udhagamandalam

Udhagamandalam or Ooty (also often known as Ootacamund), is a town in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu . It is a popular hill station located in the Nilgiris Hills in south India, and is dubbed “Queen of Hills”, and is a popular holiday and honeymoon destination.

Udhagamandalam/Ooty is a hill station town filled with natural beauty, and offers a lot in terms of things to see and places to visit and explore. Here are the top places to see in Ooty –

Nilgiri Mountain Valley (a train station and a World Heritage Site built by the British East India company – The popular “Toy Train Ride” in Ooty begins here – this must-experience ride is said to be a captivating experience, with views of stunning landscapes, dense forests, a flowing river sunsets and sunrise/sunsets on its path, and steep paths including high altitudes).

• Ooty Lake
• Avalanche Lake
• Ooty Botanical Garden
• Dolphin’s Nose
• Emerald Lake
• Doddabetta Peak
• Deer Park
• Kalhatty Waterfalls
• Rose Garden
• Needle View Hillpoint

• Government Museum Ooty
• Mini Car Museum
• Wax World Museum

The major festivals celebrated by people in Ooty include –

• Pongal – A harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu state, in the month of January.
• Deepavali – The Hindu festival of lights.
• Christmas – A popular Christian festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. Kodaikanal has a large number of Christians.

If you’d like to buy some souvenirs, the best things to buy from are local made items like tea, fruits cheese, essential oils and chocolates, and some handicraft and decor items. Some of the best shopping spots to check out in Ooty are -

• Tibetan Market
• Upper Bazaar Road
• Main Bazaar
• Charring Cross
• Commercial Street
• Ooty Municipal Market
• Lower Bazaar Road
• Chamraj Tea Shop
• Souvenir Shoppe at Doddabetta Tea Factory

Ooty has an interesting food scene – with dishes and delicacies ranging from local coffee and chocolates to spicy street foods including north Indian (Kebabs, Chaat, etc) and Indo-Chinese, as well as regular south Indian meals and dishes. Here are some of the top restaurants and eateries to explore or dine at in Ooty -

• Ascot Multi-cuisine Restaurant
• Quality Restaurant
• Angaara
• Kingstar Confectionary
• Nahar Restaurant
• Place to Bee
• Kebab Corner
• Earl’s Secret
• Pankaj Bhojanalaya
• Jade Garden – Chinese Restaurant

Some of the best hotels in Ooty for a comfortable stay include the following –

• Savoy, Ooty – IHCL SeleQtions
• Hotel Lakeview
• Sterling Ooty Fern Hill
• Gem Park Ooty
• Delightz Inn Resorts
• Accord Highland Ooty
• Hotel Darshan
• Oxygen Resorts Ooty
• WelcomHeritage Fernhills Royal Palace
• Aurora Light Residency

Ooty also has a few good bars and pubs having good food, drinks and ambience, for people to hang out or entertain themselves during late hours. These include –

• The Valley Bar
• Four Quarters Lounge Bar
• Alto Espirito
• Selbournes Bar
• The Cheers Bar
• Wild West Bar
• Fern Hill Bar

Ooty STD Code – 0423 (to be used before dialling numbers from a device that is not locally registered).

Common emergency numbers:

• Police Control room – 100
• Fire emergency – 101
• Accident helpline – 108
• Natural disaster helpline – 1077
• Child Helpline – 1098

Tamil is the most spoken language of Ooty.

Tamil:

• What's your name? - Unga peranna?
• My name is - En peru
• Where are you from? - Nienga engirundhu varrienga?
• Congratulations! - Paaraattukkal
• Good night and sweet dreams! - Nalla thoungunga!
• What Is This? - Idhu enna?