Ooty Hill Station- Tamil Nadu: Honeymoon destination- Queen of the Nilgiris

Ooty hill station is now the best honeymoon destination. Ooty hill station is often referred to as the ‘Queen of the Nilgiris’. Ooty is technically called Udhagamandalam. Ooty is the most popular hill station in South India. Famed for its scenic beauty, Ooty is also one of the “British” hill stations in India. Lord Lytton, the Viceroy of India during the period 1876–1880, once described the Ooty hill station to his wife as "…such beautiful English rain, such delicious English mud.” Apparently, the elite of the British Raj adhered to the notion that there is a little bit of jolly old England in this quaint little town located in the hills of the Nilgiri. It isn’t surprising that it was the British themselves, who made a rather wild Ooty into a civil English belle.

PLACES to VISIT in Ooty- DESTINATIONS

  • The Government Botanical Garden, which is 2 kms from the Ooty hill station is perhaps the most famous landmark. In 1847, Botanical garden was laid out by Marquis of Tweedale, the then governor of Madras. the Government Botanical Garden covers an area of 22 acres, and houses a rich exhibit of botanical curiosities including a fossil tree trunk that is more than 20 million years old.
  • Located 1 km from the Ooty hill station, the Ooty lake, an artificial lake formed in 1824 by Mr. John Sullivan, the then Collector of Coimbatore, is another major tourist attraction.
  • Doddabetta, the highest peak in the Nilgiris with an altitude of 2623 meters, is 10 kms away from Ooty. Located at the junction of the Western & Eastern Ghats, the peak offers surreal views of the Nilgiri Hill ranges.
  • The Mukkurthi Peak & National Park (about 40 kms from the Ooty hill station) is a major tourist attraction, and is especially popular with wildlife enthusiasts and nature lovers.
  • Boasting of innumerable small and medium streams and rivulets, the park is also close to the majestic and mysterious Silent Valley of the Western Ghats.

Ooty Hill Station- TRAVEL TIPS

  • Clothing: Ooty hill station is perhaps the most typical hill station in India. Though the Nilgiris are not as high as the Himalayas, it is advisable that you do carry some warm clothing and appropriate footwear.
  • Camera: Enjoy the outdoors and don't forget to carry a camera.
  • Trek: The best thing to do, however, is trekking and long walks in the pristine surroundings.
  • Languages: The local populace is well versed in Tamil; English is used very rarely.

BEST TIME to visit Ooty

The best months to visit the Ooty hill station are between November and March. Ooty hill station being a popular destination gets very crowded between April-June and September-October; it is advisable one avoids to visit at that time of the year. Find Travel Agents suiting your travel on Tripraja.com

BEST WAY to reach Ooty hill station

  • By Air: The airport nearest to the Ooty hill station is Coimbatore (a distance of 105 kms). There are plenty of flights to Coimbatore from all over India.
  • By Rail: The Nilgiri Mountain Railway connects Ooty with Mettupalayam, which lies at a distance of 47 kms. Do not take a shortcut; do experience the ride on the only rack railway in India. Mettupalayam is on broad gauge line and is well connected to most destinations in the region including Coimbatore and Mysore.
  • By Road: Ooty is well connected to all the important cities in the region.

ACCOMMODATION

Hotels, inspection bungalows, private cottages, etc. are available to suit all budgets. Ooty hill station abounds in family holiday resorts. One can obtain excellent discounts on accommodation via package tours.