Top Places to see in Ooty, India

Ooty is referred as the "Queen of Hill Stations" in South India. It is situated at the Nilgiri District of Tamil Nadu, at an altitude of 2240 m. Ooty is one of the top hill stations of India and is also called as Udagamandalam. Earlier the English name for this hill resort was Ootacamund. Ooty is a great honeymoon destination too.

There are many interesting places to see in Ooty. Some of the most popular places are these -

• Government Botanical Garden - located in the city, sprawled over an area of 22 hectares. Foreign and local visitors throng this beautiful garden.
• Ooty Lake - Approximately 2 kms from the city, behind the Main Bus Stand, spread over an area of 65 acres.The beautiful lake offers boating facilities. A boat journey is must get the full feeling of this enchanting place.
• Thread Garden - It exhibits a good collection of artificial flowers and plants in more than 150 varieties.
• Rose Garden - More than 2500 varieties of roses are here.
• Children's Park - Located on the way to Boat House. Some games and rides are available for the children to enjoy here.
• Fernhill Palace - Built in 1844, it was the summer bungalow of Maharaja of Mysore.
• Government Museum - located Mysore Road.
• Dolphin's Nose is an interesting place for a picnic. You can see the Catherine falls from here
• Kalhatti Falls - is situated 8 kms away from the city. It is also called a Bird Watchers' Paradise.
• Tea and Tourism Festival - The festival reverberates with the ethos of the culture of the Nilgiri Mountains.
• Flower Show -The Flower Show of Ooty (Udagamandalam) conducted every year is very popular among tourists as well as in locals.
• Ooty train - Those who visit Ooty usually wouldn't like to leave there without taking a train tour, which is spectacular.

The toy train is also known as Nilgiri Mountain Railways toy train and it covers a distance of 46 kms with a travel time of 5 hours, travelling through the snaking tunnels of thick forest. Through this spectacular journey one can enjoy the picturesque scenery on the way. Since 1899 the toy train continues to charm the visitors and it is a life time experience. The toy train passes through some important destinations including Coonoor, Kellar, Wellington, Lovedale and Ootacamund.

Those who have more time to spend in Ooty, can visit the nearby places, too.

• Doddabetta Peak - 13 km away from the city. This is the highest peak of Nilgiris hills and it is at the junction of the Western and the Eastern Ghats.
• Coonoor, another beautiful hill station is just 17 km away.
• Avalanche- is a nature lover's paradise, with a lake ideal for fishing, and bird watching. 28 km from Ooty.
• .Mukkurthi Peak and National Park - located around 40-km away on the southern corner of the Nilgiri Plateau.