Pykara River
Pykara Waterfall
Image credit – Raj, CC BY 2.0
Known as a sacred place for the Toda people,
Pykara River flows through the plateau and form several cascades and waterfalls. The Pykara falls are one of the most popular tourist attractions in Ooty and are famous for the shola trees, Toda settlements and wildlife.
Ooty Lake
Image credit – Aditya Banerjee, CC BY-SA 2.0
Covering an area of around 65 acres, the
Ooty Lake is a manmade lake formed in 1824 under the British. It features a boathouse which offers boating facilities to the visitors and is famous for hosting boat races during the summer month of May.
Mudumalai National Park
Image credit – Moorthy Gounder, CC BY 2.0
Also known as a famous Tiger Reserve, the
Mudumalai National Park is a home to several wildlife and bird species. The Bengal Tiger, Leopards, Indian Bison, Asiatic Elephants and several other rare species of birds and animals can be found here.
Emerald Lake
Image credit – Sankara Subramanian, CC BY 2.0
Although the lake is off limits for the visitors, the emerald lake is located in midst of a reserve forest. The lake can be viewed via a viewpoint on the dam located nearby.
Ooty Mountain Railway
Image credit – David Brossard, CC BY-SA 2.0
Declared as a UNESCO world heritage site, the railways were built by the British in 1908. The trains are still powered using the traditional steam engines.
St. Stephens Church
Image credit – Shyamal, CC BY-SA 3.0
Built in the early 19th century,
St. Stephens Church is one of the oldest churches in the Nilgiris District in Tamil Nadu. The foundation of the church was laid in 1829 and shares the date with the birthday of King George IV.
Wax World
The
Wax museum is housed inside a 142 year old bungalow in Ooty. Although the sculptures are not as impressive as the ones found at Madame Tussauds, but display a brief insight on the people and culture of Ooty and surrounding areas.
Deer Park
Image credit – Navaneeth Krishnan S, CC BY-SA 3.0
Located by the Ooty Lake, the
deer park is one of the few high altitude zoos in India. The visitors get to view a variety of different deer species along with other rare animals and birds.