I was planning a summer holiday with my family and I wanted to do something different. Then I thought, why not head to the south to enjoy the beauty of the Queen of the Nilgiris, Ooty.
The summer, especially the months of April-May, is the ideal time to visit Ooty. Situated deep within the Nilgiri Hills, surrounded by many scenic spots, lush green meadows and beautiful lakes, the hill station Ooty has many offerings. This place is desired by the movie makers and most of them have achieved success.
Ketti View Point
Ketti is a small town in Nilgiris district and located en route to Coonoor. Ketti valley is the second largest valley in the world which houses 21 villages. To reach this place, you need to drive along the Ooty-Coonoor road (NH67) for around 4 km.
From Ketti View Point, you can get a full view of the local valley through a telescope. If your camera has enough zooming capacity, you can spot an ancient church in the valley.
Coonoor Tea Garden
Set at an altitude lesser than Ooty, Coonoor is a little village that offers some amazing view points. Just 20 kms away from Ooty, it has some marvelous tea plantations. If you are a fan of Hindi movies, you can see the place where Sajan movie was shot.
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| Coonoor Tea Garden |
The chilly weather is something that will charm any nature passionate. You can visit outlet of tea plantations from where you can purchase tea, eucalyptus oil, spices and fruits or sip a tea in different flavor. They will show you the extraction of eucalyptus oil from leaves and you can smell the fragrance of the oil wafting through the air during extraction.
Dolphin Nose
Dolphin Nose is an enormous rock formation that looks exactly like a dolphin's nose. There are two ravines on both sides of Dolphin's Nose. From one side, you can clearly see the Catherine Falls. You can enjoy the beauty on both sides through a telescope. In the other ravine, you can spot where the Coonoor stream meets the Kotagiri stream.
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| Catherine Falls from Dolphin's Nose |
Sims Park
Sim’s Park is constructed and named after J. D. Sim, the Secretary of the Madras Club in 1874. Spread over an area of about 12-hectare, this garden is built following the Japanese style. It has a huge collection of about 1,000 plant species. It is mainly noted for its annual fruit and vegetable show held in May. You could also opt for boating in the lake nearby.
Doddabetta Peak
Dodabetta Peak is the highest point in the district at a height of about 2623m. Approx 10 kms from Ooty town, this mountain peak is one of the tourist attractions in Ooty. It is better to visit this place as early as possible to avoid crowd. This is the right place to see the Sahyadri/Western ghat ranges. The song ' Dekha hai pehli baar ' from the famous Bollywood movie 'Sajan' was shot at Doddabeta. There again one can view the surroundings through a telescope.
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| Dodabetta Peak View Point |
One can see as far as the plains of Coimbatore and the Chamundi Hills (Mysore) if the climate is clear. If you want to capture the best possible views of the valleys below, this is the place to be.
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| View from Doddabetta Peak |
Doddabetta Tea factory
We also visited one of the tea factories where the workers eagerly showed us the process by which tea was made. The person in-charge explained to us the whole process of manufacturing tea.
Coonoor visit will not be complete if you miss a visit to a tea factory. You can also sip a cup of masala tea or chocolate tea.
Botanical Garden
At the end of the day's trip, we visited the widely known Government Botanical Garden. The garden is divided into six separate sections called Lower Garden, New Garden, Italian Garden, Conservatory, Fountain Terrace and Nurseries.
At the end of the day's trip, we visited the widely known Government Botanical Garden. The garden is divided into six separate sections called Lower Garden, New Garden, Italian Garden, Conservatory, Fountain Terrace and Nurseries.
Indian film industry have utilized these Botanical gardens wonderfully in song sequences and other prominent situations.
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| McIvor House: The oldest building in Ooty Botanical Garden |
A major part of the Hindi movie 'Maine Pyar Kiya' was shot in Ooty and the song 'Kabootar Ja' was shot in the Botanical Gardens. You can catch a glimpse of these gardens in ' Geethanjali ' as well as Priyadarshan’s Malayalam movie ' Kilukkam'.
There is a wide range of flora and indigenous vegetation that includes monkey puzzle trees, paper bark trees, and old fossilized trees. Towards the top, you can find vast stretches of land covered with pine trees. The garden houses a precious collection of flowers along with other exotic species of plants in different layers. The camping scene in the Hindi film "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" was shot here. It's beauty attracts nature lovers and honeymooners every year.
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