INTRODUCTION
Coonoor the second largest hill station in the Nilgiris is about 19 km from Ooty.Apart from its strategic location Coonoor is also conferred with lavishly staged or spectacular display of natural beauty. Regal and memorable ambience echoes with beauty & brilliance. There are various places for sight seeing and you also get to witness the tribal festivals held here. Tea being the major area for commercial purpose you also get to see the beautiful tea plantations.Coonoor is the most commonly visited place for bird watchers for the place is full of beautiful and rare birds including black woodpecker, parakeets, barbets, mynas, cuckoos, Malabar trogon, Malabar gray hornbill, crested hawk eagle, and crested serpent eagle.ORIENTATION
Coonoor is located on the western part of Tamil Nadu in the Coimbatore district at an altitude of 1839 meters and is perched on a lower ridge of the Nilgiri Hills.HISTORY
Coonoor falls first in place of the three hill stations in Nilgiri namely Coonoor, Ooty and Kotagiri.It is also popularly referred by the British as the small tea garden. It is only after the British in the 19th century who started travelling a lot to Ooty Coonoor started developing as a popular tourist destination. History also reveals that it has been the home of the Toda tribe for centuries.BEST TIME TO VISIT
The ideal time to visit Coonoor is October to March.FAIRS & FESTIVALS
A major fruit and vegetable festival is held in the month of May at the Sim's Park which draws a major crowd from all over the world. The tea and tourism festival is another important festival of Coonoor held in the month of January. The festival attracts tea connoisseurs from all over the world.PLACE OF INTEREST
SIM'S PARK
This park is constructed and named after J. D. Sim, the secretary of the Madras Club in 1874.
It is spread over an area of about 12-hectare and this garden is built following the Japanese style.
It has a huge collection of about 1,000 plant species.
It is mainly noted for its annual fruit and vegetable show held in May.
DOLPHIN'S NOSE
This place is located at a distance of about 10 km from Coonoor and it has a beautiful viewpoint which gives an excellent sight of the Coimbatore city and the Catherine Falls.
THE PASTEUR INSTITUTE
This is a famous research institute built in the year 1907 and it concentrates on the research for vaccines for rabies and polio.
It remains open to the general public only on Saturdays but on other days it can also be visited but with the prior consent of the Director of the Institute.
LAMB'S ROCK
Lambs rock is named after Captain Lamb who made a narrow path to this spot.
DROOG FORT
The mode of transport to this fort is only by trekking through the Nonsuch Tea Estate.
Though today only a wall of this fort remains it is worth visiting this place.
POMOLOGICAL STATION
The institute is a research center of the State Agricultural Department for persimmon, pomegranates, and apricot.OOTY
The famous hill station of Ooty, also known as the queen of hill stations is 19 km northwest of Coonoor and is noted for its lake, gardens, and colonial architecture. The other major activities include horse riding, trekking, hiking, and boating in Ooty.ACTIVITIES
It's a great place for some trekking and hiking; you can start from Lamb's Rock and actually trek to all the major sight-seeing spots instead of driving.Coonoor abound in treks provide you perfect conditions for trekking, full of thrill, excitement and adventure and so region can truly be named as 'trekker's paradise'.SHOPPING
There are number of shops in and around Coonoor selling South Indian artifacts.Coonoor is also famous for its tea, hand made antiques, Indian handlooms, and shawls. Irish and Belgian table sets and shadow-worked bed sheets are also readily found in the Coonoor shops.
EAT OUTS 1.Rangoli 2.Hotel Blue Hills 3..Velan Hotel 4.Hotel Wellington 5.Hotel Taj Garden Retreat
Church Hill Road, Coonoor, Tamilnadu, India ACCOMODATION1.Labarrier Inn, Coonoor 2.Hotel Taj Garden Retreat 3.Hotel Velan Ritz 4.Hotel Wellington 5.Velan Hotel 6.Vivek Tourist Home 7.Hotel Blue Hills Mount Road, Coonoor, 8.Sri Lakshmi Tourist Home 9.Sri Venkateswara Lodge Cash Bazaar, |
Travel Guide
Travel Information
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HOW TO REACH
BY AIR
Coonoor does not have an airport of its own. The nearest airport is at Coimbatore located 71 km away.
Coonoor is on the toy-train line between Mettupalayam (28 km) and Ooty (19 km).
BY ROAD
Coonoor is very well connected by a network of roads and road transport to all major towns of Tamil Nadu like Ooty (19 km) and Coimbatore (71 km) besides the surrounding areas.