Queen of Hill-stations

Ooty is sometimes called as the “Queen of Hill-stations”

Here are pictures of some of the attractions of Ooty.

Doddabetta Peak, at 2637 metres, is the highest mountain in the Nilgiris, as well as whole of South India. At the top of the peak is a Telescope House from where one can see entire Ooty town. Below are pictures of Ooty town as seen from the peak.

The Ooty Government Botanical Gardens are situated close to Ooty Town. The 22-acre garden was initially built to study flora in the Nilgiri Hills and was later opened to public.

It houses a variety of flowering plants, medicinal plants and one of its attractions is a 20 million year old fossilized tree.

Pykara Falls are the largest and last two falls of a series of cascades on the Pykara River, the largest river in Nilgiris District. The river is sacred to the local tribe known as the Todas. A dam and power plant harness hydropower from the river.

Pine forest, also known as “Shooting Spot” is a hill with a gentle ascent. One can see breathtaking views of the neighbouring hills from the top.

Coonoor is another town in the Nilgiris, home to the Nilgiri Tea. Vast areas of Coonoor are dedicated to tea plantations. The tea estates allow tourists to walk in, see the workers at work, tour the tea factory, and sample some of their delicious flavoured teas.

Coonoor is also home to the regimental headquarters of the Madras Regiment of the Indian Army, and the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) in Wellington Cantonment. Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw was the most famous resident of this place. He was one of only two Indian military officers to hold the highest rank of Field Marshal in the Indian Army (the other being Field Marshal K M Cariappa).

Other attractions in Coonoor are Sim’s Park – a botanical garden which houses more than a thousand plant species, and the Pasteur Institute – which produces DPT vaccine and vaccines against Rabies.