toy Train) journey on a ratchet and pinion track. This train covers a distance of 46 Km in 5 hours journey passing through Hilligrove, Coonoor, Wellington, Aravankadu, Keeti, Lovedale stations and finally ends at Udagamandalam or Ooty.
The train travels at a speed of just 12 KM / HR. The main attractions while traveling in this toy train are breath taking valley views, 250 Tall bridges, dark 16 tunnels, splendid sceneries, dense forests. Many movie songs are taken in this train. To name a few, “Thayya Thayya” (“Uyirae” - Tamil and “Dil Se” - Hindi) and “Katti Vachikko” (“En Jeevan Paduthu” – Tamil).

The Ooty Lake: 

This artificial lake was constructed by John Sullivan, the first collector of Ooty. Originally intended to be an irrigation tank it was dredged out during the years, 1823-1825.
It is a very popular tourist spot in Ooty. You can go boating between 8 AM and 6 PM on all days in this lake. A wide range of boats are available at the Boat House to suit varied tastes and budgets. A Mini Garden with an amusement park for children and a toy train are added attractions here.

Botanical Garden: 

This garden was laid out in 1847 by the Marquis of Tweedale and is spread over 55 acres. Lush green well maintained lawns, rare tree species (like the cork tree which is probably the only such tree in India, the paper bark tree and the monkey puzzle tree - monkeys cannot climb this tree), a 20 million year old fossilized tree, an Italian-style garden bordering a clear pool, a vast variety of flowering bushes and plants in myriad hues (exotic and ornamental), fern house with a vast range of ferns and orchids, are some of the many highlights of this garden. A flower show along with an exhibition of rare plant species is held every year in the month of May at this garden. The Garden is maintained by the Horticulture Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu and has a very wide variety of plants that include different types of roses, imported shrubs, rare flowering plants etc.
The "Summer Festivals" is held each year during the month of May in the Botanical Garden and is an added attraction for tourists. The Flower Show is the pride of the festival. To the east of the garden is the Toda mund (hill). The Todas are the native tribe. At the mund is a display highlighting the different aspects of their traditional culture.

Rose Garden: 

Situated in the heart of Ooty town, this garden has been beautifully laid out in terraces with rose tunnels, pergolas and bowers with rose creepers. It was set up in the year 1995 to commemorate the 100th flower show of the Botanical garden. Today, this garden has the largest collection of roses in the country. Hybrid Tea Roses, miniature roses, Floribunda, Ramblers, roses of unusual colors like black and green are some of the more than 2,000 varieties of roses that will captivate your senses.

Wax World: 

The famous and the notorious have come alive in wax, thanks to the passion and hard work put in Shreeji Bhaskaran, an engineer and a master craftsman in wax.
A 130-year-old bungalow in Uthagamangalam or Ooty as it was known till a few years back, houses a museum of these wax figures that include Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation and technocrat president A P J Abdul Kalam, besides images of a host of epic heroes and godmen.
The life-sized statues look as good as real and viewers said they were impressed. "The museum is a very nice work of art but the statues of Manmohan Singh and Abdul Kalam stand out from the rest, they look really real," said Suriya, a tourist.

Pykara Falls: 

19 km from Ooty. The river has a dam and power plant. There is a breathtaking scenery. The falls, about 6 km from the bridge on the main road, are best in July, but they are also worth visiting from August to December. There is a forest rest House at Pykara. A boat house by the Pykara falls and Dam is added attractions to the tourists.Pykara boasts of well protected fenced Sholas, Toda settlements, undistributed grassy meadows and also a good wildlife habitat. The Pykara Dam, Pykara falls and the reservoir attracts many tourists. A boat house with Restaurant is available. It is maintained by T.T.D.C.

Doddabetta Peak: 

Located at a distance of around 5 Kms from the heart of the town, is the highest peak in Nilgiri Hills (2623 Meters / 8652 Feet). The name Doddabetta derived from 2 Kannada words, "Dodda" meaning "Big" and "Betta" meaning "Mountain".