About Coonoor

Coonoor with an approximate altitude of 1500 meters above sea level is the second largest town in the district of The Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu and enjoys a pleasant weather all year round. The British built the first bungalow in Coonoor followed by tea estate and railways lines after its discovery in 1819. With a population of around 70,000 people and covering an area of 15.05sq km, Coonoor is a perfect holiday destination, or even one of the best places to settle down.

Coonoor boasts of its panoramic view of the lush green Nilgiri hills, with its ravines valleys and waterfalls. With its picturesque hill resort, Coonoor attracts lots of tourist through out the year and retired personal who want to settle down. Coonoor is crowded with tourist especially in summers, where you have people from around Coimbatore, Mettupalayam, Chennai, Bangalore and other near by places flooding Coonoor due to the hot weather conditions in these places. Bird watching is the popular pastime with a large variety of rare birds. Besides nature’s best view, you can also enjoy trekking, hiking, cycling and other adventure sports in Coonoor.

Culture in Coonoor
Coonoor’s demographic is a mix of various cultures, religions and languages due to the tourist and people who decided to settle down here. Local population here almost depends on the tea trade, with majority of the people seeking employment in tea picking, tea factories, processing and packaging, and sale houses in Coonoor.

Accessibility to Coonoor
Coonoor is accessible by road and rail. The toy train (an extension of the Chennai-Coimbatore Nilgiri Express, recently declared as a national heritage), can be taken from the Mettupalayam station (at the foothills of the Nilgiris) to the Coonoor railway station. This is a long, yet scenic journey of 46kms, where the train passes 13 tunnels.

Coonoor, can also be accessed by bus, with frequent buses plying from all over Tamil Nadu and neighbouring states, but the closest bus station is Mettupalayam and Ooty

Coonoor, can be reached by air until Coimbatore, from here, you could come by taxi or frequent buses are also available. The distance between Coimbatore and Coonoor is around 72km.

Local transportation includes town buses, taxis and autorickshaws.

Place to visit in Coonoor
Sims Park
Spread over 12 hectares, Sims Park is no doubt the best attraction in Coonoor. It is a walk through nature with thousand varieties of trees, plants and flowers, along with a small lake and enough play area for the kids. There is a minimum fee as entry.

Silk Rearing Station
Located near Sims Park and maintained by the Central Silk Board, Silk Rearing Station does silk production and research on improving quality of silk.

Pasteur Institute
Located opposite Sims Park, established in 1907, Pasteur Institute does research for vaccines for rabies. The Pasteur Institute is open for visits on Saturday’s, but for visits on other days, you will need to have prior permission.

Law’s Fall
Situated 5km at the junction of Coonoor and Kateri River on the Coonoor – Mettupalayam road, Law’s fall is a pretty cascade. Law’s fall is name after Col.Law, who found and constructed the Coonoor ghats.

Dolphin’s Nose
Situated 12kms from Coonoor, near Tiger Hills, Dolphin’s Nose is a unique rock, jutting out of the hill, in the formation of a Dolphin, surrounded by the excellent view of the St. Catherine's Falls and the Coonoor Stream meeting the Kotagiri Stream.

Lamb’s Rock
A favorite picnic spot, Lamb’s Rock is in Burliar Village, 8km from Coonoor, on the way to Dolphin’s Nose. The rock is a jagged cliff that drops down several hundred feet into the lush jungle below. Named after Captain Lamb, whose earnest attempts were the reasons to open the path to this place.

Lady Canning’s Seat
8kms from Coonoor, along side the road to Lamb’s Rock, it is the best point in the heart of the woods. It has a panoramic view of tea estates, Lamb’s Rock and even Mettupalayam is visible at a distance. Named after Lady Canning, she liked this place.

The Droog
Here lies a deteriorated fort, which was once used by Tippu Sultan as a outpost. 17kms from Coonoor, you have to trek down 4kms from Nonsuch Estate. The Droog directly overlook the plains.

Raliar Dam
15kms from Coonoor, this dam provides water supply to entire Coonoor town and near by villages.

Hidden valley
4kms from Coonoor, it is a perfect place for trekking, as the valley is not readily accessible. The trek is overwhelming with the Mountain View and lush green landscape.

Wellington Staff College
Wellington, lies between Ooty and Coonoor and is the headquaters of the Madras Regimental Center, the Defense Staff College is located here.

• Brindavan Public School
• Holy Innocent High School
• St Joseph’s Boys Hr Sec School
• Mountain Home Hr Sec School
• Stanes Hr Sec School

Colleges:

• Providence College for Women
• Riga College of Hotel Management
• Government ITI

Hotels in Coonoor

• Taj Garden Retreat
• Riga Residency
• Velan Hotel
• Hotel Wallwood Garden
• Kurumba Village Resort