View of Plains from Coonoor
Coonoor is a Taluk and a municipality in the Nilgiris district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.
Coonoor Town[]
- In the lap of nature and the Nilgiri Hills Coonoor is a picturesque hill resort. It is at an altitude of about 6000 ft that gives it a cool and pleasant climate even in the peak of summer. Coonoor is about 85 km from Coimbatore city which makes it the nearest airport to reach for coming to Coonoor. The road journey by car is about 2.5 hours up a winding mountain road.
- Since long the hill resort of Coonoor has attracted the holidaymakers, nature lovers, adventure seekers and till some years a number of Hindi and Tamil film units. The rich flora and fauna add to the beauty of the hill resort. The other famous hill resort of the Nilgiris is Udhagamandalam or Ootacamund (Ooty).
Besides nature spots Coonoor offers opportunities for adventure sports like trekking and hiking too. In the summer months the hill resort is crowded with refugees from the hot and dusty plains.The hill resort of Coonoor has attracted people since long. It was way back in 1819 that the British were attracted to its temperate climate. The beauty of the nature accelerated its popularity. The settlements, tea plantations and the railway line followed the British at Coonoor. Till date the hill resort remains popular with the tourists.
Coonoor - Places to Visit[]
There are quite a few places worth visiting. In order to enjoy the beauty of nature you must visit Sim's park. The beautiful park is spread over twelve hectares of land. While in the Park you can check out as many as one thousand species of plants. There are the magnolia, pines, tree ferns and camellia, which are worth seeing. It is a nice idea to capture the beautiful botanical garden in cameras and videos since photography is allowed inside the park. Sim's Park is the venue of the fruit and vegetable show held each year in the month of May. It is mentionable that the Park gets its name from J. D. Sim who was the secretary of the Madras Club in the year 1874.
Acres Wild Cheesemaking Farmstay, is a family-run organic cheesemaking farm that is worth visiting if you are interested in cheese or exploring a sustainable farm. The gourmet cheeses made at the farm have put Coonoor on the map for cheesemaking. Guests can make a day visit by appointment or they can stay in their cottages to experience farm life and cheesemaking first-hand. In case you are interested in learning gourmet cheesemaking you could enroll in a cheesemaking course during your stay there.
Close to the Sim's Park lies the Pasteur Institute. The Pasteur Institute was founded way back in 1907. The institute is renowned for its research in the field of developing vacancies against diseases like rabies and polio. Since it is not a public place in Coonoor you need to follow the timings decided for visiting the institute. You may seek approval of your visit from the Director of the institute. The guided tour of the institute is indeed an experience in itself.
Then there is the landmark of Pomological Station in Coonoor. The Pomological Station is in fact a research centre of the State Agricultural Department. The centre carries in research for persimmon, pomegranates, and apricot. The Bird watchers visiting Coonoor will be delighted to spot species like the cormorants, pipits, thrushes, parakeets, skylarks, Nilgiri verditer, etc.
Coonoor - Sites Near By[]
The hill resort of Coonoor has several excursion options. While holidaying in Coonoor you may plan up a trip the sites near by that are worth visiting.
Law's Falls is a perennial waterfall that can be seen on the drive up to Coonoor from Mettapallayam. Really worth a visit and not frequented by most tourists.
Lamb's Rock is another popular point visited by tourists. From the Lamb's Rock you may check out the spectacular sights of the surrounding landscape. There are several tea and coffee plantations that add beauty to the vintage point.
On the same road going to Lamb's Rock one can reach Dolphin's Nose Viewpoint, about 10 km from Coonoor town. The natural beauty of the Dolphin's Nose viewpoint attracts several tourists. From this viewpoint you panoramic and breath-taking view of the Nilgiris. On the way are the famous Catherine falls.
Besides nature spots there is the excursion to Droog. Droog is a place of historic importance. Just thirteen km from the hill resort of Coonoor Droog is trip in history. At Droog you must visit the 16th century Fort of Tipu Sultan that lies in ruins now.
In the Nilgiri Hills itself besides Coonoor there is the other popular hill resort of Ooty. Ooty is nineteen km away from Coonoor and us also known as Udhagamandalam and Ootacamund. There are several places of tourist interest in Ooty like its lake, gardens and structures revealing colonial architecture. For the adventure seekers Ooty offers opportunities for boating, horse riding, trekking, hiking et al.
Coonoor - How to Reach[]
Local transportation within and around Coonoor is not a problem. You may choose from taxis, buses and auto-rickshaws that are readily available in Coonoor at reasonable rates.
The Airport at Coimbatore caters to the air transportation to Coonoor. It is the nearest airport to Coonoor, at a distance of 71 km. The hill resort of Coonoor has a toy train station. Coonoor lies on the toy-train line between Mettupalayam (28 km) and Ooty (19 km). The toy train leaves Mettupalayam for Ooty and reaches Coonoor in between. You can enjoy the train ride though it often gets disrupted due to the monsoons. The excellent road network links Coonoor with other important places. There are regular bus services that link the hill resort of Coonoor with Coimbatore and Ooty.
Coonoor - Accommodation[]
- Acres Wild Cheesemaking Farmstay [1] (Tel: +91-94432-32621) in Coonoor is a unique option of staying on a 22-acres family-run, organic farm. There are 3 farmstay cottages with a total of 5 rooms. There is a Club House that serves as a common dining area and a games room with a pool/billiards/snooker table, foosball, carrom, Satellite TV and DVD to watch movies, books and board games. Room rates vary from Rs 2,000 to Rs 4,000 with breakfast depending on type of room and season. Breakfast is complimentary under Bed & Breakfast (B&B) scheme and consists of homemade gourmet cheese, farm-fresh bread, jam, eggs etc. Lunch and dinner need to be ordered in advance. They also makes gourmet cheeses like Gouda, Colby, Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Gruyere, Feta, Haloumi and Camembert. During your stay you can also enroll in their cheesemaking course and learn how to make Gourmet Cheese. Besides that you can participate in sustainable farm activities like adobe brick making, feeding farm animals, planting vegetables and trees, composting, vermiculture and operating a bio-gas plant. The farm is only 3 km from the Coonoor bus stand in downtown Coonoor yet it is in a pristine area with plenty of wild life and a breathtaking view of the valley. There are 2 natural ponds that attract a lot of wild life like bison, panther, wild boar, barking deer and seasonal elephants.
- Gateway Hotel (earlier Taj Garden Retreat) (Tel: 0423-233-0021). It has the usual touch of Taj Hotels with very beautiful gardens, adequate rooms, ayurveda and yoga centers, a gym, indoor game center, great service. A standard room around Rs 3,500 a night. They have a very reasonably priced buffet with a wide variety of Indian and continental dishes both for vegetarians and non-vegetarians.
- Rosery CottageTwo bedrooms with living, dining and kitchen. Situated in a family tea estate, with a view of the hills. Five minutes drive from Sims Park, centre of Coonoor. Comfortable for a family of four. It has a fully equipped kitchen. You have to buy your own provision for cooking. Maid is available for about an hour or so in the morning. Rent Rs. 1500/night. For details contact Hema Vikram, Rosery Cottage, Kotagiri Road Coonoor. Tel: +91-94426-31243 OR +91-423-223-1243.
- Velan Hotel, tel: 0423-223-0084.
- Barrier Inn, tel: 0423-223-2561.
- Riga Residency, tel: 0423-223-4401.
Coonoor - Best Time to Visit[]
Coonoor experiences cool and pleasant weather all through the year. The hill resort has summer months from April to June, which are mild. Though the winters that last from November to February and are cool. Between July and September the southwestern monsoons hit Coonoor. Thus making the time from October to March the best to visit Coonoor.
Coonoor - Fairs and Festival
The hill resort of Coonoor hosts several interesting festivals. Firstly there is the annual fruit and vegetable festival that is hosted at the Sim's Park. Tourists from across the globe get attracted to the festival organized in May each year.
Then there is the tea and tourism festival hosted in Coonoor. The annual festival attracts tea connoisseurs from the world over in January at Coonoor. It is noteworthy that the hill resort of Coonoor lies in the Nilgiri Mountains that are renowned for tea plantations. Some of the better-known tea brands from Coonoor are the Orthodox, CTC and Green Leaf.