Nest Coonoor

In & Around

Tourist Attractions : Sim's Park, Pomological Station, Dolphin's Nose, Lamb's Rock, Droog, Law's Falls, Catherine Falls.

Best Buys : Local handicrafts

Best Hangouts : Sim's Park, Dolphin's Nose Viewpoint, Lamb's Rock, Law's Fall.

Best Activity : Bird Watching, Strolling around.

Nearby Tourist Destinations : Ooty, Mudumalai Wildlife Sancturies, Kotagiri, Mukurthi Peak and Mukurthi National Park, Avalanche, Masinagudi.

About Coonoor

Coonoor is the second largest hill station located in the Nilgiri hills in the state of Tamil Nadu in the south of India. Famous for its verdant environs and for a variety of wildflowers and birds, Coonoor provides a perfect setting for activities like trekking and hiking. It is also famous for its tea plantations and festivals. At Coonoor, travelers can also enjoy the toy train ride, which is also the means of traveling to other hill stations in the Nilgiri Hills from Coonoor. The trip provides some breathtaking views of the Nilgiri hills in all its natural glory.

Coonoor provides the traveler with the panoramic view of the lush green Nilgiri hills, with its ravines, valleys, and waterfalls. Bird watching is a popular activity in Coonoor, as the area boasts of a large variety of species like cormorants, pipits, thrushes, parakeets, skylarks, Nilgiri verditer, etc. Travelers can take a walk through the long stretches of tea gardens. There are numerous trekking and hiking trails around Coonoor.

Sim's Park

Sim's Park is one of the important tourist attractions in Coonoor. The park is situated in a deep ravine on the Northern side of Coonoor Railway Station at an elevation of 1768 to 1798 mts. The park can be divided into eight major sections.Spread over 12-hectare land, it has a collection of over 1,000 plant species that includes magnolia, pines, tree ferns, and camellia. The botanical garden is named after J. D. Sim, who was the secretary of the Madras Club in 1874 and thus it is developed to some extent in the Japanese style. Held in the month of May, the annual fruit and vegetable show is the key attraction of the park.

Pomological Station

You must also pay a visit to this institute which is a research center of the State Agricultural Department for persimmon, pomegranates, and apricot.

Laws Falls

The Place is a beautiful picnic spot, situated at Coonoor-Mettupalayam Road at the distance of 7 Kms from Coonoor. The height of the falls is about 180 feet. There are vast stretches of undisturbed sholas and it is a paradise for Naturalists.

Lamb's Rock

It is 8 Kms from Coonoor on the way to Dolphin's Nose. It commands a grand view of the Coimbatore Plains. It is a favourite place for tourists.

Lady Caninng's Seat

From Coonoor it is 9 Kms. It is marked by a small house and commands panoramic view of the tea estates and the plains.

Dolphin's Nose

The view point is 10 Kms from the town. The Nose is a unique rock of tremendous proportions which looks like a Dolphin. One can get the beautiful view of the Catherine Falls and the entire city from this point.

The Droog

This is also a picnic spot which is used by Tippu Sultan as an outpost. It is 15 Kms from Coonoor and stands 6000 feet high overlooking the plains. Three kilometers of trekking has to be done to reach the point.Droog takes one into the past, with the ruins of a fort, which was once used by Tipu Sultan in the 16th century.

Ooty

The famous hill station of Ooty, also known as the queen of hill stations is 19 km northwest of Coonoor. Ooty is an immensely popular tourist destination. Like Coonoor, Ooty is also set amongst the green settings of the Nilgiri hills and is famous for its lake, gardens, and colonial architecture. You can enjoy a number of outdoor activities like horse riding, trekking, hiking, and boating in Ooty.

Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuaries

The most prominent of the wildlife sanctuaries in the state, as well as one of the most important in the southern region, thickly forested Mudumalai borders the Bandipur National Park in Karnataka and the Wyanad Sanctuary in Kerala. Apart from the wide range of animal and bird life, the rich fauna of this sanctuary has made Mudumalai very popular with wildlife enthusiasts.

Kotagiri

It is 31 kms. from Udhagamandalam. The climate is very salubrious which is 6503 feet above sea level. Kotagiri is shielded by the Doddabetta ranges which receives much of its rain from north west monsoon. One can enjoy a pleasure ride on road flanked by green tea beds on either side.

Mukurthi Peak and Mukurthi National Park

Mukurthi Peak is about 40 km from Ooty. The Mukurthi National Park is located on the South Eastern corner of the Nilgiris. The area contains a viable population of Nilgiri Thar(Hamitragus hilocrius). The silent valley is located on the western side of these ranges. Fascinating feature of the Mukurthi Sanctuary is its variety and similarities to Himalayan Flora and Fauna.

Masinagudi

The road to Coonoor is the same till Mudumalai and Masinagudi. It is another 35 km to Udhagamandalam, better known as Ooty and 18 more to Coonoor. The drive beyond Masinagudi entails 35 hairpin bends and though these are very enjoyable drives, the trouble is, everyone else seems to think so too. Watch out therefore for maniacs coming tearing down from the opposite side. Masinagudi used to be an elephant corridor. So don't be too surprised if you do see some wild tuskers on the road. Apart from the scenic beauty of the road, the drive through Masinagudi is charming in itself.

The road between Ooty and Coonoor is quite forested with hills looming in the distance. Again, there are blind turns and you have to be very careful around the corners. Coonoor town seems as crowded as Ooty but, a little distance away from the centre of the city peace descends again. Coonoor is more charming as it has quaint houses, old churches and not too many visitors as compared to its more famous neighbouring city. Ooty and its rolling hills give way to snarling traffic in the centre of town which is thankfully bypassed for a smooth drive on the way to Coonoor.

More peaceful and a lot greener and immensely charming, the first impression you get in Coonoor is that the air smells funny. But then, to our smog-loaded olfactory senses, fresh air always smells funny. The second assault on your senses will be the amount of green all around. There are more greens here than on a Pantone shade card.