What to See in Coornoor

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Coornoor is located at the head of the Hulikal ravine in the Nilgiri hills. This place is located at an altitude of 1,800 above sea level in the state of Tamil Nadu at a distance of 19 kms from Ooty. Coornoor is a very famous hill station in Tamil Nadu and tourists from all over the world come here to enjoy the beauty of nature in the summer. The place is blessed with waterfalls, valleys and ravines are beautiful and you must go to experience it. The place boasts of a large variety of bird species like the Pipits, Parakeets, skylarks, etc. Bird watching is the favorite thing in Coonoor.

This place is an ideal base for trekking and hiking expeditions that lead into the Nilgiri hills. One of the most popular trails in Coonoor is the one that leads to the Lamb's rock. The view from Lamb's Rock is spectacular and you can enjoy the tea and Coffee plantations. Another popular trek is the one from Lady Canning's seat to Dolphin's seat. This trail is 12 kms from Coonoor.

Laws falls is a beautiful picnic spot near the Coonoor Mettupalayam road. There are undisturbed shoals here and the falls are about 180 feet in height. The trek to this place is very enjoyable and you can go to Droop from these falls which is a beautiful spot. Droog is famously called as Pakkasuran Kottai. There are ruins from the 16th century fort that attracts historians and tourists alike. This fort was used by Tipu sultan as an outpost due to its interesting location and as it commands impressive views in all directions. springs near the fort contain sulphur and phosperous in dissolved form and are best natural medicines.

The toy train that connects Coonoor to Ooty and Mettupalayam is an experience in itself. It is regarded as an engineering marvel and declared as a world heritage place by UNESCO. The train is charming with blue and cream wooden coaches with large windows and th engines are steam engines designed by Swiss Locomotive Works. The train passes through extensive rice fields and through an impressive21 kms of rocky terrain, 13 tunnels with a number of twists and bends and about 26 track passes via ducts.

The tea plantations provide excellent touring and draws the tourists to this area. The views and the experience of the plantations in Coonoor is for a life time. This place is equally famous with the film makers. Coonoor formed the backdrop in the David Lean's movie A Passage to India, based on E.M. Foster's novel.

There are some scenic points in Coonoor like the Dolphin's nose, Lamb's Rock, Katary falls and the Canning's seat. Sim's park is a 12 ha park that has a botanical garden that has over 1000 species of plants. The garden is done in Japanese style and the key attraction is the annual fruit and vegetable show.

Excursions near Coonoor are the places lie Ooty, Ketty and Kotagiri. Ooty is the popular hill station of international and domestic tourists alike. Ketty is a small village near Coonoor that is untouched by commercialization. The landscape here is very beautiful and is filled with flowers that abound the area. Kotagiri has beautiful tea gardens and sloppy hills. It has some popular spots lie the Rangaswami rock and pillar, Elk Falls, etc. the blue hills along with the mysterically rising mist in Kotagiri are magical and you should visit this place to believe it.