Coonoor Travel guide

Coonoor 6,100 ft above sea level is in the Nilgiris, 17 km south east of Ooty and 314 km South of Bangalore.

Queen of the Nilgiris mist-wrapped Coonoor in season when the emerald green of the tea bushes is sharply offset by blood-red poinsettia, purple morning glory and golden sunflowers is truly a regal sight. This really is a charming orr (hamlet in Tamil. Legend has it that it used to be home to the coon tribe, but I suspect the last of the coons were seen a good while ago. The other legend concerns the blue kurinji flower, which is said to bloom once every 12 years giving the Blue Mountains its colour and moniker.

Hill Station years ago but touches of the Raj remain all over Coonoor in honeysuckle fronted cottages named The Gables and Gorse view which ist pretty on the sid eof winding pine-hedge lanes in areas called Bedford and elk hill.

Once you are in upper Coonoor it is easy to chill out take leisurely trips to the near by tourist gawk-spots, trek to your heart’s content in and around the shoals the gallery forests of the Blue Mountains and of course down endless cups of Nilgiri-grown tea or coffee.

Quite the best thing Coonoor has to offer is the beautiful Sims’ Park, laid out in 1874 in a deep ravine with winding footpaths, pergolas, gazebos a lily pond and dense shoal skirting it. Its marvelous trees as many a 1,000 species including the Burma teak, Rudraksh, mahogany, birch and Spanish cherry were brought from as far away as Australia the canary Island, Chile, Patagonia, the Cape of Good Hope, China and Venezuela. In season the rose garden is quite something to look at. An annual Fruit and Vegetable Show is held in Sim’s Park in May.

Wellington

One side of Coonoor lies the cantonment of Wellington, home to the prestigious Defence Services Staff Coollege. The Wellington Golf Course nearby is hugely popular with film crews who periodically descend to shoot their song sequences. Just beyond the golf course lies the Hidden Valley a great trek route. Another Raj relic nearby is St George’s Church.

One delightful treat is a train ride from Coonoor to Ooty and back that takes up the better part of an hour. The toy train winds its way on a track cut out of the side of the hills and offers up endless vistas.

Around Coonoor

Kotagiri (19km)

The west of Wellington is the Nilgiris oldest hill station, kotagiri (6,503 ft) now your typical tea territory with gently sloping hills. Kotagiri is partially in the shade of the Dodda Betta Range on one side. The Rangaswami Rock and Pillar, St Catherine Falls and Elk Falls are worth seeing here. But the most popular draw is the Kodanad Viewpoint for views of the plains the blue hills the Moyar River snaking down below and of course the ubiquitous mist rising this is heaven indeed. Stay near Kotagiri at the lovely Misty Heights.

Ketty (15 km)

Route from Ooty to Coonoor the road winds high above a lush valley where yellow gorse and lavender flowers bloom in season. This is Ketty. It has remained unspoiled though there are those who remember seeing Shah Rukh Khan atop a train singing Chaiyya from dilse pass the pretty little station here.

Route: SH17 to Mysore, NH212 to Gundlupet, state highway to coonoor via bandiput, Fudalur, Ooty, Aravandadu and Wellington.