The Top 5 things to do in Ooty

October 3, 2013 eweekendbreaks Off travel guide,

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Ooty or Udhagamandalam as it is locally known as is a hill station in Tamil Nadu. Hordes of people travel to this town for a quick break or to spend time with their family. Known for its beautiful weather and sites, Ooty is all about nature and being one with nature. Ooty Tourism has been promoting the several landmark sites and the rich heritage that is hidden within.

The top 5 main things to do in Ooty.

Government Rose Gardens– The Rose Garden is the largest rose garden inIndia. It is situated on the slopes of the Elk Hill in Vijayanagaram of Ooty town at an altitude of 2200 meters. Today this garden has one of the largest collection of roses in the country with more than 20,000 varieties of roses of 2,800 cultivars. The collection includes Hybrid Tea Roses, Miniature Roses, Polyanthas, Papagena, Floribunda, Ramblers, Yakimour and roses of unusual colours like black and green. The rose varieties planted in this garden were assembled from different sources.

Ooty Lake– Constructed in 1824 by John Sullivan, the first collector of Ooty, a visit here is one of the top things to do in Ooty. The lake was formed by damming the mountain streams flowing down Ooty valley. The lake was initially used for fishing. The lake originally extended up to the present day market. Ferries were used to get across the lake. The lake gradually shrunk in size giving place to the present
race course, the bus stand and the lake park.

St Stephen’s Church– If you were ask the locals on what are the key things to do in Ooty, they would point to the church and ask you to head over there once before you leave. It is one of the oldest churches in the Nilgiris district. Stephen Rumbold Lushington, the then Governor of Madras, laid the foundation for the church on April 23, 1829, to coincide with the birthday of King George IV. The church features a pew with a raised chancel. Stained glass paintings, depicting Mary holding baby Jesus in her arms and the crucifixion of Christ among others, are featured on the eastern side and behind the chancel. A large life-like painting of the Last Supper is depicted on the western wall, above the paneled doorways.

Tribal museum– Part of the campus of Tribal Research Centre which is in Muthorai Palada, this is a place being promoted extensively by Ooty Tourism. It is home to rare artifacts and photographs of tribal groups of Tamil Nadu as well as Andaman and Nicobar Islands and anthropological and archaeological primitive human culture and heritage. The Tribal Museum also displays houses of
Toda, Kota, Paniya, Kurumba and Kanikaran.

Doddabetta peak– The highest peak (2,623 m) in the Nilgiris it is located about 10 km from Ooty and has to be on your list of things to do in Ooty. It lies at the junction of the Western and Eastern Ghats and offers beautiful vistas of the Nilgiri Hill ranges. It is surrounded by dense sholas. One can have a panoramic view of the landscape through the TTDC telescope. TTDC restaurant caters to the needs of tourists.

Author Bio:
This guest post is submitted by Stephenleuis. Stephenleuis is a Travel enthusiast, currently working with ixigo.com, an online India Travel Guide helps you to plan your trip to India. This time he has written on Ooty Tourism. Hope this information will help you to plan your trip to Ooty.