Lying at the foothills of Nilgiri Mountains, Ooty also known as Ootacamund or Udhagamandalam, is an extremely well-known hill station of South India. Honored as the Queen of Hills, this hill town is flocked by a large number of tourists, every year. Because of its pleasant climate throughout the year, Ooty is popular with honeymooners and families on a holiday. There are numerous tourist attractions in Ooty such as lakes, peaks, gardens, tea estates and more but if you are one of those who are wildlife enthusiasts then this hill town of Tamil Nadu is perfect for you.
You can opt for a tour package in Ooty that lets you explore 3 well-known wildlife reserves around it:
Bandipur National Park – Founded in 1931, this national park is a perfect place to admire nature’s beauty and explore the wildlife of the region. The park has three water resources Kabini, Moyar and Nugu Rivers along with many seasonal streams, making it a lush green forest. The first Biosphere Reserve of the country, Bandipur is also the largest protected area of the southern region of the country. Along with the big cats, the national park is also home to some endangered species like Indian elephants, tigers, gaurs, sloth bears, muggers, dholes, four-horned antelopes and Indian rock pythons in good numbers. Bandipur also houses as many as 200 species of birds.
Nagarhole National Park – Also known as Rajiv Gandhi National Park, Nagarhole National Park is under consideration for being a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has derived its name from the two Kannada words- ‘Nagar’ meaning snake and ‘hole’ meaning streams. Nagarhole national park boasts of having a healthy pray-predator ratio with a good number of tigers, elephants and Indian bison. The best time to visit the national park is between the months of October to May. It plays host to as many as 270 species of birds. Leopard, wild dogs, jackals, grey mongoose, sloth bears, striped hyena, spotted deer, black-naped hare, Indian giant flying squirrel are some of the animal species in Nagarhole.
Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary – Lying on the northwestern side of the Blue Mountains, the Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary is divided into 5 ranges- Thepakadu, Masinagudi, Kargudi, Mudumalai and Nellakota.This national park is home to some several endangered animal species such as Indian Leopard, Indian elephant and Bengal Tiger. Along with this, there are around 266 avifauna species, including some endangered ones such as long-billed vulture and Indian White-rumped Vulture.
There is no dearth of accommodation option. The list of hotels in Ooty offering impeccable services to its tourists is long. During your visit to this hill town to explore its tourist attractions, you will have a comfortable stay.