Ooty, short for Ootacamund (an anglicized name for Udhagamandalam), is a popular hill station in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India.

Udhagamandalam means abode of clouds. Ooty stands at 7,347 feet (2239 m) above sea level in the Nilgiris mountain range.

History

The Nilgiri hills are in recorded history supposed to have been originally claimed by the Hoysala King Vishnu Varadhan sometime in the 12th century AD. However, the hills remained isolated from the glare of civilization until they were surrendered to the conquering British by the Muslim king Tipu Sultan in the 18th century. The British citizens in neighboring Coimbatore liked the climate of this forested land, and occupied it by taking land from the native tribes (Toda, Irumba and Badaga); often buying up many square kilometres in a day for the price of a few meals. The hills were developed rapidly under the British Raj because they were almost entirely owned by private British citizens, unlike the rest of India. Ooty served as the summer capital of the Madras state, and had winding hill roads and a complicated rack-and-pinion railway system built by influential and enterprising British citizens with venture capital from the Madras state. Following independence, India has come to love it for the same reasons as the British.

Introduction to Tourists

Located in the mountainous range called the Blue Mountains or Nilgiris (in the native tongue), it draws swarms of tourists every year. The weather is quite pleasant at a mean of 15 to 20 °C year round, dropping to lows of 0 °C during winter. The hill town suffers from rampant commercialization and erosion of natural resources. The tourism industry has placed an enormous strain on the natural resources resulting in pollution, water shortage and bad roads. The landscape is quite unlike the rest of India, marked by rolling hills covered with dense vegetation, smaller hills and plateaus covered with tea gardens, and eaucalyptus trees. Many portions of the hills are preserved as natural reserve forests, and special permits are 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.

Inside tip

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.

Getting there

By Train

The hills are connected to Chennai by a nightly train. The Blue Mountain Express leaves from Madras at night, and reaches Mettupalayam, a small town at the foothills of the Blue Mountains early the next morning. The train, a standard diesel powered locomotive continues from Mettupalayam as a small coal powered historic locomotive that is a remnant of Swiss engineered trains imported in the late 1800s. The coal train is much smaller, and can only accommodate a portion of the passengers that disembark at Mettupalayam. A through ticket from Madras to Ooty will ensure a place in the smaller train, although many prefer the faster route of taking a cab or a bus from Mettupalayam.

The coal train takes a very scenic route, and the pace of travel will let you take in the beautiful scenery at leisure. The train uses a ratchet and pinion system to haul itself up steep slopes, and also to prevent the train from sliding down when stopping. The train is often pushed from behind as well as pulled from the front by two separate coal engines. There are brakemen at the rear of every carriage who will apply and release hand powered brakes individually for that carriage. The train often travels only at 5 to 10 km/h, allowing some adventurous passengers to get off the train and walk along the train. This is dangerous, besides there is a good chance that the train will speed up, and you will be unable to get back on board.

Mettupalayam can prove to be a bottle neck during the peak season of April-June with cabs charging exorbitant rates. The train is often quite regular in this part of the country, and is by far the most comfortable way to get there.

There are other trains from Chennai to Coimbatore. The journey can be continued from Coimbatore by road, a 2 hour journey. The Blue Mountain express also halts at Coimbatore.

By Plane

The Coimbatore airport is the closest to the hills at 2 hours by road. There are flights into Coimbatore from most parts of India. The Mysore airport is about 5 hours away from Ooty by road, and lies to the North of Ooty. The road trip is quite scenic from either airport.

By Road

The Nilgiris (the collective hill range, also called the Blue Mountains), is in the state of Tamil Nadu, but it is quite near the borders of neighboring states Karnataka and Kerala. The hills consequently can be reached from within Tamil Nadu by travelling up a heavily forested winding road (also called a ghat road), with many sharp hair-pin beds. The road trip from any state is quite scenic, although the Coimbatore-Mettupalayam-Coonoor-Ooty road (i.e. the Tamil Nadu route) is the most travelled and well maintained. All roads to the Nilgiri hills are toll roads, although the tolls are quite nominal.

There are buses and shared taxi vans that can be boarded from most parts of India to Ooty.

Accommodation

There is plenty of accommodation, with many hotels and inns that cater to every budget. The price is similar to most cities in India, and the popular Indian hotel chains have a presence here.

Things to do

1. Enjoy the weather
2. Go for long walks and hikes
3. Visit a tea plantation and if possible a tea factory
4. Travel the country side in a 4x4
5. Catch a round of golf at the Gymkhana Golf course (membership or introduction required)
6. Visit the local Army cantonment - the Madras Regimental Center and the DSSC (Defense Services Staff College)
7. Visit terrace farmed cabbage fields around Ooty
8. Visit the Mudumalai forest sanctuary (1-2 days minimum)
9. Sample the local bakeries (Kingstar bakery near Charing Cross in Ooty sells sinfully delicious chocolate and pistachio fudges)

• If you are into touristy things, the web or your travel agent will provide you with a list of destinations. Most travel agents / hotels also conduct guided tour packages that will bundle you into a bus, and tick off the most important and hence crowded "tourist" spots in the area.

Schools

• St. Hilda's School (http://www.sthildasooty.com/)
• Nazareth Convent School (http://www.nazkoolooty.com/)
• Kingsbury Montessori School (http://www.kingsburymontessoriooty.com/)
• Woodside School (http://www.woodsideooty.com/)
• Hebron School (http://www.hebronooty.org/)
• Laidlaw Memorial School, Ketti
• The Lawrence School, Lovedale, Ooty
• Stanes Hr. Sec. School (http://www.stanescoonoor.com/), Coonoor
• Rex School
• Breeks All India Hr. Sec. School
• Breeks Memorial School
• JSS Public School
• Good Shepherd International School

Attractions

• Ooty Botanical Gardens
• Doddabetta peak
• The Railway Station
• Ketti Valley - the 2nd longest is the world
• The Ooty Lake & Boat House
• St. Stephen's Church - the oldest Church in Ooty
• The Centennial Rose Garden

Nearby Places

• Kotagiri Viewpoint
• Bandipur National Park
• Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary

Photographs

• Ooty trains (http://twins.free.fr/travel/photos%20inde/page%202/pages/train%20ooty%202_jpg.htm)
• Trains 2 (http://twins.free.fr/travel/photos%20inde/page%202/pages/train%20ooty%203_jpg.htm)
• Trains 3 (http://twins.free.fr/travel/photos%20inde/page%202/pages/train%20ooty%204_jpg.htm)
• Trains 4 (http://twins.free.fr/travel/photos%20inde/page%202/pages/train%20ooty_jpg.htm)
• Trains 5 (http://twins.free.fr/travel/photos%20inde/page%203/pages/enfant%20ooty_jpg.htm)
• Trains 6 (http://twins.free.fr/travel/photos%20inde/page%205/pages/chef%20de%20gare_jpg.htm)