Hill Stations – Tamil Nadu

During the time of the Raj the British wanted refuge from the heat of the Indian plains so developed the Hill Station – an area in the mountains to which they could retreat during the summer months. Tamil Nadu has a number of Hill Stations in the Western Ghat Mountains. Ooty is the best known and many people visit this area in order to ride the Nilgiri Blue Mountain Railway. The ‘toy train’ is a narrow gauge railway running from the plains of Mettupalayam, through Coonoor and on to Ooty. Railway enthusiasts like to do the whole journey (particularly the section between Mettupalayam and Coonoor as this is by steam train) but many people are happy to travel between Ooty and Coonoor. The steep terrain of the area means that the line is vulnerable to landslides and trains can break down. So if you are planning to visit the area purely to see or ride this train you need to be prepared that it may not be operating.