The latest destination I visited was Ooty. Ooty is a hill station in South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, nearly 565 kms from Chennai.
I had heard a lot about the scenic charm of Ooty and was quiet eager to take a trip to Ooty as soon as possible. And I must say, I was not disappointed a bit. It is a heaven place full of greenery & beauty of nature.!
We took the Nilgiri Express from Chennai to reach Mettupalayam. From there we took a toy train from Mettupalayam which takes 5 hours to reach Ooty. The toy train is a leisurely journey showing the beauty of the forests and tea gardens. It was a pleasant season in the months of April-May but it turned a little chilly as we move to altitudes.
We stayed at a resort in the outskirts & not in the city as it made us come closer to the nature. Our resort was beautifully placed on the steps of a hill which showed the tea cultivation around.
As we entered the balcony, we really got swayed away by the beauty of the climate & nature around.
The Rose Garden was a real treat with its numerous species of roses and so was the Government
Botanical Garden with different species of trees brought from all over the world.
The Ooty Lake was a picture postcard beauty that further strengthened our view that a trip to Ooty was all the efforts that we put in. Not to forget the tea gardens of Ooty. Roaming around we felt like we were taking a stroll in the paradise.
Pykara River is the largest river and is located about 21 kms from the city on the Ooty-Mysore road in the Niligiri district. The area around the lake is surrounded by forest that adds to its natural beauty. The place is a popular picnic spot among locals as well as tourists.
Doddapetta Peak is the highest peak (2634 metres) in the Nilgiris Hills and is located at a distance of about 10 kms from the Ooty bus stand. The name ‘Doddapetta’ means ‘big mountain’ in Badaga/Kannada language.
The Avalanche Lake is located at a distance of 28 kms from Ooty in the Nilgiris. It was formed naturally in the year 1823 due to a massive landslide. The surrounding forests are so dense that even sunlight cannot penetrate through them.
Coonoor and Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary were on the top of our list and the experience of visiting them was really nice. A wonderful scenic place, it is also known as the Tiger Reserve.
While we were staying in Ooty hill station, we took the opportunity to explore some nearby destinations as well. Finally, we returned from our trip to Ooty hill station in Tamil Nadu with happy with our trip.