Ooty, which is also known as Udhagamandalam, is the Queen of hill stations. It is one of the most popular tourist resorts in India. It is in the Niligiris district. Niligris means Blue mountains. The name is derived from the colour of the hills when seen from a distance on account of the eucalyptus trees that grow here. It is a land of picturesque picnic spots. It used to be a popular summer and weekend getaway for the Britishers during the colonial days. It is situated at an altitude of 2,240 metres above sea level. The establishment of numerous tea estates made Ooty famous. Lofty mountains,dense forests, sprawling grasslands and miles of tea gardens greetthe passengers on most routes. The annual Tea and Tourism Festival attracts crowds inhuge numbers. An added attraction for the tourists to Udhagamandalam is the mountain train journey, which commences from Kallar, near Mettupalayam, and wends its way through many hair-raising curves and fearful tunnels and chugs along beside deep ravines full of verdant vegetation, gurgling streams, and tea gardens.
The Botanical Gargen, an important tourist attraction was laid our in 1847 and spreads over 55 acres. Lush, green, well-maintained lawns, rare tree species like the cork tree,which is probably the only such tree in India, the paper bark tree, the monkey puzzle tree (monkeys cannot climb this tree), a 20 million year old fossilized tree, an italian style garden bordering a clear pool, a vast variety of flowering bushes and plants in myraid hues (exotic and ornamental), and a fern house with a vast range of ferns and orchids are some of the many highlights of this garden. A flower show along with an exhibition of rareplant species is held every year in the month of may at this garden.The garden is maintained by the Horiculture Department of the Government of Tamilnadu and has a very wide variety of plants that include differnt types ofroses,imported shurbs, rare flowering plants,etc.
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