Travelogue on Ooty

Udhagamandalam, better known as Ooty is situated in the western ghats at an altitude of 2240m above sea level. It’s the capital of the Niligris district of Tamilnadu and most favoured hill station of Southern India. The British were the first to discover it in early 1800s and made it the summer capital of the then Madras Presidency, as the mercury does not cross 25oC during summer. They were also instrumental in constructing the The Nilgiri Mountain Railway. It is 46 Km long and runs on 1000 mm gauge railway. It connects Mettupalayam (which is in the foothills) to Ooty. It is one of the most picturesque train journeys in India, as the train passes through tunnels, over waterfalls, rivers, cliffs etc. Though it takes around 4 to 5 hours to reach Ooty from Mettupalayam, the train ride is mandatory to get a panoramic view of scenic beauty of Nilgris. An interesting feature about this train is that the engine pushes the train from behind when ascending the hills and is in front while going downhill so that the train does not run amuck.

Places to see in Ooty

Government Botanical Garden,
Ooty Rose Garden
Lake Park
Ooty Lake
Deer Park
Government Museum Art Gallery : Lalith kala Academy

Places Around Ooty

Doddabetta : It is highest peak (2634 metres) in the Nilgiris
Pykara Lake And Water Falls
Kalhatty falls
Wenlock Downs
Western Catchment
Glenmorgan
Upper Bhavani
Avalanche
Elk Hill
The Mukuruthi peak and Mujuruthi national park
Kamaraj Sagar (Sandynullah Reservoir)
Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary

Coonoor

Sims Park; Dolphins Nose; Lamb's Rock; Lady Canning's Seat; Law's Falls; Katery Falls; The Droog

Kotagiri

Kodanadu viewpoint; St. Catherine Waterfall; Longwood Shola

Gudalur

Needle rock; Frog Hill View Point; Santhanamalai Murugan Temple

Important festivals in Ooty

Summer festival during May
Flower show during May
Flower and Vegetable show (Coonoor) during May
World Tourism day (27th September)

Fact file:-

Nearest Airport : Coimbatore (104 kms)
Nearest railhead : Ooty is connected through narrow gauge to Mettupalayam, which is in turn connected to Coimbatore and Chennai

Trains from Chennai to Mettupalayam

2671 Niligiri Express

Trains from Chennai to Coimbatore

2675 Kovai Express
2673 Cheran Express Dep 22.10 hrs at Chennai Central
2695 Trivandrum Express Dep 16.00 hrs at Chennai Central
6107 Mangalore Express Dep 22.00 hrs at Chennai Egmore
6627 West Coast Express Dep 11.30 hrs at Chennai Central

Climate
Max/Min.
Summer : 25.0ºC /10.0ºC Winter : 21.0ºC/ 0ºC

Languages spoken :Tamil, , Malayalam, Kannada Badaga and English

Accomodation:

Accomodation is available for the poor and the elite. Room rents depend upon the season. During the peak season dormitory rate is about Rs.75/- and single bed in star hotel about Rs.2500/-
Government accommodation can be had at

Hotel Tamilnadu TTDC Ph 2444370-78
Youth hostel TTDC Ph 2443665

Private Hotels

Hotel Mayura Sudarshan Ph 2443828
Hotel Savoy Ph 2444142
Blue Hills International Ph 2444466
Howard Johnson The Monarch Ph 2444408
Sullivan Court Welcome Group Ph 2441415
Holiday Inn Gem Park Ph 2442955

Important Telephone Numbers

Railway Station 0423-2442246
District Police Office 0423-2442184