Ooty is a town, a municipality and the district capital of the Nilgiris district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Ootacamund is a popular hill station located in the Nilgiri Hills. Udhagamandalam is the official Tamil name for the town. Ooty stands at an approximate height of 9,080 feet (2,767 m) above sea level.

Attractions:

Coonoor:

Located in the mountainous range called the Blue Mountains or Nilgiris, Ooty draws a large number of tourists every year. One can notice a marvellous change in vegetation, as one goes from Kallar to Coonoor. The establishment of numerous tea estates made Ooty famous. Lofty mountains, dense forest, sprawling grasslands and miles and miles of tea gardens greet the passengers on most routes. The annual Tea and Tourism Festival attracts crowds in huge numbers.

Coonoor is the second largest hill station in the Nilgiris, surrounded by tea plantations. It stands at an altitude of 1839 metres. It is essentially a small tea garden town where the weather is pleasantly cool through the year. It falls on the toy-train line between Mettupalayam (28 km) and Ooty. A popular pastime here is birdwatching as it is home to an extensive array of birds. The main attraction of course is Sim's Park, a small botanical garden that boasts of a wide variety of plants.

It offers panoramic views of the Niligiris, its hills and valleys lush with tea shrubs and eucalyptus trees. There is a quaint hill market which peddles leaf tea and essential oils. Although the height of summer is peak season, winter too is enjoyable in its own special way. Sports and honey moon travel.

Tourist attractions in Coonoor

The Pasteur Institute : The 96 years old, Pasteur Institute known for its path-breaking research work on rabies and polio, is situated just opposite Sim's Park. One has the permission to visit the institute only on Saturdays. However, on other days, one can visit the institute with the prior permission of the Director of the Institute.

Pomological Station : The Pomological station is a research center of the State Agricultural Department for persimmon, pomegranates and apricot. It is one of the three experimental fruit gardens in the Nilgiri Hills. The other two research centers are Burliar and Kallar.

Droog Fort : Droog fort is located about 15 km from Coonoor, once used by Tipu Sultan as an outpost. Also called Bakasura Malai, since it is linked to the local demon, Bakasura. But today only one wall of the fort has survived.

Lamb's Rock : Lamb's rock is situated about 8 km from Coonoor. It provides you an awesome view of Coimbatore plains.

Dolphin's Nose : It is a huge rock resembling with a dolphin's nose is about 10 km from Coonoor. On a clear day, you can glimpse Catherine Falls from atop the Dolphin nose. The famous Law's Fall is another popular picnic spot, situated at a distance of 7 km from Coonoor.

Sim's Park : It is a very important site to visit in Coonoor. It is a 12-hectare park, having a collection of over 1,000 plant species, including magnolia, pines, tree ferns, and camellia. The botanical garden developed partly in the Japanese style. The key attraction of the park is the annual fruit and vegetable show held in May.

Kotagiri : This place is about 21 kms from Coonoor.It is famous for Coffee plantations, Elk Falls, Rangaswamy Pillar and Peak, Kodanand view point.

 

Other places important places near Coonoor are Lady Canning's seat, the Pomological Station and the Ralliah Dam. 

Botanical Garden:The Government Botanical Garden, Udhagamandalm was established in 1848. Its architect was William Graham McIvor. The Gardens have around a thousand species, both exotic and indigenous, of plants, shrubs, ferns, trees, herbal and bonsai plants.[9] In the centre of the Gardens lie a fossilized tree trunk estimated to be 20 million years old. The Gardens consist of several lawns with flowering plants, ponds with lilies, beds of flowers and ferns laid out in an Italian style, several plots of flowering plants, a variety of medicinal plants. The flower show is held for two days.[13] The inauguration of the show is held on the first day and on the second day, prizes are distributed to winners of various competitions held in connection with flower show. About 250 exhibitors participate in different categories on the day of flower show. Several government departments and voluntary agencies also display their activities for the benefits of the flower lovers and tourists

Doddabetta Peak: This is the highest mountain in the Nilgiri Hills at 2,637 metres (8,650 feet). There is a reserved forest area around the peak. It is 9 km from Ooty,on the Ooty-Kotagiri Road in the Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu, South India. It is a popular tourist attraction with road access to the summit. The Chamundi Hills can be viewed from the peak.

Ooty Lake: This is located in Ooty in the Nilgiris district, Tamil Nadu, India. It covers an area of 65 acres.[3] The Boat house situated by the lake, which offers boating facilities to tourists, is a major tourist attraction in Ooty. The water flowing down mountain streams in the Ooty valley was dammed to form the lake. The lake became empty on three occasions when it breached its bund. The lake was originally intended to be used for fishing with ferries being used to travel across the lake. It gradually shrunk from its original size giving place to the current bus stand race course, and the lake park. The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation on behalf of the Tourism Department took the possession of the lake in 1973, for providing boating facilities as a tourist attraction.