Ooty also known as Udhagamandalam is one of the famous hill stations. Its natural beauty attracts tourists and it is a popular summer destination. During summer weather in Ooty is quite pleasant . Here I have listed the top 10 tourist places in Ooty.
1. Botanical Gardens
Botanical Garden is located on the slopes of the Doddabetta peak. The garden was designed by the architect William Graham McIvor in 1847, under the supervision of George Hay, 8th Marquess of Tweeddale, There are more than 600 rare species of trees and flowers, one of which is a 20 million year old fossil tree. It has earned the sobriquet monkey puzzle tree because monkeys cannot climb this tree. Furthermore, there is an Italian style garden which has a huge variety of flowers, bushes and plants. The garden, which also has a clear pool and a fern house, is popular among students specializing in botany.
2. Doddabetta Peak
The Doddabetta peak is approx 10 km from Ooty. It is the highest vantage point in Ooty located at around 2,623 m. You can view the beautiful valley, plains of Coimbatore and the flat highlands of Mysore from this point. The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation manages a Telescope House in the Doddabetta Peak, which enables the visitors to get a better view of the distant hills like Chamundi Hills, valleys and forests.
3. Avalanche Lake
Avalanche Lake is 28km from the center of the city. Avalanche Lake was formed naturally in the year 1823 due to a massive landslide. It is a beautiful lake surrounded by a thick shola where even sunlight cannot penetrate the thick foliage and the forests have an abundant with a wide variety of avifauna and it is a nature lover’s paradise. Avalanche lake is also used by tourists as a camp site wherein they pitch tents near the lake.
4. Pykara River
Pykara River is approx 19 km from Ooty. It is Known as a sacred place for the Toda people. Pykara River rises at Mukurthi peak, flows northwards, and then turns to the west after reaching the edge of the plateau.The river falls down from two different heights towards the end, one from 61 meters and the other from 55 meters. There is a boat house , rest house and restaurant that is run by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation.
5. Mukurthi National Park
Mukurthi National Park is located within the southern and eastern regions of the Nilgiri hills. It is characterized by montane grasslands and shrublands interspersed with sholas in a high altitude area of high rainfall, near-freezing temperatures and high winds. It is home to an array of endangered wildlife, including Asian elephant and royal Bengal tiger, but its main mammal attraction is the Nilgiri tahr. As part of the Western Ghats, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1 July 2012.
6. Mudumalai National Park
Mudumalai national park is located at a distance of 2 kms from the heart of the city. It shares its boundaries with the states of Karnataka and Kerala. The sanctuary is divided into five ranges Thepakadu, Mudumalai, Masinagudi, Kargudi and Nellakota. The park houses around 266 species of birds along with critically endangered Indian white-rumped vulture and long-billed vulture. Among the mammals, Bengal Tiger ,Indian leopard,and Gaur are the major attractions of this park.
7. Ketti valley View
It is located on the Ooty Coonoor road (NH 67) at a distance of 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) from Ooty bus stand. It has a spectacular view of the Ketti valley and it is an important tourist center in Ooty. Ketti Valley View is considered the Switzerland of Southern India.It extends from the Mysore plateau to the Coimbatore plains and is one of the largest valleys in the world.
8. Nilgiri Mountain Railway
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway was built by the British in 1908.The 46 kms long railway line was first opened to connect the hilly Ooty with Mettupalayam on the plains. The exciting toy train journey takes visitors through several tunnels, forests, waterfalls, tea estates, bridges, and forested hills. This steam engine train runs to and fro from Ooty to Mettupalayam ,stopping at hill stations like Coonoor,Lovedale, Wellington and Ketty. It has small blue wooden bogies with large windows and crosses almost 250 bridges and 15 tunnels. It was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 2005.
9. Upper Bhavani Lake
Upper Bhavani Lake is one of the good tourists scenic lake in ooty. It is Located in Snowdown Road of Ooty, this lake is much different from the other commercial highlights of Ooty . It’s a beautiful blue-green lake perched inside the deep forest of Nilgiri.
10. Rose Gardens
Rose Gardens is situated on the slopes of the Elk Hill in Vijayanagaram of Ooty. The gardens have ideal conditions for growing roses. Initially, when the Rose gardens were developed, 1919 varieties of roses with 17256 rose plants were planted. Today, this garden has 20,000 rose plants with 2241 varieties of roses and is maintained by Tamil Nadu Horticulture Department.
