A Weekend in Ooty, South India's Best Known Hill Resort Town

[Heena Adwani]

One of the "hill stations" founded by the British during their rule of India to provide cool mountain respite from the heat of the lowlands, Ooty was developed in the 1820s and 30s in the hills of western Tamil Nadu state, and known for its natural beauty as well as some colonial architecture and manmade attractions. Here are some of the basics you should know for a fantastic weekend getaway.

Since climate and weather played a huge part in the very creation of this town, and are a big reason for its continued popularity with visitors, let me summarise by saying that winters here are cool and pleasant, with the minimum temperature not dropping below 5° Celsius, while summers are temperate, with temperatures in the range of 15° to 20° C. Of course, you may want to avoid coming during monsoon season, which runs June to September, when it usually rains for a couple of hours each day. 

Top Spots In Ooty

Ooty Lake

A an L-shaped manmade lake built in 1824, is around 40 feet deep and a popular place for boating and fishing. There's also an amusements area for families.

Dodabetta Peak

This peak is the highest point not just in south India but also the second highest in the whole country, at 8,650 feet. It's possible to drive up here and get stunning panoramic views of the entire surrounding valley.

Government Botanical Gardens

Built in 1847, it covers about 55 hectares spread over Dodabetta's lower slopes. Among its thousand or so pants and trees, one particularly unusual treasure is a fossilized tree dated at around 20 million years old.

Wax World

A couple of kilometres outside town, this small collection in a colonial-era manse features many past and present figures of Indian history as well as representations of the country's traditional culture.

Government Rose Garden

A four-hectare spread established in 1995 on the slopes of the Elk Hill,  it cultivates more than 20,000 varieties including miniature roses, hybrid tea roses, floribunda, ramblers, and black and green roses. Plants and seeds are also available for purchase.

There are quite a few hotels, resorts, and guesthouses in all price ranges.

More information: Ooty.com., OotyTourism.co.in, Travel2Ooty.com.

[Murali Khoday]

There are many more places than the mentioned list. We need at least 4 days to cover the entire Ooty. We can plan Ooty packages in multiple ways from multiple cities.

You can click the below links for more information.

Ooty places

Ooty packages