Coimbatore To Ooty- A Sweet Journey

By Author: Rashmiranjan Patil
Total Articles: 261
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Situated in the state of Tamil Nadu, Ooty is often referred as 'Queen of Hill Stations' by the British. Located on the Nilgiri Hills, Ooty is a favourite hill station for honeymooners and other casual tourists. The official name of Ooty was Udhagamandalam. The origin of the name Udhagamandalam is derived from othakal-mund which means the ‘House in Mountains’ in Toda language. The British changed the name Udhagamandalam to Ootacamund and later to Ooty. Ooty, the former capital of the Nilgiri district, offers serene surroundings, nice and foggy weather and the toy train journey.

Perched at an altitude of 2286 m, the city of Ooty is home to various flowers and trees. A famous Kurinji flower, blue in colour, blossoms once in twelve years here. The Botanical Garden of Ooty, established in 1847, is a very important place to visit for the tourists as well as for the students. One of the important events in the botanical garden of Ooty is the flower and fruit show that organized annually by the tourism department.

The mountain train journey (Toy train) from Kallar on a ratchet is very breath taking as well as interesting. ...
... The Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) is one of the oldest railways in the country and it can find a place in the UNESCO World Heritage site. Many part of the forest in Ooty is preserved as reserve forest. Coonoor and Kotagiri are some other hill resorts nearby that attract many visitors.

Coimbatore or Kovai, an industrial city, is situated in the state of Tamil Nadu. Coimbatore is famous for automobile spare parts manufacturing industries and textile industries. The city is home to various educational institutions and health care centers. The main attractions in Coimbatore are the religious centers like temples and churches. Apart from these, Kovai offers several amusement parks and botanical gardens. The best time to visit the city is from September to March.

Ooty does not have an airport or railway station. The only option left to travel to Ooty from Coimbatore is by road. The nearest railway station to Ooty is Mettupalayam from where one can get toy train to reach Ooty. Frequent trains are available from Coimbatore to Mettupalayam. Nilagiri Express passes daily through Mettupalayam from Coimbatore.

You can take a bus from Coimbatore to Ooty which is comfortable too. To Ooty, one can get bus from the new Coimbatore bus stand through Mettupalayam within 3 and half hours.

Cabs charge Rs. 2200/- for 4 travellers. For more than 4 tourists, the cost of the cab increases to Rs. 3000/-.

If you have your own vehicle it takes approximately 1 hour 40 minutes to cover 88 km from Coimbatore to Ooty depending upon the vehicle you hire.