Hill station in the Nilgiri Hills with gardens, a lake, tea estates and a mountain toy train.
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Ooty (Udhagamandalam) sits at about 2,240 m in the Nilgiri Hills and stays cool when the plains are hot. Its sights are close together: a botanical garden from 1848, a large rose garden, a boating lake, the Doddabetta viewpoint and the Nilgiri Mountain Railway. It suits families, couples and first-time hill travellers who want an easy trip with little walking.
Trip planner
Plan from your city
Photos
Tea and vegetable fields near OotyMarlimund Lake, OotyMukurthi Peak in the Nilgiris near OotyView over Kandal, Ooty, towards the western catchment
Photos from Wikimedia Commons. Select a photo for its author and licence.
Best time to go
When
What to expect
March to June
Peak season with daytime temperatures of about 18 to 25 C. The flower show in May brings heavy crowds, so book rooms four to six weeks ahead.
July to September
Monsoon. Thick fog and sudden rain are common and landslides can affect the ghat roads. Hotel rates are at their lowest and the hills are very green.
October to February
Cool and mostly clear, with the best views from Doddabetta. January mornings can drop to about 5 C with occasional frost.
Sights and activities
1
Government Botanical Garden
A terraced garden of about 55 acres laid out in 1848, with lawns, flower beds and a fossil tree trunk said to be 20 million years old. It hosts the annual flower show in May.
Distance
About 800 m from Charring Cross in Ooty town
Entry
50 adult, 30 child; still camera 50, video camera 100 or more. Flower show tickets are separate (about 100)
A 10 acre garden on five terraces of Elk Hill, opened in 1995, with over 20,000 rose plants of about 2,800 varieties. A viewing platform at the top looks over the town.
Distance
About 2 km from Charring Cross
Entry
30 adult, 15 child; still camera 50, video camera 100
A forest-ringed reservoir on the Pykara, the largest river of the district and sacred to the Toda people. There is a boat house, and the falls are a short ride away.
Distance
About 20 km from Ooty
Entry
10 entry; battery car to the falls 20 per person. Motor boat for 20 minutes from 770 plus tax (8 seats); 2-seat speedboat 800 plus tax for 10 minutes
Timings
8:30 am to 5:30 pm, every day; boating from 10:00 am
A 46 km hill railway from Mettupalayam to Ooty through Coonoor, Wellington, Ketti and Lovedale, passing tea estates and forest. The short Ooty to Coonoor ride takes 60 to 75 minutes.
Distance
Ooty railway station is in town, about 1.5 km from the lake
Entry
Mettupalayam to Ooty about 600 to 630 first class and 295 to 310 second class. Ooty to Coonoor about 350 to 550 first class and 150 to 350 second class
Timings
Leaves Mettupalayam at 7:10 am and reaches Ooty at about noon; leaves Ooty at 2:00 pm. Several Ooty to Coonoor trains run daily
Time needed
1 to 1.5 hours for Ooty to Coonoor; about 5 hours for the full climb
A botanical garden of about 12 hectares in Coonoor, more than a hundred years old, with over 1,000 plant species, a lily pond and a small boating area.
Distance
In Coonoor town, 60 to 75 minutes from Ooty by toy train
Entry
75 adult, 40 child; still camera 200, video camera 500
Direct buses run to Ooty from Bengaluru (about 276 km, 8 to 10 hours), Chennai (10.5 to 12 hours), Coimbatore (2.5 to 3 hours, from about 90), Mysuru (4.5 hours) and Ernakulam. The last stretch is a ghat road with many hairpin bends.
By train
The nearest broad-gauge station is Mettupalayam, about 40 km away. The Nilgiri Express (12671) leaves Chennai Central at 9:05 pm daily and reaches Mettupalayam at 6:20 am, in time for the 7:10 am toy train to Ooty. Ooty has its own station on the mountain railway.
By air
Coimbatore International Airport is the nearest, about 88 km away. A taxi from Coimbatore to Ooty takes about 3 to 3.5 hours and costs about 2,500 to 3,500.
Where to base yourself
Stay in Ooty town near Charring Cross or Commercial Road, within about 2 km of the Botanical Garden, Rose Garden, the lake and the bus and railway stations.
Getting around
Taxis run on union rates: a full day of sightseeing costs about 2,000 to 2,500, and a one-day town tour by sedan starts at about 2,300.
A taxi from Ooty to Coonoor is about 700 to 900 one way, and Ooty to Pykara and back about 600 to 800.
Auto rickshaws have no meters: short rides cost about 50 to 70 and cross-town rides about 100 to 150.
TNSTC local buses are the cheapest way out of town: Ooty to Coonoor is under 30 and Ooty to Pykara about 20 to 30.
Bikes and scooters can be rented for about 500 to 800 a day.
App cabs such as Uber and Ola do not operate in Ooty.
Often combined with
Places people usually visit on the same trip, and how long it takes to get between them.
A South Indian breakfast at a small eatery costs about 50 to 80. A plate at a sit-down restaurant runs about 150 to 400. Tap water is not safe to drink, so use bottled or filtered water.
Try these
Idli with sambar (steamed rice cakes with lentil stew)
Filter coffee (South Indian milk coffee)
Nilgiri tea (locally grown tea, sold at the tea factory)
Homemade chocolate (sold across town; look for cocoa butter rather than compound)
South Indian vegetarian food such as idli and sambar is easy to find across town.
Daily costs
Budget level
Stay per room
Food per person
Local transport
Budget
₹1,200
₹400
₹150 per person
Mid-range
₹3,500
₹900
₹2,300 per vehicle
Luxury
₹8,000
₹1,500
₹2,500 per vehicle
Per day. Travel to and from your city is added in the planner above.
Permits and documents
No trekking or ID permit is needed for the town sights. Private and hired vehicles entering the Nilgiris have needed a free e-pass from epass.tnega.org since a Madras High Court order in May 2024; public bus and train passengers and vehicles registered in the district (TN 43) are exempt. Rules and daily limits have changed since, so check the portal before driving up.
Safety
By day
The town sights are busy and easy to visit by day. Fog and sudden rain can close in quickly, mostly from July to September.
At night
Avoid driving the ghat roads after dark, especially in the monsoon. Nights are cold, so carry warm clothes.
Solo women
No specific advisory was found online. The main sights are crowded public places; use union taxis or buses, as app cabs do not run here.
Roads
All approaches are ghat roads with 14 or more hairpin bends, and motion sickness is common. Landslides are possible in the monsoon.
Emergency numbers
112 (all emergencies), 0423-2445555 (Ooty police control room), 0423-2442345 (Ooty fire station), 0423-2444533 (Government Headquarters Hospital, Ooty)
Practical
Mobile network
Jio and Airtel work in town. BSNL has the best coverage in forest areas outside town.
ATMs and cash
ATMs of SBI, HDFC and ICICI are on Commercial Road and at Charring Cross.
Fuel
There are several petrol pumps in and around town. Fill up before the climb from Mettupalayam or Gudalur.
Medical
Government Headquarters Hospital, Ooty (0423-2444533). SM Hospital and the Government Nilgiris Medical College hospital are also in town.
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