queen ooty
Once you have reached your place of stay, take a deep breath and savour the marvelous fresh air, unless you are staying in the commercial heart of Ooty. Of the 80 odd hill stations developed by the British in India, Ooty is considered the best and that is why it is called the “Queen of Hill ‘Stations.” Take deep breaths and fill your lungs with pure oxygen. Marvel at the fact that just two hours ago you were hot and ill tempered. Relax and enjoy your holiday. There are no fans because remember, it has been centrally air conditioned by nature
Plan what you are going to see in the time available and how you are going to see it. Plenty of tourist taxis are available whether you want it for half the day, the full day, the whole visit etc. according to your requirements. If your group consists of three or more persons, economy wise and convenience- wise, take a car in preference to going by the tourist buses. For about Rs.1,500 you will be able to see the standared tourist spots as well as some places the ordinary tourist never gets to see. Mainly because no one told them about these other places which are as beautiful and scenic. So either for lack of time or lack of knowledge, some of the best places are left unseen
For a budget holiday of a week or more, use the local buses and your feet to get the most out of your holiday. Almost all the interesting places are within a couple of hours driving distance. You might have to wait some time for the bus and you will have to walk, but isn’t that the best thing to do in the hills? Sensible footwear is a must, even if you are traveling by car because you will still have to walk inside the parks and climb up or down to see the water falls. Always carry drinking water to avoid dehydration and make sure you have an umbrella to guard against the summer sun or the summer shower. And do pack a lot of stamina. Even though all the tourist spots have roadside stalls with soft drinks, fast food and snacks, it is advisable to carry a couple of sandwiches. Watch out for the monkeys though, as they are everywhere. Having learnt to live with humans, they survived well and even learnt to sip soft drinks from tetra packs with a straw
Government accommodations in Ooty range Rs. 90 to Rs. 275 during the season. Private hotels charge anywhere from Rs. 200 to Rs. 4000 per room. There are a few families who offer bed and breakfast. If you are staying in Ooty, plan to start the day by nine in the morning. The Tourist information Office is in the Super market complex at Charing Cross (ph. 443977), open till 5 p.m., closed on Sundays. Go to the Doddabetta Peak (dodda- big, betta- hill or mountain in Kannada), 10 km. east of Ooty on the Ooty- Kotagiri Road. Turn right tow km. from the railway station. There are three buses in the morning from 10.30 a.m. and two in the afternoon from 1.30 p.m
The second highest point after the Anamalais in India or maybe even the world which does not get snow, you can drive right up to the viewpoint from where, on a clear day, you can see Coonoor, Wellington, the Kundah River and Valley, the Coimbatore plains and the Mysore plateau. There is a big telescope here. The observatory, established in 1846 wasclosed in 1859 but reestablished in 1902 and again closed twenty years later. There is a microwave relay station now. The Doddabetta Mountains play a crucial role in the Nilgiris weather. They act as a barrier to the rain currents so that places like Ooty Naduvattam and Pykara to the west get almost all their rain from the southwest monsoon from June to September. The eastern side of the range gets oney 25% of its annual rainful in the summer and the rest from the northeast monsoon from October to December. So, though the Nilgiris is always though of as a single unit, places within the district have varied and variable weather patterns affecting the climate
After you have seen the view from the remarkable flattened curve of the Doddabetta peak at 2623 mtrs (8640 ft), come down to see the Ooty lake. If you came by train, the lake would have been on your left as you came into Ooty. Thanks to some cleaning up in the last few years, the lake has regained its lost beauty but the water hyacinths keep reclaiming the lake. And at the entrance, the lake is filled with plastic water bottles, coffee cups and empty wafer packets thrown by careless visitors. Fortunately, plastic has been banned in the Nilgiris since 2000, so hopefully the lake front will be less dirty. The Tamil Nadu Government spends more than Rs. 1 crore a year to clean the lake
This artificial lake (2 sq. miles or 5.18 sq. km.) was made in 1823 by John Sullivan, the District Collector, by damming a small stream which ran through Ooty. He was so impressed by the beauty of the blue mountains that he was instrumental in encouraging the government to develop the place. He built the first house, ‘Stone-house’, which is now part of the Government Arts College. The Shrinking lake is just 65 acres (one-twentieth its original size) now. The swampy part of the lake was reclaimed and made into an internationally famous golf course. Later this became the race course. Horse racing takes place even now, every summer and autumn. Boats, both paddle (Rs. 30 ) and motoe (Rs. 80 ) plus a refundable deposit of Rs. 50, are available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Department of Tourism proposes to build a ropeway between the boat house and the mini garden
The separate entrance charges for the lake and Children’s Park are Re. 1 per head, Rs. 2 and Rs. 3 for two wheeler and car parking, Rs. 3 for a still camera and Rs. 100 for a video camera. There is a mini train and other play equipment. The annual boat race during the summer festival takes place here in Ma
Though you can see the Deep Park from here, you will have to go around the lake as it is one the opposite side about 2.5 km. from the Ooty Railway Station. There are spotted deer, sambhar (elk), wild geese and rabbits in this 3.5 acre part. Entrance is free. All this sight seeing will easily take up the whole morning. Take a break for lunch, which can be anywhere, so Ooty has any number of eating places to suit all tastes and budgets