Ooty
The Nilgiri hill station the British made their Madras summer capital, reached by a rack railway.
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Udhagamandalam sits at about 2,240 metres in the Nilgiris and became the summer seat of the Madras Presidency, which left it with a botanical garden laid out in 1848, a boating lake, St Stephen's church built with timber from Tipu Sultan's palace, and a stock of stone bungalows. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway, opened in 1908 and inscribed by UNESCO, climbs from Mettupalayam using a rack and pinion system on the steepest sections, the only such line in India, taking around five hours for forty-six kilometres. Tea covers the slopes around, and Doddabetta, the highest Nilgiri peak, is a short drive.
What you actually see
- The mountain railway - a rack and pinion climb from the plains, unique in India.
- The botanical garden - the 1848 layout with a fossil tree trunk.
- St Stephen's church - built with timber taken from Tipu's palace.
- Doddabetta - the highest Nilgiri peak, with a viewpoint.
When to go
October to June; the summer season from April to June is peak and extremely crowded, with the flower show in May. The monsoon brings fog and landslides on the ghat roads.
Honest expectations
Peak-season traffic and crowds are severe, with hours-long jams on the ghat roads. Railway tickets sell out weeks ahead. The town has grown far beyond its old core and much of it is congested.
Nearby
Coonoor lies below on the railway; Mudumalai is north.
What to pack for Ooty
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
