A tiny hamlet close to Coonoor, Ketti is an unexplored destination. Apart from the exalted landscapes and scenic beauty another added attraction is the St. Michael Convent, set amidst fields and creates a picture perfect picture with a green roof.
The Convent also has a beautiful statue of the silver angel. To see nature in its raw beauty, make a full day visit to Ketti.
The valley surrounding Coonoor is popularly known as the Hidden Valley. Away from the roads, access is only through a long trek but you will find it worthwhile.
The panoramic beauty, lush vegetation all around with hidden streams and waterfalls makes for an exciting trek. Apart from the beautiful environ, the adventure and thrill of hiking through such a natural wonder is an memorable experience.
Within the Cantonment area, the Wellington Golf course is a place to enjoy a game.
This beautiful golf course is also popular with film makers and numerous song sequences have been shot here.
Catherine Falls is one of the beautiful tourist locations in the region that features a stream of water falling from an altitude of 250 ft. Known as St. Catherine's Falls, the waterfall is located in the outskirts of the town.
Tourists can also witness the beautiful waterfall from the top of Dolphin's Nose, advancing on a motorable road to the top of the Catherine Falls. From this extreme point, the waterfall flows down and creates a pool of water beneath on the fall.
Dolphin's Nose is a popular tourist attraction, which is named after a rock resembling to the appearance of Dolphin's nose. It is located at a distance of 12 km from centre of Coonoor nearby Tiger Hills.
Travellers can sight a beautiful view of ravines along with St. Catherine's Falls, standing atop on the site. Coonoor river intersecting with river stream from Kotagiri can also be witnessed from the location. The deep forest valleys are covered with greenery and mash of tree tops.
Lamb's Rock, one of the main tourist attractions in the area, is 8 km from Coonoor. The cliff top provides a bird-view of the hill station of Coonoor and plains of Coimbatore. It is among favoured tourist spots, which can be approached on the way to Dolphin's Nose or the Seat.
The sight featuring giant rock is named after Captain Lamb, who made earnest attempts to create a gateway to the place in the Burliar village. Beneath the rock, lies a vast forest reserve. On the right, there is a Hullical ravine featuring Coonoor river.
The Droog, once an outpost of Tipu Sultan, is now a major tourist attraction. The location gives commanding views of all directions. Situated at a distance of 15 km from the centre of Coonoor, Droog stands at an elevation of 6,000 ft above the plains.
It is one of the popular locations among trekking enthusiasts, as travellers have to climb down on foot for 4 km from Nonsuch Estate in order to reach the location. Located on mountain top, the location provides a wide sight of the plains.
According to mythological tales, the fort is linked with the legend of a local demon, Bakasura. Due to this, it is also called Bakasura Malai by the natives.
Laws Falls is one of the popular tourist locations that features a beautiful waterfall. The water falls from an altitude of 180 ft, creating a pool of water on the fall. Located on Coonoor-Mettupalayam road, travellers can advance to the site from Coonoor, which is 7 km from Laws Falls.
A popular sight for tourists, Laws Falls is named after Col. Law, who traced the water path and also constructed the Coonoor Ghat. Coonoor Ghat is a beautiful watercourse on the Coonoor river, joining junction with the Mettupalayam Ghat Road.
The spring fall is positioned at a distance of 5 km from Coonoor at the middle of Coonoor and Kateri rivers.
A beautiful relic of the British past, St. George's Church was a cantonment Church that was constructed in 1826 A.D.
The deep ochre stucco with white offsets the beauty of the church while the entrance is through a vestibule that has niches.
The vaulted roof is supported by ionic columns and decorated with Gothic sculptures. The beautiful altar is of pure marble inlay work while the Church surrounded with trees radiates a feeling of serenity and peace.
Sim's Park is an unusual park-cum-botanical garden, which was laid more than a hundred years ago on the natural hill ranges. The garden features ethnic trees along with shrubs and creepers which co-habit with various other trees brought from thought the world.
The park is named after Mr. J.D. Sim, former Secretary to Government, and Major Murray, a pioneer whose efforts helped to set up garden in 1874. The site is positioned in the north side of Coonoor railway station, at an altitude of 1,770 m above sea level. Sprawling over an area of 12 hectares, the garden occupies the inclined area and base of a ravine.
Highlights of the garden are Queensland Karry Pine, Rudraksha (the bead tree) and Handsome Ornamental tree. Sim's park along with Botanical Garden has the largest repository of temperate plants in India. Due to this fact, Sim's Park is a destination of significance for botanists.
The Government Botanical Garden is a botanical garden in Udhagamandalam (Ooty) laid out in 1848. The Gardens, divided into several sections, cover an area of around 22 hectares, and lie on the lower slopes of Doddabetta peak. The garden has a terraced layout. It is maintained by the Tamil Nadu Horticulture Department.
It ascends the slopes of the hill at an elevation of 2250–2500 metres above Mean Sea Level. The garden enjoys a temperate climate, with an average rainfall of 140 cms, the most of which is received during south-west monsoon, with frosty nights from November to February. The maximum and minimum temperatures are 28 °C and 0 °C respectively.
The Gardens have around a thousand species, both exotic and indigenous, of plants, shrubs, ferns, trees, herbal and bonsai plants. In the centre of the Gardens lie a fossilized tree trunk estimated to be 20 million years old. The Gardens consist of several lawns with flowering plants, ponds with lilies, beds of flowers and ferns laid out in an Italian style, several plots of flowering plants, a variety of medicinal plants.
Doddabetta is the highest mountain in the Nilgiri Hills at 2,637 metres (8,650 feet). There is a reserved forest area around the peak. It is 9 km from Ooty,on the Ooty-Kotagiri Road in the Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu, South India. It is a popular tourist attraction with road access to the summit. The Chamundi Hills can be viewed from the peak.
TELESCOPE HOUSE:
There is an observatory at the top of Doddabetta with two telescopes available for the public to enjoy the magnificent panoramic view of the whole district. It opened on June 18, 1983 and is run by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC). The average number of viewers in 2001-2002 was 3500 per day in season and 700 per day in the off season. See panoramic photograph taken from the Telescope House.
The lake derived the name avalanche because of a huge land slide (avalanche) that occurred in the region in the early 1800s.
Avalanche Lake is an important tourism destination in the Nilgiris district. The lake is surrounded by a rolling landscape with blooming flowers like magnolias, orchids and rhododendrons. Tourists can traverse beside the lake through winding paths around the lake. Tourists visiting the lake can also engage themselves in Trout fishing. A trout hatchery is established near the lake, from where visitoras can get fishing rods and other fishing accessories required for trout fishing. The lake is also used by tourists as a camp site wherein they pitch tents near the lake. Other tourist activities in the area include rafting across the lake and trekking the nearby hilly regions like Upper Bhavani where there are thick forests and untouched wild habitats.
The Boat house situated by the lake, which offers boating facilities to tourists, is a major tourist attraction in Ooty.
The lake is surrounded by groves of Eucalyptus trees with a railway line running along one shore. During the summer season in May, boat races and boat pageantry are organised for two days.
The boat house, which adjoins the lake was opened by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC). Boating is the prime attraction at the lake. The boat house offers boating facilities with Paddle boats, Row boats, and Motor boats. It also features a garden, a mini train and an amusement park. The other notable features include a canteen run by the TTDC and pony rides in front of the boat house.
Fernhill Palace was the erstwhile summer residence of the Maharaja of Mysore. The first Fernhills bungalow was built in 1844 as a private residence in the hill station Ooty in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The palace resembles a Swiss Chalet. Its carved wooden bargeboards and ornamental cast iron give it that characteristic appearance. The palace grounds accentuate the alpine look of the place with its manicured gardens, firs and cedars. There is an interesting church like indoor badminton court on the grounds.
The Palace is spread out over 50 acres (200,000 m2) of green lawns, stylized gardens and dense woods with spectacular views of terraced tea gardens and lush verdant valleys.
Its popularity never waned and has grown to include holidaymakers, honeymooners, myriad film units and boarding schools.
