Ooty, the "Queen of hill stations" is the  capital of Nilgiri district. It is one of the Best tourist resorts and is called as "Blue Mountains". It is a land of dreams and a picturesque hill station. Bordering the Karanataka and Kerala states, the Nilgiris or blue mountains, is a veritable fairyland. It has hill stations at various altitudes. In extent it is unique for its elevation, natural beauty and tourist spots. Niligiris tableland comprises of several types of scenery and the long range of green hills (locally called 'downs').

Ooty is the only hill station in india which attracts visitors during all seasons. It has built up a fame as the `all-seasons -hill resort' and the `queen of hill stations'. Located at over 2,300 metres above sea-level and nestling among the hills at a point where the Eastern Ghats meets the Western Ghats, the district headquarter town of Uthagamandalam sprawls along a beautiful plateau. 

The first British came to Ooty in 1812. He was followed by a few hundred European missionaries, educationist and civil servants. Finally, the hill stations attracted many Europeans so much so that it became the summer capital of the then vast Madras Presidency, or the present Tamil Nadu State, which consisted of 75% of what we call South India today. Soon, Indian princes or Maharajas built their palaces and mansions. 

Getting there

Rail: Owing to high altitudes and forest cover there is no rail connection to Ooty. Mysore is connected to all major cities via Bangalore. 

Road: Ooty is 160 Kms to the South of Mysore in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. Ooty can only be reached by road and is 4 hours drive from Mysore. Government buses operate frequently between Mysore and Ooty. There is lots of travel and tour agencies that offer one-day tour packages to Ooty and back. 

Local Transport: Private taxis, auto rickshaws and local bus services. KSRTC operates large number of services to several destinations in the State. City buses also operate covering tourist spots. Private taxies are also available. KSTDC conducts tours to important places.

Best Season: Preferably summer season is the best time to visit. However, this Hill station has inviting ambience from (flower show month) May to November.

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Where to stay

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What to see  

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Botanical Garden: This sprawling garden of over 50 acres has rare varieties of exotic and ornamental plants laid out in 1847 by Marquis of Tweed dale situated near the Raj Bhavan (residence of Governor of Tamil Nadu) is about 2 kms from Ooty railway station. The lovely garden has a rich collection of different species of plants from many parts of the world. Horticultural show is held every year in the month of May.

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Ootacamund Lake: This beautiful lake is set in picturesque scenery and offers boating facilities with row boats, paddle boats and motor boats for hire. There is a children's corner in the boathouse which offers pony rides and even fishing is permitted under license issued at the office of the Assistant Director of Fisheries.

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St. Stephen's Church: It is located on Garden Road in an English cemetery. It was built during the early 19th century with immense teak beams pillaged from Tippu Sultan's palace at Srirangapatna.

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Kundal Mund: It is a village 9 Kms from Ooty where the tribal people `Todas' live traditionally in tiny domed huts and wear decorative tattoos, vivid hand woven shawls and corkscrew curbs in their settlements. The Todas are remnants of a great race and are of anthropological interest. The Kundal Mund was recently featured in the National Geographic Channel as it is one of the unique tribes in the world.

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Dodda Betta: It is the highest peak (2625 Mts.) in the Nilgiris and offers beautiful vistas of the hill ranges, plateaus and plains around the hill, which can be viewed through the micro-telescope set up at the observatory centre atop the Hill. Sports like golf and a brief horse racing season are the other summer attractions.

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