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Ooty
| India City: Ooty |
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Ooty nestles in between four majestic hills Doddabetta, Snowdon, Elk Hill and Club Hill. These hills are part of the Nilgiri ranges that are really the meeting point for the Western and the Eastern Ghats. But why the blue mountains one would naturally wonder at the name. The lavender-blue flowers of the famous Strobilanthes cover the hills in floral profusion.
The beautiful Botanical Gardens are, in a word, Ooty's milestone. The Botanical Gardens of Ooty, established in 1847, are much like the typical, manicured and planned gardens one sees so often. But the real beauty of the place is its plants an amazingly diverse array with trees, shrubs and herbs of a mindboggling number of species. And the flowers were really something to write home about. Was it the altitude Ooty nestles at 2240 m above sea level and the rarefied air, or the lack of polluted air that gave these flowers an added shine and gloss? They smiled from everywhere as one ambles about the lovely, spread-out profusion. The fossil tree trunk that one sees here is believed to be 20 million years old!
The great charm of Ooty is not so much the specific tourist destination; it is, in fact, the long lovely walks that it offers. Anywhere you go, the serenity of the Nilgiris will be all around you. Specially the strategic points from where one could either see Ooty or the view all around, like Snowdon, Ketty Valley, the Wenlock Downs and, of course, Doddabetta. Further, one could hire a horse either near the boathouse or at the Savoy for a slightly more exhilarating excursion in and around town.
Ooty is a haven for the seeker of sports, adventure or otherwise from hiking and riding to fishing for trout and playing tennis and snooker. Many avid golfers believe that the links of the Ooty Gymkhana Club are among the best in the world. Today, Ooty has shot up on the demand charts of the Bombay (Mumbai) film industry, and with the southern filmmakers already there, the resort faces quite a glut of starry stuff. So you mustn t be rattled to find your peaceful walks punctuated by sudden crowds and an outlandishly attired couple running around a grove of eucalyptus tree.
Ooty has the singular distinction of having many places around that are worthy of a visit, or sometimes even a halt. Heading east from the southeast of Ooty will take one to Coonoor and Wellington, two very beautiful townships. Coonoor , though small, had much to boast of Sim's Park, Lamb's Rock, Dolphin's Nose and generally pretty landscape. Wellington, of course, is a typical army township, clean and smart. Coonoor may easily charm one enough to stay longer, with its lush, tea bush slopes and attractive British houses.
About 28 km from Ooty, towards the east, is the 26-sq-km Kota giri, incredibly picturesque, amongst the first townships of the British and a great place to visit. From Kota giri one can even proceed to the Kodanad View, Catherine Falls or Rangaswamy Peak, all famous for their natural beauty.
The famous Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, 67 km from Ooty, stretches over 321 sq km. Traveling to Ooty from Mysore and Bangalore , one passes the sanctuary with its dense vegetation crowding the banks of the lovely Mayar River. Herds of wild elephants, or lone tuskers, a great variety of birds, cats, snakes, and deer are known to live in these cool, dark jungles of the Nilgiris.
Ten kilometers out of Ooty is the great Doddabetta Peak, the highest in the Nilgiri chain of mountains. Doddabetta stands at 2623 m and if your trip is made on a clear day visible all around you will be Coonoor , Wellington, Mettupalayam, and Coimbatore. If it's an exceptionally crisp day, you might even see Mysore .
Avalanche, Upper Bhavani, Mukurti and Pykara are all places that are near Ooty and must be seen for their scenery. The reservoirs at Avalanche and Upper Bhavani are excellent waters for angling with the rainbow trout in particular abundance. All these places have an attractive mixed landscape of forests, shola-grasslands and tea-filled slopes.
Finally, for the scientifically curious, en route to Avalanche from Ooty is India's largest radio telescope. So also the Hindustan Photo Films in the Wenlock Downs, the only factory of its kind in India, manufacturing sensitized photographic materials.
A journey nobody should miss starts at Mettupalayam, 46 km southeast of Ooty, where you board the Blue Mountain Express that gets pushed by an engine. This small train of the Nilgiris couldn't be more full, with human forms oozing from every pore! Try clambering on from Coonoor where it stops en route to Mettupalayam. The overpowering Nilgiri landscape has the ability to make you oblivious of the human ocean around you and the greenery is bliss. It's a memorable 4-5-hour journey, so don t miss it for anything.
The region is a treasure of wildlife, with some animals even native to these southern mountain ranges. There is that deep-voiced Nilgiri langur (Presbytis johnii) with its shiny black body and yellow-brown crown. The Nilgiri langur happens to be one of the five langur species found in India and Sri Lanka. These langurs of the Nilgiris are often found in the sholas, which are amongst their favourite haunts. It's in the sholas that you can also see the lion-tailed macaque.
Coimbatore, 105 km from Ooty, is the nearest airport. Indian Airlines has flight to Coimbatore from Bangalore , Cochin and Madras. The Blue Mountain Express to Ooty is from Mettupalayam (47 km). Mettupalayam can be reached from Coimbatore by the Tea Garden Express.
All important towns of Tamilnadu, Kerala and Karnataka are connected to Ooty.
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