Ooty (the real name being Udhagamandalam) is a name we all are familiar with since our childhood. Many memorable Bollywood movies of 90's such as Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Dil Se, etc were shot here. Despite hearing about it so much, I never got an opportunity to visit this enchanting place, probably because of my craving to visit offbeat locations. In addition, I felt that this place had lost its charm due to overcrowding. But finally when the time came, we decided to visit it in August (usually off season owing to Monsoon) and luckily both the rain and crowd did not cause any trouble to us.
Overview
After visiting the mesmerizing Coonoor (https://www.mysecondinnings.in/2019/09/my-south-india-diaries-2019-coonoor.html), my expectations grew even higher for Ooty. Located just 20km away from Coonoor, it took us about 45 minutes to cover this distance. It is situated on a higher altitude ((2,240 mt above sea level)) than Coonoor and the chill in the air became severe with every passing kilometer. The route was scenic as we passed through dense forest, lush green meadows, pine trees and tea plantations. On reaching Ooty, we firstly checked in at our hotel - Fortune Resort Sullivan Court. It is a beautiful property and is close to almost every key attraction.
Key Attractions
We first headed to the Rose Garden, which was a stone's throw away from the hotel. The garden is huge and laid out beautifully in terraces and has one of the largest collection of roses. This majestic garden beauty can also be judged from the fact that several couples chose this place for their pre-wedding photoshoot. Botanical Garden is another famous landmark in Ooty but we decided to skip it as we thought it was similar to Rose Garden.
We then headed to Doddabetta Tea Factory & Museum. By paying a small entry fee, tourists are allowed to see the entire operations of the tea factory right from the plucking of tea leaves to the final packaging. The entire tour lasted for around 20 minutes. There is also a museum which shares information on the origin of different types of tea leaves, history of tea in India and the evolution of Nilgiris as a tea hub. The factory also offers tea for retail sale and I got White Tea and Green tea for myself. As the factory is based on a high altitude, one can also see panoramic views of the valley and the mountain peaks surrounding it.
Next day we went straight to Pykara Lake & Waterfalls, which is about an hour away from Ooty. Along the way we came across prominent landmarks such as 9th Mile (shooting spot) and Kamraj Sagar Dam, though we did not stop on these spots. The lake is based somewhat away from the state highway so make sure to use Google Maps if you plan to go there on your own. On reaching the lake we instantly hopped into boating as it was cloudy and rain gods could interrupt anytime. Luckily, all went good and we enjoyed our 20 minute boat ride. There is a small cafeteria where we grabbed a quick bite before heading to the waterfalls. The lake and waterfalls are in different directions and be prepared to trek for sometime to reach there. The waterfalls were moderate but overall a satisfying experience to come this far.
In the afternoon, we headed to the Thunder World, which is a kid oriented amusement park. This place is a combination of dinosaur park, snow park and adventure park all rolled into place. On the entrance of the park we saw large models of dinosaurs welcoming us. My 3 year old did take a while before being comfortable with them. We took a combo ticket which included several key attractions such as Haunted House, 5D theater, Rain Forest and Mirror World. There is also a fish foot spa at the facility and we decided to give a shot as we had never done it before. In no time, my feet were immersed in an aquarium comprising hundreds of small fishes who just lashed on my feet as if they had just broken a hunger strike. Initially it was very difficult to control the tickling but after sometime your body adjusts to it. There is also a small in-house food court where one can enjoy some snacks. No wonder this place is a must to visit if you are travelling with kids.
Avalanche was a key attraction that we could not cover owing to monsoon season and the roads were not in a good shape connecting it. But it's a very scenic place away from the main city and should be included in every tourist to-do list. Similarly, Doddabetta Peak was another attraction we had to skip due to poor conditions of road.
In the afternoon, we headed to the Thunder World, which is a kid oriented amusement park. This place is a combination of dinosaur park, snow park and adventure park all rolled into place. On the entrance of the park we saw large models of dinosaurs welcoming us. My 3 year old did take a while before being comfortable with them. We took a combo ticket which included several key attractions such as Haunted House, 5D theater, Rain Forest and Mirror World. There is also a fish foot spa at the facility and we decided to give a shot as we had never done it before. In no time, my feet were immersed in an aquarium comprising hundreds of small fishes who just lashed on my feet as if they had just broken a hunger strike. Initially it was very difficult to control the tickling but after sometime your body adjusts to it. There is also a small in-house food court where one can enjoy some snacks. No wonder this place is a must to visit if you are travelling with kids.
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Avalanche was a key attraction that we could not cover owing to monsoon season and the roads were not in a good shape connecting it. But it's a very scenic place away from the main city and should be included in every tourist to-do list. Similarly, Doddabetta Peak was another attraction we had to skip due to poor conditions of road.
Overall Coonoor and Ooty Experience
To my surprise, both hill stations were unique in their own way and are truly gems of South india. Coonoor is extremely beautiful, calm, peaceful and less crowded. Ooty is the queen of hill stations with many attractions, higher number of tourists and more chill in the air owing to its high altitude. If one has covered prominent hill stations of North India, it is time to look down south. The proximity to Coimbatore, Mysore and Bangalore is an added advantage.
