Order of Sections
- How to Get There
- Sights in Ooty
- Accommodation
- Transport
- One Day in Ooty
Udhagamandalam, is the new name of the town commonly known as Ooty. It is located in the western part of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
View of Ooty
How to get there
From Bangalore, expect around a 6hr drive to Ooty. The road till Mysore is fine although it passes through some towns. It's not difficult at all to find a stopover meal on the way, be it in a cafe or a restaurant serving fresh South Indian cuisine. Till Ooty, you have the option of stopping in restaurants like Kamat, or in Cafe Coffee Day, or in Indradhanush etc. For more variety, get into Mysore city.
For some sightseeing on the way, Mysore is an ideal choice.
St Philomena's Cathedral (Mysore) is a nice church to visit although pictures aren't allowed inside.
If you want to head straight to Ooty, you should bypass Mysore, and not enter the city.
Sights in Ooty
The most well-known sights in Ooty are the Ooty Lake and the Botanical Garden. To visit Ooty Lake, there's an entry fee
required- INR 5, besides an extra fee for cameras. The area
is pretty busy with shops. Boating can be done on the lake.
The Botanical Gardens are quite beautiful; they have a
map of India and some other designs made from flowers
and soil. There are different elevations in the garden allowing
for good view spots.
If you like markets, try Municipal Market. It stretches on a main road and behind and is a good place to buy fruits, spices etc.
Other sights include the Kandal Shrine and the Rose Garden (not been to either though).
Most of these sights can be very crowded. For a change try St Stephen's Church which is generally calm. Notice the beautifully decorated windows. Behind is a graveyard.
Accommodation
We stayed at Club Mahindra's Derby Greens Resort which
affords pretty good views of Ooty and the racecourse. Rooms
are fine. The property is quite big. Service, however, isn't up
to the mark- slow room service, non-availability of certain goods
such as lemon and apple pie. Food at the resort is otherwise not
bad, though.
Transport
Walking and auto-rickshaws are the main ways to get around.
Although prices for autos may seem ridiculous, these are
official. There are auto ranks in some areas, or you can hail
one on the road.
One Day in Ooty
Visit the Ooty Lake and the St Stephen's Church followed by the
Botanical Gardens. Around the lake, you can wander around the Municipal Market.
Last visit: Mar 2012
No of visits: 2
First visit: N/A
- How to Get There
- Sights in Ooty
- Accommodation
- Transport
- One Day in Ooty
Udhagamandalam, is the new name of the town commonly known as Ooty. It is located in the western part of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
View of Ooty
How to get there
From Bangalore, expect around a 6hr drive to Ooty. The road till Mysore is fine although it passes through some towns. It's not difficult at all to find a stopover meal on the way, be it in a cafe or a restaurant serving fresh South Indian cuisine. Till Ooty, you have the option of stopping in restaurants like Kamat, or in Cafe Coffee Day, or in Indradhanush etc. For more variety, get into Mysore city.
For some sightseeing on the way, Mysore is an ideal choice.
 |
| St Philomena's Cathedral (Mysore) |
 |
| Mysore Palace |
St Philomena's Cathedral (Mysore) is a nice church to visit although pictures aren't allowed inside.
If you want to head straight to Ooty, you should bypass Mysore, and not enter the city.
Sights in Ooty
 |
| Municipal Market |
required- INR 5, besides an extra fee for cameras. The area
is pretty busy with shops. Boating can be done on the lake.
The Botanical Gardens are quite beautiful; they have a
map of India and some other designs made from flowers
and soil. There are different elevations in the garden allowing
for good view spots.
If you like markets, try Municipal Market. It stretches on a main road and behind and is a good place to buy fruits, spices etc.
Other sights include the Kandal Shrine and the Rose Garden (not been to either though).
 |
| Map of India at Ooty Botanical Gardens |
 |
| Boating at Ooty Lake |
 |
| Ooty Botanical Gardens |
 |
| St Stephen's Church |
Accommodation
We stayed at Club Mahindra's Derby Greens Resort which
affords pretty good views of Ooty and the racecourse. Rooms
are fine. The property is quite big. Service, however, isn't up
to the mark- slow room service, non-availability of certain goods
such as lemon and apple pie. Food at the resort is otherwise not
bad, though.
Transport
 |
| Beautiful glass decoration at St Stephen's Church |
Although prices for autos may seem ridiculous, these are
official. There are auto ranks in some areas, or you can hail
one on the road.
One Day in Ooty
Visit the Ooty Lake and the St Stephen's Church followed by the
Botanical Gardens. Around the lake, you can wander around the Municipal Market.
Last visit: Mar 2012
No of visits: 2
First visit: N/A
3 comments:
A very comprehensive article about Ooty indeed covering topics as diverse as sightseeing attractions, accommodation facilities, and accessibility through local transport.
Wonderful video. Thanks for sharing. When it comes to places to visit in Ooty, it's like a nature lover's dream come true. While there's the Upper Bhavani Lake and the very famous Botanical Gardens as the famous Ooty tourist places, you can also go in for an experiential trip. The almost ancient Tea Factory is one of those places to visit in Ooty that can let you experience a very different world. Explore all best Ooty tourist places.
thanks for sharing your experience. ooty is a small heaven in south india. i have been there once only and fortunately got a chance to explore some of the best places to visit in ooty . it was totally amazing.
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