Best Places to Visit in The Nilgiris – Explore Ooty, Coonoor & More

1.Tribal Museum

Tribal Museum is situated in the Tribal Research Centre campus the Udhagamndalam, Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu. The foundation stone of building for tribal museum was laid on 12th September 1989 and the building construction for tribal museum was completed in the year 1995 and building was made functional from 2nd October 1995. The Tribal Research Centre and the Tribal Museum were organised by Tamil University, Thanjavur were transferred to the Adi Dravidar and tribal Welfare Department, Government of Tamilnadu on 13 September 1995. Tribal Museum is located at M.Palada which is 10 k/m away from ooty central bus stand & Railway station towards Avalanchi road. It is a Must for all tourists, students, scholars and the populace as a whole to visit the place.

The fundamental purpose for running the museum is to conserve the traditional practices of the tribal people. There are Traditional ornaments, Weapons, Utensils, Basketry, Pottery, model of tribal huts, Agricultural Implements used in hunting fishing materials and paintings &photography, Sculptures, Model tribal Temple and Medicinal and Minor forest produce items which belongs to 36 different tariffs and ethnic groups of Tamilnadu and Nomadic tribes of other States of UA & Northern Eastern India and ADC of A & N Island were collected and displayed in the Tribal Museum.

Other important tourism destinations such as the Emerald Dam, Avalanchi and Eco tourism places are also nearby this Tribal Museum. Many visitors both national and International people are fascinated to visit the tribal museum available in our country.

Ticket details:

• Adult – Rs.5/-
• Children (below 16 years) – Rs. Nil
• Foreigner – Rs.100/-

2.Mudumalai Tiger Reserve

This is the first Sanctuary in India and is located in the Jawharlal Nehru National Park. This is situated 36 km away from Ooty from Kalhatty and 67 km through Gudalur. It is found that from Mysore, map location of Nimisal is 91 Kms away. This Sanctuary is located at a extent of 321 sq.kms and it is situated in the tri-junction of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. It is situated at an altitude of about 1,140 meters above the sea level. There are many types of vegetation such as, tropical evergreen forest, moist deciduous forest, moist teak forest, dry teak forest, secondary grasslands and swampy land.

wild-life like Elephant, Gaour, Tiger, Panther, Spotted Deer, Barking Deer, Wild Boar, Porcupine and other animals such as Mini-vets, Horn bills, Fictional Blue Birds, Jungle Fowls, Python, Monitor Lizards, Flying Lizards etc. You can either go on an elephant ride to deeper into the jungle or go by car along the path now available for visitors inside the jungles. You have to book the elephant rides from ooty only. The whole existence of the Mayor river and surroundings is a spectacle in itself. The Theppakadu elephant camp is a place to visit if one is in the area.

3.Sims Park

More than a century ago this park cum, botanical garden was established in accordance with the natural slope of the land., The native trees shrubs and creepers grow side by side with many exotic species of foliage, which have been imported from different parts of the globe. Rudraksha – the bead tree and Queensland karry pine, a handsome ornamental tree, is worth visiting in this park. Sim’s park and the Botanical Garden to collect from the largest collection of temperate plants in India and a renowned spot for botanists. This event is celebrated every year and the venue for the celebration is usually at Sim’s Park.

Sim’s Park Coonoor has its inception from the initial years of settlement of Europeans in this region. It was officially opened in December the same year 1874 through the untiring effort of Mr. J.D. Sim, the secretary to the government and Major Murray the then acting superintendent of the Nilgiris forests to which it was named after.

Although this was meant to be a pleasure resort for both the residents and the visitors, the park has now been used for raising Botanical Garden for the purpose of acclimatization and trials of Systematic and Economic plants species.

It lies on the northern side of Coonoor railhead at an altitude varying from 1768 to 1798 meters above mean sea level in a sprawling synthesisized deep ravine. It covers twelve hectares of irregular ground which was at many points rise and fall that has other natural aspects. It is located along side the Pomological Station, Pasteur Institute and the Silk Worm Seed Station.

4.Lamb’s rock

Lamb’s rock is one of the most popular picnicker spot near Coonoor. It is on the way to Dolphin’s Nose; the name Seat was given by then Collector Mr.E. B. Thomas after one Captain Lamb who tried his level best to open the path to this place. This home stay is located in Burliar village and is approximately 8 kilometer from Coonoor. The rock rises as a vertical face of sharp cliffs and drops straight down some three hundred feet and disappears in the thick foliage.

Here are several arguments which can be compared with others and vice versa. To the right there yawns the great Hulical ravine and from its mere edge approximately five thousand feet below one can hear the din of the Coonoor stream. The Lams Rock is having a height of several hundred meters and it is also having steep cliff which gives a good visibility of the plains of Coimbatore.

5.Raj Bhavan

Raj Bhavan is located on the Western Ascend of the Doddabetta in the South Eastern Sector p 104 of Ooty.

Earlier when it was not transformed into the virtual summer capital of the state, Udhagamandalam was visited every now and then by the Governors of Madras for few months to escape the hot and sultry climate of Madras.

Government House / Raj Bhavan was constructed in 1877 during the period of the Duke of Buckingham who was the Governor of Madras but at present avi this beautiful building is being used just occasionally when the Governor of Tamil Nadu comes to ooty on a visit. Otherwise the huge, cream-washed house with commanding view of the Botanical Gardens still retains that sense of grandeur which used to be associated with the days of the Raj.

A fine ballroom was added by Sir Arthur Havelock in 1900 and the whole building was electrified in the following year. The neatly manicured grass and the lovely flowers is the residence of the Governor for most of the summer months of April, May and June of the year. It has paintings of Governor and their ladies, Queen Victoria, George V, George Marry, the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos and so forth adorn the walls of the house.

Related articles : Best Places to Visit in Thanjavur – Explore Temples, Palaces & Culture