OOTY – Queen of Blue Mountains -

(Enroute…Nilgiris visible at a distance) 

(The Drive Up To Ooty)

The drive to Ooty is quite scenic and once you are in the mountains you will find yourself gaping at the intimidating and overwhelming valleys and mountains around you. Once you enter the city you are greeted by narrow roads lined by ghostly pine trees and you may also spot some mountainside ponies still doing the dirty work.

(Finally There!)

(Posing Fimi Ishstyle Among The Trees)

(Cabbage fields in the city)

Drive through the city can be a bit cumbersome given the tourist traffic but once through, the short drive to Lovedale is relatively easier.

Ooty has plenty of things to do and see. We chose a few over the others.

Of course, the best thing about this place is that you can settle down in the lawns of the hotel and just take in the views of the mountains, the valleys, the sight of ‘miniscule’ people wandering around in the distant mountains, or just follow the ‘toy train’ as it plays hide and seek with you meandering through the mountains.

If you are not really a ‘couch’ person, then there are the usual, popular places that you could pay a visit to.

The first place we visited was the famous Botanical Gardens, a beautiful, well-laid and very well-maintained garden with a terraced layout. It is spread over a wide expanse and is home to umpteen species of plants and flowers. It is famous for its 20 million year old fossilized tree. What you will get to see is this tree’s trunk. The garden also has a nursery where you can buy plants, if you are a green enthusiast like me.

The second garden that we visited was the Rose Garden, situated atop a hill off Etiennes Road. It is a must visit, especially during winters. This step garden boasts of numerous varieties of roses.

Other places to see in the city are Ooty Lake, St. Thomas church and Doddabeta peak.

The other must-do when visiting Ooty is to take a ride on the hill train, that runs between Mettupalayam and Ooty. The Udhgamandalam-Mettupalayam Passenger is one of the few narrow gauge trains still running the country. According to the Indian railways website, “At a max. speed of 33 km. per hour, this toy train treks across plains, plantation and forest clad hills. The 16 tunnels and tall girder bridges on the way, along with the breath-taking view, make this toy train journey to Ooty, something not to be missed”.

Please make sure you check seat availability and schedule well in advance and do not miss out on the opportunity like we did, as by the time we reached the station the train was already full. 

(Nilgiri Passenger, NMR train, enroute to Coonoor, visible from our hotel)

Not to be disheartened by the missed toy train ride, we chose to drive down to Coonoor, 17 km from Ooty. Situated at an altitude of 1,800 meters above sea level, it is the second largest hill station in the Nilgiris and is set amongst tea plantations.

(Enroute to Coonoor)

Here we visited the most popular jaunt of the town, the Sim’s Park. Named after J. D. Sim, the secretary of the Madras Club in 1874, this garden is known to house more than 1,000 plant species.  Besides the well-manicured lawns and numerous plant varieties, it has an in-house water stream where one can pedal a boat. You can relax in the lap of nature if you can find a quiet spot, which you can since the park is spread over 12 hectares. We did find a place and got a chance to enjoy the bounties of nature – the earthy fragrance, the chirping of birds, the dim sunlight wading through the thicket. The park is host to an annual fruit and vegetable show held in May and attracts a lot of tourists.

Once through, we decided to visit a lesser known place “Needlecraft”, housed in Erin Villa in Singara Tea Estate. After taking directions over the phone we drove through tea plantations to reach this beautiful colonial villa. We were invited in by Mrs. Naaz, who runs this shop that offers exquisitely hand-embroidered napkins, bedcovers, cushion and pillow covers etc. The work is done by missionary women and sold at this house. While the prices are stacked a bit high, you could get easily tempted by the high quality of work and the noble cause and end up paying the price (quite literally!), which I did as I ended up buying a cross-stitched table runner.

(Tea plantations in Coonoor)

If you have the time and inclination there are few more sightseeing options available around Ooty and Coonoor. You can check out Droog Fort, Lamb’s Rock, Dolphin’s Nose and Pykara Lake.