Ooty (short for Udhagamandalam) is a resort town in the Western Ghats mountains, in southern India's Tamil Nadu state. Founded as a British Raj summer resort, it retains a working steam railway line. Other reminders of its colonial past include Stone House, a 19th-century residence, and the circa-1829 St. Stephen’s Church. Its 55-acre Government Botanical Garden lies on the slopes of Doddabetta Peak.
Bandipur National Park, an 874-sq.-km forested reserve in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, is known for its small population of tigers. Once the private hunting ground of the Maharajas of Mysore, the park also harbors Indian elephants, spotted deer, gaurs (bison), antelopes and numerous other native species. The 14th-century Himavad Gopalaswamy Temple offers views from the park's highest peak.
Coonoor is a hill station in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It’s known for its tea estates in the surrounding Nilgiri hills. Sim’s Park is a sprawling public garden with plants like rhododendrons, roses and eucalyptus trees. The steam Nilgiri Mountain Railway travels between the towns of Mettupalayam and Ooty via Coonoor. Dolphin’s Nose is a vantage point with views of the cascading Catherine Falls.
