Ooty, fondly referred as the Queen of hill stations, is a small hamlet in the state of Tamil Nadu. Nestled in the midst of lush greenery and surrounded by enchanting hills of the Nilgiris, it is a nature blessed town, home to multiple tourist attractions. Head to the town on next vacation and pick from the best Ooty hotels.
Misty hills capped with lush greenery along with sparkling pearl-like lakes patching the green spaces; small and colorful houses, resorts, and Ooty hotels offering a warm and homelike stay; various British era bungalows and structures, providing the essence of good old days, and snake-like roads making their way through the thick Pine and Eucalyptus tree forests, is the image that develops first when one thinks of Ooty. Also called Udhagamandalam and sometimes Ootacamund, Ooty is one of the most popular hill stations in India. Abundant with nature and intriguingly scenic, the town is by all means the crown jewel of Nilgiris, or the Blue Mountains. Featured multiple times in different Bollywood movies Ooty is better known as the honeymoon destination in pop culture and has been attracting backpackers from far-off places for long. Scenic enough to the extent that it is a love-at-first-sight, the hill station is an exhibit of nature existing in perfect harmony with man. It provided shelter to the Todas, the indigenous tribal people of the Nilgiris, since several years before the arrival of the British. The British discovered the place only in the 19th century, followed by the transformation of the place as the summer headquarters of Madras Presidency.
Popularly referred as the “Queen of hill stations”, the place is frequented by tourists. It is an all-weather holiday destination and sees tourist footfall throughout the year. It is one of the places where you would go for a relaxing vacation far away from the chaos and materialistic approach of 21st century. Rich with cultural and heritage the place still has a bewitching charm of the by-gone era and follows the mantra of “simple living”. The place is minimally modernized, which in turn has preserved the natural wealth as well as kept the place clean and unspoiled. Although, you can easily feel the glamour and ritz of modernization in the bustling and busy commerce centres, namely Super market, Upper and Lower bazaar roads, and Super market. Still, a few kilometers walk off the main market, will bring you to the places where exists the same old vibe of the rustic village.
For the tourists, there is no shortage of tourist attractions and things to do. From visiting the highly revered temple of Lord Muruga, known as the Annamalai Temple to the interesting Wax Museum, there are plenty of attractions that will keep you interested the whole time. It is no surprise to see travelers often extending their stay when they visit Ooty. A couple of chief tourist attractions that are a must-see are: Ooty Botanical Gardens, Rose Gardens, Doddabetta Peak, Sims Park, Echo Rock, Tea Factory, Dolphin’s Nose, and the Tea Factory.
The out-goers will love to take out their sports shoes as the place is home to a number of good treks and hikes. Besides, in close proximity to the town exists the famous Mudumalai forest sanctuary, home to large and diverse species of flora and fauna. In addition, there are several lovely walkways and other facilities for relaxation and rejuvenation. A visit to the countryside and the tea plantations in addition to horse riding and trying home-made chocolates being the popular activities.
Getting into the town is easy. If you prefer flights Coimbatore airport is the ideal pick as it is the closest airport to the town and takes about 3 and 1/2 hour to cover the distance. It is a state-of-art airport and served by flights of all major air carriers like Go Air, IndiGo, Spicejet airlines, Air India, and Jet Airways.
