Sightseeing in Ooty

Ooty has many sightseeing places that will keep the traveller occupied.

Start with the Botanical Gardens, which are a horticulturists' delight, were established in 1848. They now have a large range of fauna and trees and a fossilized tree trunk, which is 20 million years old. There is also a model Toda household that draws big crowds.

The Ooty Lake presents you with yet another chance at the quaint activity of paddle boating; it used to be very pretty but is now increasingly weed locked. The Rose Garden has 1919 varieties of the flower. There are a lot of `pucca’ British buildings: the gothic St. Stephen’s Church built in 1820, the Stone House bungalow, Raj Bhawan built in 1877. The Roman Catholic shrine called Kandal Cross, which bears a relic of the True Cross, makes Ooty `Jerusalem of the East’!

There are many walks around town in the hills, through the ‘sholas’ or forests. There is a wide variety of bird life, unexpected waterfalls and lots of spots for a secluded picnic.

It is possible to walk the 10 km to Dodabetta Peak, which is the highest point of the area. On a clear day you can look out to Coimbatore and the Mysore plateau.

The Wenlock Downs are spread over 20,000hectares of undulating countryside used to be the site for the Ooty Hunt.

There is a Gymkhana Club, a sheep farm, a golf course and an old Hindustan Photo Films factory.The government art gallery displays indigenous works of art.