Ooty Tourism 

Ooty is the Queen of Hill Stations, embellished with lakes, gardens, waterfalls, boathouse, forests, parks, this is the perfect destination if you are looking forward to unwinding yourself and relishing the nature.  Ooty is also well-known as Udagamandalam, in short form called as Udhagai.  This beautiful hill station is located in Tamil Nadu which is the Southernmost part of the Indian subcontinent, also famous for its temples and their architecture.

With temperature as low as 5ºC to a maximum of 25ºC the weather in Ooty is always a pleasant and cool one.  When you plan a trip to Ooty, you are likely to experience the feeling of breathing fresh air, especially if you live in metro-cities.

It gets slightly warmer in summers and extremely cold in winters which build a really romantic atmosphere. This hill station covers natural beauties for people who cherish nature and theme parks and museum for kids.

How to reach Ooty

Ooty is approximately 280kms away from Bangalore.

By train

If you are traveling by train, it would take approximately 15 hours to reach Ooty from Bangalore. It is unlikely that you will witness any scenic beauties if you are to take a direct train from Bangalore to Ooty.

By road

If you are to travel by road, it would take 6-7 hours to reach the place via Mysuru-Ooty Road. You can take the pleasure of scenic beauties through your journey if you choose to travel by road.

Best time to visit Ooty

Although it is delightful to visit Ooty at any time of the year, if you want to make the most of it and experience the best of Ooty, you must plan your visit during summers that is between March and June because the weather is quite nice.

Since it is a hill station, visiting it during the winters will make it difficult for you to venture out and explore the place since the weather gets really chilly.

Places to visit near Ooty

Kodaikanal

Kodaikanal is another beautiful hill town 250kms away from Ooty.  It is adorned with valleys, lakes, waterfalls and granite cliffs. So, if you are planning to visit Ooty over an extended weekend make sure you plan a quick visit to this beauty.

Coonoor

Coonoor is again a hill station situated in the Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu.  It is 20kms away from Ooty. Known for its Tea Estates, this place is also famous for Sim’s Park, Dolphin’s Nose and Catherine Falls.

You can reach Coonor from Ooty by road which takes about an hour or by train which takes almost the same time.

Top Best 19 Places to visit in and around Ooty

1. Doddabetta Peak

Distance: 9kms from Ooty

Doddabetta Peak is a popular tourist attraction which is the highest peak mountain among the Nilgiris Mountains. The view from this place is a breathtaking one and one can view Coimbatore from this peak.

There is a telescope house at the Doddabetta peak offering a clear view of the scenic beauty.

Entrance Fees:

• Entrance Fee ₹7 per person.
• Still Camera ₹12:00.
• Video Camera ₹60.00
• 5 Years above Full ticket

2. Doddabetta Tea Park

Distance: 9kms from Ooty

As the name suggests, the tea park exhibits the plantation of tea and explains how the tea is processed with the help of view of tea machinery placed inside the park. This park is located near Doddabetta and hence the name.

This park was developed to raise awareness about the tea, its origin and the benefits of tea, hence promoting it as a natural health drink.

Timings: Opens 9 am

3. Avalanche Lake + Safari

Distance:23kms away from Ooty

It is a beauty emerged from a natural force. And no, we are not talking about an actual Avalanche but a landslide that took place in the 1800’s which led to the birth of this beautiful place. Avalanche is home to wildlife like Tiger, Sambar Deer, Leopard and many more.

This place is also a popular picnic spot and a suitable destination for trekking. Beware of the leeches if you are planning to trek here. Tamil Nadu Forest Departments offers the Safari service thrice in a day; 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m..  You are likely to get a sight of wild animals if you take the 10 am safari ride.

• Van Tour: Rs 150.00 per head
• Jeep Tour: Rs.1200.00 per jeep
• Still Camera: Rs. 20.00
• Video Camera: Rs.50.00

4. Emerald Lake

Distance: 20kms away from Ooty

It is inside the Silent Valley National Park. This again offers a suitable place for trekking. The view of sunrise and sunset from this lake is a fascinating one. This lake is home to different kinds of birds.

There is a resort a little further from the Lake which offers bird sighting, trekking, and some other services.

5. Ooty Lake and Boat Club

Distance: 2 kms from Ooty

Ooty Lake is an artificial lake which was initially developed for fishing which later became a tourist attraction. Though the lake is artificial, it is surrounded by natural greenery and lots of eucalyptus trees.

This lake is a famous destination to be featured in the movies.  There are some songs and scenes from Bollywood movies that were shot here. There is also a boathouse which offers rowboat, motorboat and pedal boat rides prices for which are mentioned below.

 ₹10 per person for Indians

₹560 per person For Foreigners
 ₹30 for Still Camera
 ₹125 for Video Camera
 ₹200 for a 4-seater pedal boat for 30 minutes
 ₹160 for a 2-seater pedal boat for 30 minutes
 ₹180 for 2-seater rowboat for 30 minutes
 ₹450 for an 8-seater motor boat for 20 minutes

5. Kamaraj Sagar Dam/ Sandynalla Reservoir

Distance: 9kms from Ooty

It is also known as Sandynalla Reservoir. It is found on the way to Wenlock Downs and Pykara. It is a favorite picnic spot and a popular tourist attraction. Activities like bird-watching and fishing take place here. There are also a few animals that can be sighted here like leopard, monkeys, and mongooses to name a few.

The beautiful chirping of birds from inside the forest creates the perfect mystic sound for a charismatic evening. It is also a shooting point for films.  The popular movie Roja was being filmed in this location and also other movies being shot here.

6. Pine Forest

Distance: 9kms from Ooty.

This forest is very close to the Kamraj Sagar Dam. The pine forest has a variety of pine trees from the Siberian Dwarf Pine to Potosi Pinyon. There are trees as tall as 80  metres. Most of the trees are 15 to 45 meters tall.

Entrance to Pine Forest

This place is a popular shooting spot in the Hindi and Tamil Film Industry.

7. Pykara Waterfalls

Distance: 23kms from Ooty

Pykara is the name of the village in the Nilgiris District. It has the largest river in the district names after the place itself. Pykara waterfalls are one of the nearest waterfalls from Bangalore. This waterfall is considered to be sacred by the Todas. It flows in two sections. A 55metre one and another one a little higher with 61 meters.

Swimming here would not a great idea as the water level is not that deep and swimming at a deeper level of waterfalls is dangerous. The view of waterfalls during the monsoon season is a blooming one. There are a restaurants, chocolates and a boathouse near the waterfalls.

8. Pykara Boathouse

The Pykara Lake provides the boating service with several types of boats with respective charges. As mentioned earlier there is also a cafeteria at the boathouse. Both boathouse and the cafeteria are maintained by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation.

The boat rides here are perfect for sitting back and relaxing to have a peaceful evening.

9. Toy Train Mettupalayam/Nilgiri Mountain Railway

Nilgiri Mountain Railway was built in 1908 by the British and has been declared the World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. The Toy Train here is the main tourist attraction here. It offers first class and second-class tickets for a journey of about 46kms which is covered in 5 to 6 hours.

The Toy Train runs from Mettupalayam to Ooty via Coonoor, giving you a spectacular view of the lush green areas of the Nilgiris Mountains. It passes through a number of tunnels and under/over bridges where you can see dense forests, tea plantations, lush green hills, rocky terrains and more.

The popular Bollywood Chaiyya Chaiyya song was shot on top of this Toy Train. The trip is a wonderful one amidst the lush of greenery and tunnels and scenic beauty covered with mist and fog. Another interesting fact is that it is the steepest railway system in entire Asia. This place is surely worth a visit for all that it offers.

10. Ooty Rose Garden

Distance: 2kms from Ooty Railway Station

Ooty Rose Garden is one of most beautiful gardens and a really popular tourist attraction. It is situated on the slopes of Elk Hill and is maintained by the Tamil Nadu Horticulture Department. It has thousands of varieties of roses including the rare varieties like Black rose and Green rose.

World Federation of Rose Societies has recognized it as a Garden of Excellence. It is a perfect spot for studying nature. The beauty of roses, the cool environment and the setting of sun creates a perfect romantic setup.

11. Ooty Botanical Garden

Distance: 2kms from Ooty Railway Station

Ooty Botanical Garden is another beautiful garden on the slop of Doddabetta Peak. This garden is also maintained by the Tamil Nadu Horticulture Department. It is considered to be one of the best botanical gardens in India. It has hundreds of species of flowers.

The garden is divided into several sections Lower Garden, New Garden, Italian Garden, Conservatory, Fountain Terrace and Nurseries. This garden is believed to have a fossil tree which is around 20-million years old.

12. Kalhatty Falls

Distance: 14kms from Ooty

Kalhatty Falls is a beautiful waterfall 2 miles away from the Kalhatty village.  This place is well-suited for trekking, bird watching, and sighting wildlife. There are a lot of wild animals here such as Bears, Elephants, Bison, etc., some of them visit the waterfalls to drink water.

There are also more than 200 species of birds.  There are a number of plantations of some spices which create a beautiful scent in the atmosphere.  All of these gifts of nature together give an ecstatic feeling. The best season to visit this fall is during the monsoon.

13. Belikkal

Distance: 15kms from Ooty

Bellikkal is a small village in the Nilgiris Mountain Range in Tamil Nadu. Though not known by many, it is a beautiful village surrounded by the Bandipur forest, Madumalai Forest and Moyar river. The village offers beautiful scenic sight filled with tranquility.

14. Ketti Valley Viewpoint

Distance: 4kms from Ooty

Ketti Valley is the largest of the Nilgiris Mountains. The village is popular for its needle making industry. The valley has 14 villages which are home to tribal people belonging to tribes like Todas and Badagas.

As the name suggests, the place offers the view of the valley. You may find it exaggerated but the view from this valley is often compared to the views of Switzerland.

15. Dodabetta Tea Factory and museum

 Distance: 5kms from Ooty Railway Station

This place is the must visit during your trip to Ooty. The tea factory demonstrates the whole process of how the tea is manufactured right from the first step of freshly plucked leaves to the packaging. The place offers free tea to all the visitors.  The entry fee to this factory is rs10.  After tasting the freshly made tea, you can purchase the tea powder and chocolates available here.

The factory is surrounded by the Tea Plantations. The factory also has homemade chocolates of different varieties and there a few other things that one can buy from this place.

16. Mudumalai National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary

 Distance: 37kms from Ooty

Mudumalai National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary are also declared as a tiger reserve. People usually spend a half day or a full day here. Mudumalai Sanctuary is one of the best wildlife sanctuaries in South India.

The sanctuary falls on the Karnataka-Kerala border and is divided into 5 ranges namely Masinagudi, Thepakadu, Mudumalai, Kargudi and Nellakota. Trekking is not allowed here. There are mini-bus safaris that also stop at specific boundaries. There are hundreds of bird species here along with different species of reptiles, fishes, amphibians, and mammals. There are also a variety of trees in the sanctuary.

Several other attractions here are the Moyar river. Moyar river gorge, Madumalai museum, and Kallatty fall to name a few. This sanctuary can be visited separately as a short trip during the weekends.

17. Needle Point

 Distance: 51kms from Ooty

This place offers a 360degree view of the Gudalur village. This place has a cone-shaped rock. The place also offers a view of the Mudumalai Sanctuary, Bandipur and some parts of Mysore.

You can also see a mountain named Sleeping Beauty because it looks exactly like a sleeping woman. All these views will give soothing feel and relieve you of the tensions in your life and make you wonder about the beauty of nature.

18. Wenlock Downs

 Distance: 16kms from Ooty

One of the most popular spots in the Ooty, Wenlock Downs is extensive verdant grasslands situated on the way to Pykara in Ooty. This place is popularly known as the Shooting point. It offers the charismatic view of nature and scenic views.

There are 2 shooting points namely Sixth Mile and Ninth Mile. The names suggest that the shooting points are 6 miles and 9 miles away from Ooty respectively. There are many scenes from Indian films that are shot here.

19. Masinagudi

It is a gateway to nature situated near the Wildlife sanctuary of Mudumalai. It is a terrain that is densely covered with forest and is popularly known as an off-beat getaway. You can indulge yourself in activities like trekking, bird watching and more.

There a number of birds here given the fact that there is a lot greenery around. A lot of wildlife can also be found in this area. The beauty and the amazing Ghat roads of Masinagudi are simply indescribable. There are many tea estates found in this area too that leave lovely mist in the area around.

If you want to enjoy the best of nature and take advantage of the fresh air, mist, oxygen, and trees around; this place is a not-to-miss on your list.

Wrapping Up

One can never get over the beauty of Ooty, and with so many places to visit and things to do in and around Ooty, it can be considered as one of the best places to visit on a vacation. It is South India’s one of the most loved tourist spots and why not!!

It is covered with breathtaking landscapes, green and lush mountains, valleys, amazing lakes, lovely waterfalls, gardens, amazing museums, sanctuaries, and many other beautiful places.

For travelers, spending time in Ooty and enjoying the lovely surroundings and weather of Ooty can be very refreshing from their regular routine. The skies, hills, greenery and the charm of the architecture of Ooty make it a real retreat.

Go grab your chance of visiting this cozy place and explore it as you travel.