Ooty Botanical Garden

You can reach Ooty by air, rail and road. And once you have reached Ooty, you can come to the botanical garden easily as well. Here is how you can first reach Ooty and then to the botanical garden.

The nearest airport to Ooty is in Coimbatore. From the Coimbatore airport, Ooty is just a 2-hour drive away. And once you have reached Ooty, you can avail private cabs, auto-rickshaw or any other public transport.

The Ooty Botanical Garden is just 2.5 km away from the Ooty railway station. So, you can just walk to the botanical garden or take an auto-rickshaw.

Ooty is well-connected to its neighbouring cities by roadways as well. You can take a bus or private cars to Ooty and enjoy the scenic beauty on your way. And when you are in the city, auto-rickshaws, cabs and public transports will be available for you!

As we all know, Ooty is beautiful throughout the year. And that is why you can visit the botanical garden in any season. That being said, the time between the months of October and June are blessed with clear skies and pleasant weather, perfect for exploring the garden. If you are visiting the botanical garden to see the beautiful flowers, spring is the season for you. And if you want to attend the annual flower shows, plan your visit in May.

But since spring is the ideal time for a visit to the botanical garden, it will be crowded. So, if you want to avoid the crowd and explore the garden in peace and quiet, avoid visiting in the month of May.

Here is some more information about the botanical garden that you will need while visiting. The garden remains open for visitors from 7 am to 7 pm, all through the week. The entry fee for adults is Rs. 30 and for kids is Rs. 15. Also, if you are carrying a camera for photography or videography, you will be charged more.

Ooty's first botanical garden, i.e, the Government Botanical Garden is divided into 5 sections. How about we talk about the major attractions section-wise?

Near the main entrance is the lower garden covered with lush lawns made of Kikuyu grass. This section boasts of 127 species of fern leading your way to the Raj Bhavan. Eucalyptus maculata, Salix babylonica, Dracena lanuginosa, Cedrus deodara, Eucalyptus citriodora, Salix heterophylla and Quercus Montana are to name a few species here. But, the centre of attraction here has to be the carpet designed by placing different varieties of plants in the shape of the Indian continent.

Yes, this garden is a comparatively new addition to the Ooty Botanical Garden. And it is filled with various types of beautiful and colourful roses. And the key attraction here is again the carpet symbolising the Tamil Nadu Government as well as the Indian Government.

During world war 1, Italian prisoners created this beautiful garden. Vibrant flowers like astres, balsam, ageratum, begonia, pansy, petunia, phlox, zinnia, cosmos, delphinium, dahlia and larkspur cover the whole garden. There is also a half-moon shaped lake in the middle of the garden.

This section of the garden houses colourful blooming annuals and perennials. The ones to look for are geranium, gloxinia, tydea, cineraria, tuberous begonia, calceolaria and chrysanthemums. The east side facing bog garden also has many marsh plants.

Last but not least comes the nurseries. Here await you eight glasshouses and terrace gardens with many ferns, orchids, succulents, cactii and bulbous plants.

There are two things that you must do in the oldest botanical garden in Ooty. And here they are!

The best way to explore and see all that the botanical garden has to offer, just to take a walk through all its sections. As you walk by, you will see different plants and learn about them too. And you can also stop near the plants or spots that draw your attraction.

When you come to the Ooty Botanical garden and don’t attend a flower show, you will be missing out! Because attending the flower show here is one of the best things to do in Ooty. The show goes on for two days and has many events like flower arranging, making flower rangoli and vegetable carving. Before the show starts, many gardening competitions are held that you can take part in. You can buy the ticket for the show at the counter of the botanical garden or from the website of the horticulture department.

Ooty Botanical Garden is indeed one of the most beautiful Botanical Gardens in India. When you come to visit the botanical garden and explore the large number of plants it houses, you will agree!