Established as a summer escape by the British in the early 19th century, Ooty was originally the tribal homeland of the pastoralist Toda hill tribe. Today its colonial elegance has almost completely disappeared, however its extraordinary history still makes for an interesting half-day guided tour. Included in the tour is Ooty’s impressive botanical garden, with over 20 hectares home to 2,000 varieties of plants; an original Toda village; Ooty Gymkhana Club, home to the 18 hold golf course; St Stephen’s Church, Ooty’s first church built in the 1820s and Toda Temple, with wood sourced from Tipu Sultan’s palace at Sriringapatnam. If time permits the tour also takes in Ooty Club and The Nilgiri Library, boasting 400,000 books that trace the story of British India.
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