Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
In the foothills of the Nilgiris, this newly enlarged 765-sq-km wildlife reserve is like a classical Indian landscape painting given life, with chital…
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The Western Ghats
Welcome to the lush Western Ghats, some of the most precious heat relief in India. Rising like an impassable bulwark of evergreen and deciduous tangle, from north of Mumbai to the tip of Tamil Nadu, the World Heritage–listed Ghats (with an average elevation of 915m) contain 27% of India’s flowering plant species and an incredible array of endemic wildlife. In Tamil Nadu they rise to over 2000m in the Palani Hills around Kodaikanal and the Nilgiris around Ooty. British influence lingers a little stronger up in these hills, where colonialists built 'hill stations' to escape the sweltering plains and covered slopes in neatly trimmed tea plantations. It’s not just the air and (relative) lack of pollution that’s refreshing – there’s a certain acceptance of quirkiness and eccentricity here. Expect organic farms, handlebar-moustached trekking guides and leopard-print earmuffs.
Explore The Western Ghats
- Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
In the foothills of the Nilgiris, this newly enlarged 765-sq-km wildlife reserve is like a classical Indian landscape painting given life, with chital…
- Anamalai Tiger Reserve
A pristine 958-sq-km reserve of tropical jungle, shola forest and grassland rising to 2400m in the Western Ghats and spilling over into Kerala between…
- Botanical Gardens
Established in 1848, these pretty 22-hectare gardens are a living gallery of the Nilgiris' natural flora. Keep an eye out for a typical Toda mund (village…
- TTribal Research Centre Museum
If you're interested in the Nilgiris' tribal communities you'll love this slightly scruffy, erratically open museum, with its fascinating exhibits on…
- SSullivan Memorial
Just 2km north of Kotagiri centre, the house built in 1819 by Ooty founder John Sullivan has been refurbished in bright red and filled with fascinating…
- BBerijam Lake
Visiting forest-fringed Berijam Lake, 21km southwest of Kodaikanal, requires a Forest Department permit (₹250). Taxi drivers will organise this, if asked…
- CCoaker’s Walk
Assuming it isn't cloaked in opaque mist, the views from paved Coaker’s Walk are beautiful, all the way down to the plains 2000m below. The stroll takes…
- PPillar Rocks
About 7km west of town, these towering boulders have jaw-dropping views to the Tamil Nadu plains below.
- St Stephen’s Church
Perched above Ooty's centre, immaculate pale-yellow St Stephen’s, built in 1829, is the Nilgiris' oldest church. It has lovely stained glass, huge wooden…
Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout The Western Ghats.
- See
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
In the foothills of the Nilgiris, this newly enlarged 765-sq-km wildlife reserve is like a classical Indian landscape painting given life, with chital…
- See
Anamalai Tiger Reserve
A pristine 958-sq-km reserve of tropical jungle, shola forest and grassland rising to 2400m in the Western Ghats and spilling over into Kerala between…
- See
Botanical Gardens
Established in 1848, these pretty 22-hectare gardens are a living gallery of the Nilgiris' natural flora. Keep an eye out for a typical Toda mund (village…
- See
Tribal Research Centre Museum
If you're interested in the Nilgiris' tribal communities you'll love this slightly scruffy, erratically open museum, with its fascinating exhibits on…
- See
Sullivan Memorial
Just 2km north of Kotagiri centre, the house built in 1819 by Ooty founder John Sullivan has been refurbished in bright red and filled with fascinating…
- See
Berijam Lake
Visiting forest-fringed Berijam Lake, 21km southwest of Kodaikanal, requires a Forest Department permit (₹250). Taxi drivers will organise this, if asked…
- See
Coaker’s Walk
Assuming it isn't cloaked in opaque mist, the views from paved Coaker’s Walk are beautiful, all the way down to the plains 2000m below. The stroll takes…
- See
Pillar Rocks
About 7km west of town, these towering boulders have jaw-dropping views to the Tamil Nadu plains below.
- See
St Stephen’s Church
Perched above Ooty's centre, immaculate pale-yellow St Stephen’s, built in 1829, is the Nilgiris' oldest church. It has lovely stained glass, huge wooden…
