TOURISTS ATTRACTIONS INFORMATION OF OOTY
All along the hill slopes in the Nilgiri Mountains, you will find that omnipresent, glossy, stout bush with fragrant white or pink flowers and a melodious name camellia (Camellia thea). Tea, brought to the Nilgiris in the 1860s, is amongst India's most prominent plantation crops, what with the country being the world's largest producer, consumer and exporter of black tea.
This is perhaps why the slopes of the Nilgiris, all round Ooty, Coonoor and the like, seem to have tea bushes almost like a second skin.
Ooty Tours, Processed tender leaves and leaf buds compose the tea of commerce. This agro-industry flourishes on the hillsides of the Nilgiris and experts say that tea growing at a higher elevation would have a flavor superior to that growing at lower heights.
This flavor and distinctive character of the popular beverage is from essential oils and alkaloids present in the plant. But then, all this is after a long manufacturing process that is carried out in industrial units on the plantation itself or nearby.
From harvesting to curing, rolling and fermentation, to drying and grading, the process is delicate and tedious. There are minor variations depending on the kind of tea being produced.
The delicacy of the job of picking 'two leaves and a bud' is perhaps testified by the fact that pickers are always women or children.
EXCURSIONS INFORMATION OF OOTY
Ooty has the singular distinction of having many places around that are worthy of a visit, or sometimes even a halt. Heading east from the southeast of Ooty will take one to Coonoor and Wellington, two very beautiful townships.
Coonoor, though small, had much to boast of Sim's Park, Lamb's Rock, Dolphin's Nose and generally pretty landscape. Wellington, of course, is a typical army township, clean and smart. Coonoor may easily charm one enough to stay longer, with its lush, tea bush slopes and attractive British houses.
About 28 km from Ooty, towards the east, is the 26-sq-km Kotagiri, incredibly picturesque, amongst the first townships of the British and a great place to visit. From Kotagiri one can even proceed to the Kodanad View, Catherine Falls or Rangaswamy Peak, all famous for their natural beauty.
The famous Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, 67 km from Ooty, stretches over 321 sq km. Traveling to Ooty from Mysore and Bangalore, one passes the sanctuary with its dense vegetation crowding the banks of the lovely Mayar River. Herds of wild elephants, or lone tuskers, a great variety of birds, cats, snakes, and deer are known to live in these cool, dark jungles of the Nilgiris.
Ooty Tourism, Ten kilometers out of Ooty is the great Doddabetta Peak, the highest in the Nilgiri chain of mountains.
Doddabetta stands at 2623 m and if your trip is made on a clear day visible all around you will be Coonoor, Wellington, Mettupalayam, and Coimbatore. If it's an exceptionally crisp day, you might even see Mysore.
TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION OF OOTY
Coimbatore, 105 km from Ooty, is the nearest airport. Indian Airlines has flight to Coimbatore from Bangalore, Cochin and Chennai. The Blue Mountain Express to Ooty is from Mettupalayam (47 km).
All the important towns of Tamilnadu, Kerala and Karnataka are connected to Ooty by road. We would provide you all India tourist permit vehicles for the local transportations and also for the intercity drives too.
Tourism in Ooty
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