Coonoor is the second largest hill station in the
Nilgiris, surrounded by tea plantations, at an altitude of 1839 metres. Its
climate is milder than Ooty. It is a very popular weekend get away for the
people in Coimbatore. Coonoor is essentially a small tea garden town where
the weather remains pleasantly cool throughout the year Coonoor is on the
toy-train line between Mettupalayam (28 km) and Ooty. A popular pastime is
birdwatching, as an extensive variety of birds can be spotted. The main
attraction is the Sim's Park, a small well maintained botanical garden that
has several varieties of plants. It is about 19kms to the south of Ooty and
is accessible by both train and road.
The
Nilgiri Hills are famous for their sublime hill stations. Notable among them
is Coonoor, located at the head of the Hulikal ravine at an altitude of
1,800 m above sea level. It is 19 km from Ooty (also, Udhagamandalam or
Ootacamund), another famous hill station of the Nilgiris. Coonoor is 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. During summer, this hill
town is over-spilled with holidaymakers. Coonoor is also an ideal locale for
filmmakers, both from India and abroad. It formed the backdrop for David
Lean's movie A Passage to India (1984) based on E. M. Foster's novel.
Coonoor comes under the Coimbatore-Mettupalayam-Coonoor-Ooty circuit.
The
Green ValleyCoonoor provides the traveller with the panoramic view
of the lush green Nilgiri hills, with its ravines, valleys, and waterfalls.
Bird watching is a popular pastime in Coonoor, as the area boasts of a large
variety of species like cormorants, pipits, thrushes, parakeets, skylarks,
Nilgiri verditer, etc. Travellers can take a walk through the tea gardens.
There are number of trekking and hiking trails around Coonoor. Travellers
can enjoy the exhilarating and unique ride on the toy train that connects
Coonoor with Mettupalayam and Ooty. The trip provides some breathtaking
views of the Nilgiri hills in all its natural glory.
Tourist
AttractionPomological Station:This is one of
the three experimental fruit gardens in the Nilgris maintained by the
Horticultural Department. The other two are Burliar and Kallar on the
Coonoor - Mettupalayam ghat road. Apples, Plums, Peaches, Persinments,
Lemons, Apricots and Pomogranates are grown here for the purpose of
research. Surplus fruits and fruit based jams are sold to the public.
Silk
Rearing Station:Adjoining the Pasteur Institute there is a Silk
Rearing Station maintained by the Central Silk Board. The Sericultural
experts at this station may be contacted for special assistance.
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.
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