Study Tours IndiaQueen of Hills Ooty
Queen of hills Ooty sits in Tamil Nadu's Nilgiris. See the toy train, Botanical Garden, tea estates and Doddabetta on a well-planned student trip.
October 21, 2026
Ooty, officially Udhagamandalam, is often called the queen of hill stations. It sits at about 2,240 metres in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, surrounded by tea gardens, eucalyptus forests and grassy hills.
Why Ooty is called the queen of hill stations
Its cool climate, lakes and gardens made it the summer retreat of the Madras Presidency in colonial times, and the name stuck. (In North India, Mussoorie is often called the Queen of the Hills; read our Mussoorie guide.)
What to see in Ooty
- The Nilgiri Mountain Railway, part of the UNESCO-listed Mountain Railways of India
- The Government Botanical Garden
- Doddabetta, the highest peak in the Nilgiris
- Tea factories and estates
- Ooty Lake and Pykara waterfalls
Ooty for school and college trips
Botany, geography and environmental science come alive here. Combine Ooty with Mysuru and Bengaluru, as in our Karnataka Diaries school tour.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers from our destination experts. Still unsure? Ask us directly.
Which hill station is called the queen of hill stations?
Ooty in Tamil Nadu is widely called the queen of hill stations; Mussoorie in Uttarakhand is also known as the Queen of the Hills.
Where is Ooty?
Ooty (Udhagamandalam) is in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, at about 2,240 metres.
What is the best time to visit Ooty?
October to June; the monsoon from July to September brings heavy rain.
Tell us your branch. We'll send the itinerary.
Share a few details and a programme coordinator will call you within 24 hours with a plan that fits your syllabus, dates and budget.