Queen of Nilgiris- Ooty Hill Station

Every time you visit Ooty you will find something new and different just like a breath of fresh air that means whatever is said about Ooty, it seems less always. Ooty the most popular hill station and town present in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Udagamandalam is popularly known as Ooty which is situated in the Nilgiri Hills. From the north of Coimbatore it is situated around 86 km and from south Mysore around 128 km. Due to its natural ambiance, calmness in the air excellent climatic conditions this destination is the center of attraction for tourists around the globe at the time of summer vacations. As we all know Nilgiri Hills are older than that of Great Himalayas thus just like icing on a cake adds pride to this mountain range.

Other than its environmental scenario, Ooty is also famous for its handmade stuff. This beautiful hill town produces some of the most amazing handmade chocolates in the country. The chocolate industry in the place is said to be of sizable quantity and it thus makes these chocolates an Ooty shopping specialty. Other than chocolates, tea and gourmand cheese are also produced here locally.

History

Originally Udagamandalam was occupied by the Toda People, the area came under the rule of the East India Company at the end of the 18th century. The name probably changed under British rule from Udagamandalam to Ootacamund, and later it was converted to Ooty. The major tribes of Nilgiri hill areas are the. Toda, Kota, Irula, and Kurumba. The Nilgiris came into possession of the British East India Company as part of the ceded lands, held by Tipu Sultan, by the treaty of Srirangapatnam in 1799.

The collector of Coimbatore, John Sullivan in the year 1819 discovered Ooty. He built a permanent house at Nilgiri Hill in the year 1820 and this was the beginning. Soon several other British officers built their summer houses. Ooty is in the Nilgiri hills, which means the “blue mountains”, so named due to the Kurungi flower which blooms every twelve years. Due to which the slopes look like bluish.

Also Read: Shillong Hill Station – Scotland Of NorthEast India

Most Famous Places to Visit

As mentioned above about the Nilgiris, Ooty is sited in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. For the conservation of this frangible ecosystem, most of its forested area and water bodies are kept restricted from the reach of strollers and local bodies but some places of Biosphere Reserve are being opened intently by the government and tourism department. The elevation of Ooty from sea level is 7350 ft.

There are many gardens, parks fall lakes and dams are present in nearby areas. Some places are the center of attraction from the point of trekking and boating.

Various Modes of Reaching Ooty

By Airways:

Coimbatore which is the nearest Domestic airport for reaching the place, it is around 96 km away from Ooty. Calicut International Airport is 140 km away from it and similarly, Bengaluru Kempegowda International Airport is 273 km away from Ooty. The place has three helipads, one at Theettukal and two at Kodanad. The Theettukal helipad was approved by AAI that is Airport Authority Of India, for defense and VIP services. There are no direct flights between New Delhi to Tamil Nadu. The fastest way to reach the hills station from New Delhi is to take IndiGo or Spicejet airlines from New Delhi to Coimbatore.

By Railways:

The Nilgiri Mountain Railways (NMR) is one of the oldest mountain railways in India and was declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Sites in July 2005. It is the only rack railway in India and uses the ABT railway track system. The nearest rail head is Mettupalyam, 40 kilometers from the hill station. Coimbatore and Chennai act as the busiest railway stations that connect Ooty via Mettupalayam. There is no direct train from Ooty to Coimbatore. Many trains to Ootyare available from nearby cities like Bangalore, Mysore, Coimbatore, and Chennai.

By Roadways:

Ooty is well connected to the road network. Bengaluru is 306 km from Ooty and around 558 km from Chennai. Similarly, 86 km from Coimbatore and 158 km from Mysore. Ooty is situated on NH 181 and is connected by road via the five main accepted Nilgiri ghat roads. Public bus services operated by TNSTC that is Tamil Nadu State Transportation Corporation Limited, KSRTC Kerala/ Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation connects major towns in the state, nearby towns.

Climate:

The average annual temperature of Ooty is 14.4 °C (58 °F). The winters in Ooty are colder than the rest of South India. The best time to visit this beautiful hill station is from October to June. In these months, the temperature remains somewhere around 25°C which offers pleasant weather. It is the best time for traveling and enjoying your holiday destination.

There are various online apps present on the Google Play Store or Apple store by which you can search for affordable hotels and restaurants for staying at Ooty. For your convenience, we have provided some information about the best hotels and their range of expenses here.

You can search hotels as per your convenience according to your budget and budget per night, facilities provided by hotels, distance from Lonavala, star rating of hotels, by taking reviews of hotels and rating given by the customers and most importantly is the kind of hotel you’re looking for like family or for couples. Please look after the ambiance and surroundings of nearby areas of hotels.

Also Read: Munnar – The Mystic Hill Station Of Kerala

At last, we can only say that when you reach Ooty you will feel like you are in heaven filled with roses and fresh air is there to welcome you?