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It was in last winter I took time out for myself in the lap of Nilgiris soaked in the beauty of hills and the aroma of eucalyptus in the air which detoxifies me thoroughly. Nilgiri 'the Blue Mountains' are extremely high on beauty quotient.But I swear the Nilgiris ll be calling u again and again if u have seen it at least one time.
Nilgiris is a district in South India in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is at a height of 1850 m(6070 feet) above sea level. The valley appears blue because of its rich varieties of shrub, herbs and medicinal plants. Kurunji flowers which is blue in color could be found everywhere in the hills of Nilgiris and that’s one of the reasons for its blue color.
The landscape of Ooty
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Ooty is considered as numero uno honeymoon destination in Southern India. Its beautiful location, refreshing climate, fresh surroundings, and rich biosphere attracts tourists from all over the world. It is at a distance of 128 km South of Mysore road. The economy of Ooty is balanced by the field of agriculture, tourism, medicines manufacturing, and film shooting. You remember Shahrukh Khan movie ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ which was recorded in the laps of hills of Ooty.
Madumalai National Park & Tiger Reserve
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During the journey of Ooty, we crossed beautiful forests cover of Madumalai. The curvy roads between the forest ranges could take anyone’s breath. The head pins turnings were giving us hiccups. While we were enjoying the natural zone, we were amazed to see a family of elephants, chital and sambar deer. The beautiful peacock, big wild hens, squirrels, wild bulls and langoors were other animals we came across. The forest is said to be home for 266 species of birds. This is considered as the North-Western side of Nilgiri hills.
Disciplined Pine Forests
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Who won’t love to see the queue of trees? The long and sleek appearance of pine trees standing orderly in the forest is a beauty which can’t be left unappreciated. The trees are so thin that you could easily see deep inside the forest cover, and it’s so long that you couldn’t see the sky when you look upwards. That’s the talent which could be defined as ‘look through me, but don’t stop looking at me.’ Wao! the views were amazing.
Ooty Lake
Ooty lake is covered at an astonishing distance of 65 acres. The view of crystal clear water and the green valleys all around could be compared to the Nainital lake in Uttarakhand. The railway lines are also laid along the banks of the lake. The travel in trains could soothe your journey if you could see the Ooty lake.
Ooty lake is considered as most popular for the boathouse at its surface. The may month is usually crowded for the boat races and boat pageantry. This is one of the favorite places for newlyweds.
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The Deer Park is also located at the edge of Ooty lake. This is considered as second highest altitude Zoo with the varieties of deer and wild animals. The first is the Zoo of Uttarakhand.
Government Rose Garden
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This beautiful and enchanting rose garden is located at the slopes of the Elk’s hill in Vijayanagaram of Ooty town. If drowning in the aromas of roses was your dream, then this is the perfect place for you. It is at an altitude of 22,00m with 20,000 varieties of roses at its land. Some varieties I would like to mention are- hybrid tea roses, miniature roses, polyanthas, papagena, floribunda, ramblers, and yakimour.
Ooty Botanical Garden
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The botany and science students could rejoice to find the 20 million-year-old fossilized tree here. Apart from this, the exotic & indigenous plants, shrubs, ferns, trees, herbs, bonsai plants could be traced in this Ooty Botanical garden. The flower show is organized every year during the month of May.
Sim’s Park
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Sim Park is said to be the collection of 1000 plant species. This Botanical garden is constructed in the Japanese style. This park is popular for the Annual fruit and vegetable show.
Though I haven’t seen the garden in depth because we were late. But, I could tell you about the roadside food stalls that you must try. The mouth-watering maggie, alu-bhajji, hot corns and coffee in the evening is the perfect way to end your day.
Trekkers- Geared up!
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If you want to take the experience of trekking, then the best path for you is to start from the Lady Canning seat to Dolphin’s Nose.
Lady Canning seat is located at 9km from Coonoor Town. Lady Canning was the wife of Viceroy Lord Canning. She used to spend most of her time at this place. The viewpoint is famous for its panoramic view as one could see lots of points at a single place- such as the famous Droog Fort(13 km from Coonoor), Lamptons Peak and the Meandering Village.
Lamb’s Rock (popular viewpoint) is said to be situated further up at the same road.
Dolphin’s Nose
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I heard a child asking his parents, “Does the Dolphin nose looks like the real nose of Dolphin?” This is the curiosity which drives all groups of people here. Well, to explore and find out more, we entered the view-point of Dolphin’s Nose. What I saw was the 3-4 falls falling stealthily from the top of rocks to the depth of the valley. Though the rocks were pointed and sharp, I didn’t find any resemblance to the Dolphins Nose. Well, Mystery could never be enjoyed in its true revelations. So, we let the secrets pass like moving air and we may move ahead.
Doddabetta
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‘Betta’ means peak. The highest peak known in the Nilgiris is Doddabetta which is at the elevations of 2623 m. It is 10 km from Ooty and the loveliest place to enjoy dense sholas Pine forests. This peak is called a junction of the Western and Eastern Ghats.
Nilgiris Tea
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How could anyone miss sipping Tea in Ooty and Coonoor? No, Not at all possible. You need to visit the plantation area and taste the locally manufactured tea at any cost. The shrub responsible for the production of varieties of tea is camellia sinensis. In the shop, you could get the varieties of tea- the tea which has a multiple of health benefits and refreshment qualities. Some varieties are- chocolate tea, herbal tea, green tea, super red tea, yellow tea, black tea, etc.
Walking in between the tea-shrubs and getting pics clicked is another stunning feelings which would definitely full your digi-storage.
In the green valley of tea-plantations, you would enjoy your most of the time as you could see the blue hills of Nilgiris all around.
After all your days in Ooty, you could purchase Ooty-chocolates from any factory or store. I have purchased chocolates from Suji Surya Chocolate factory, it’s branches can be located at Doddabetta road and Ooty-Mysore road. Consider it as your good-bye gift on visiting such a lovely place.
Aruvankadu
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Aruvankadu is a small town in between the hills of Nilgiris. This is 6km from the Coonoor town and 12 km from Ooty. This is popular for the oldest defense factories known to be expert in manufacturing cordite(a smokeless explosive). Apart from this, you could get to see beautiful churches as well as temples on your way.
Sholur- The Shooting Point
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Now I have reached the last place for my post, and this is my most favorite place. From Ooty, Sholur is almost 40 km via NH181. So, you are most likely to see this place when you are leaving from Ooty.
The green dome-shaped valleys and the reddish appearing sun in between is the amazing scene which couldn’t be missed. The domes are well connected and the land is uneven like a huge hump. The thick green forests could be observed in down-side of the domes. The best time to visit is early morning when you could enjoy the heavenly sunrise.
Overall, my 2-days journey to the land of Nilgiris was awesome. I have written about all the places I have visited. But, If you have got more days for holidays, then you are lucky as the chances of exploring all the known places go high.