Ooty – “Queen of hills” which has one of the oldest rose gardens in India with 20,000 varieties of Rose

Ooty, also known as Udhagamandalam, is a hill station in the state of Tamil Nadu, in southern India. Surrounded by trees, central Ooty Lake is a huge artificial expanse of water with pleasure boats.

History

1. Udagamandalam was originally a tribal land occupied by the Toda and Badagas
2. The Nilgiris came into possession of British East India Company as part of the ceded lands, held by Tipu Sultan, by the treaty of Srirangapatnam in 1799.
3. John Sullivan, the then district collector of Coimbatore, is credited for bringing the beautiful hill station of Ooty before public eye in 1819. He built the first house in Ooty
4. John Sullivan also started work on a road from Sirumugai to Dimbhatti in 1819 and completed by 1823
5. Ooty lake was constructed in 1824 by John Sullivan,

Activities

1. Take a joyride in the Nilgiri Mountain Toy Train
2. Enjoy a walk in the Botanical Gardens
3. Take a drive up to Dolphin’s Nose
4. Go back in time at the Toda Huts
5. Trek up to Doddabetta Peak

How to reach there

Air

The nearest airport is Coimbatore, around 96 km (60 mi) away, Calicut International Airport is 140km away and Bengaluru Kempegowda International Airport is 273 km away. These airports are connected to major cities in India and even International destinations also

Rail

Udhagamandalam railway station is connected with Mettupalayam by NMR metre gauge service.  Nilgiri Express connects Mettupalayam to capital Chennai via Coimbatore. Coimbatore is connected to major cities in India through rail network

Road

Ooty is situated on NH 181 and is connected by road via the five main accepted Nilgiri Ghat Roads. 

Nearby destinations

1. Coonoor ( 21kms away)
2. Mysore (126kms away)
3. Wayanad (110kms away)
4. Bandipur National par (42kms away)
5. Mettupalayam (63kms away)