A small hill resort which is also a popular summer destination since the time of the colonial era. This place is of pristine beauty still attracts a huge crowd of people every year, more during the summers especially from people living in near-by cities. This article talks about what a traveller can do during their short stay in Ooty.
Tamil Nadu is powerful state in India which plays home to various major industries. It has under its boundaries, Chennai and Coimbatore, two major cities in India. These two cities are widely known across the country as industrial hubs with harsh weather conditions being scorching hot throughout the year. Then comes Ootacamund or Udhagai, commonly and widely known as Ooty, which is a small hill resort in Tamil Nadu. This hill resort is a quiet town with very pleasant summers and an almost freezing cold winter.
By Vinoth Chandar (Flickr: Ooty, A Scenic Beauty!!!) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
This hill resort, earlier a dense forest was made a summer destination by the British during their rule in India due to its pleasant weather even during peak summers. Houses and buildings were built by British which is why even the Ooty hotels and the small cottages in the resorts are all entirely English-styled and are still the same ones built during the colonial era. Houses across Ooty were built as old as the 1800s and 1900s which are now just refurbished and occupied by people. There are many heritage hotels and resorts lined with several colonial-era cottages spread across large vast open land and each cottage surrounded by a fully blooming English style garden thus making a stay at these Ooty hotels unique and different than any hotels one could be in in any part of the country.
The most prominent touch to the landscape of Ooty which catches the eye of anyone who enters this hill resort is the vast tea plantations spread along the sides of the road. These lush vegetations is surely a sight for sore eyes. Ooty is even more appealing after the monsoon season gets over and rains have done their bit in showering the trees and plants making them grow in full golden green. The Ooty botanical garden is a must visit for nature lovers. This garden is spread across a massive 22 hectares of land with over 650 species of plants. It also shelters a 200 million years old fossil tree.
“Ooty botanical garden“. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikipedia.
Ooty is a beautiful place for a relaxing rendezvous with nature talking long walks along the lakeside or in the woods. It also offers you a host of outdoor activities you could do. Book your room on one of the Ooty hotels that offer a good view of the landscape from the window, porch or balcony of your room and catch the picturesque view of the rays of sunlight hitting on the dew drenched leaves of the trees.
You could get into this beautiful hill resort by taking the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR). These unique train is made up of wooden coaches and large windows which will definitely make for an experience to cherish for. Explore this small town, visit the tea plantations and try to get a peek into the process of manufacturing tea leaves by visiting a tea factory, taste and buy the famous original Ooty chocolates and simply take in and enjoy what Ooty has to offer you.
Pratheep P S, www.pratheep.com [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons