Ooty
About Ooty
Ideal Trip Duration: 2-3 Days
Base Station: Ooty
Nearest City to Ooty: Coimbatore (89 Kms)
Best Time to Visit Ooty: March to June & September to October
Peak Season: April to June
State: Tamil Nadu | District: The Nilgiris
Ooty Weather: Summer: Maximum – 23°C & Minimum – 11°C
Winter: Maximum – 20°C & Minimum – 5°C
Ooty, short for Ootacamund (an anglicized name for Udhagamandalam), is a popular hill resort in the state of Tamil Nadu in Southern India.
The name Udhagamandalam is derived from the TODA word “othakal-mund” which means “house in mountains”. Udhaka Mandalam also means “Water Abode” in Sanskrit. Ooty stands at 7,347 feet above sea level in the Nilgiri mountain range. It served as the summer headquarters of the Madras Presidency.
Located in the mountainous range called the Nilgiris (“Blue Mountains”), it draws swarms of tourists every year. The weather is quite pleasant at a mean of 15-20°C around the year, dropping to lows of 0°C during winter. The landscape is marked by rolling hills covered with dense vegetation, smaller hills and plateaus covered with tea gardens, and eucalyptus trees. Many portions of the hills are preserved as natural reserve forests, and special permits will be needed to camp in noncamp sites. *Ooty, is not the destination in itself, as much as it is the focal point of attraction. Auto touring the surrounding country side is certainly a must do. Unfortunately, the hill town suffers from overcrowding and erosion of natural resources. Tourism has placed an enormous strain on the natural resources resulting in pollution, water shortage and roads.
The hilly region also houses smaller towns like Coonoor and Kotagiri. These smaller towns are a better choice to visit and spend time in, since they are off the beaten path, yet less than 1 hour away from Ooty. They enjoy the same natural climes and prices are a lot cheaper.
ATMs
There are plenty of cash machines in the town centre, but be aware that the most frequented ones often run out of cash by Sunday afternoon, or on three day weekends. So be careful.
Languages spoken | Tamil & English |
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Country name | India |