We decided to base ourselves in Coonoor while we researched Mark’s family history (more of that in my next post) and it proved to be a good choice. It’s smaller than its neighbouring hill station, Ooty, and not at as high an altitude (1720m as opposed to 2240m), but it feels friendlier and I would argue that it’s more picturesque.
Our time in Coonoor was made even better by our host, Harsha, who we found through Airbnb. Her home was in a great location, very close to Sim’s Park, and was extremely comfortable. She served us some amazing food and was incredibly helpful in arranging transport and contacts for us as we looked into Mark’s history. We couldn’t have asked for more.
We arrived in Coonoor from Ooty on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway. The station, as all of them on this line, has been well preserved and there are many photo opportunities for those, like us, who love the nostalgia of old railway paraphanalia.
One of Coonoor’s main attractions is Sim’s Park. Like the Botanic Gardens in Ooty, this 12-hectare site was laid out by the British in Victorian times and is very reminiscent of any number of municipal parks in the UK. We spent a very pleasant couple of hours there and preferred it to Ooty’s gardens, not least because it was a lot less crowded.
When you wander down from Sim’s Park to central Coonoor, the thing that strikes you is the colour everywhere. The houses are all painted in different colours – pinks, greens, yellows and blues happily sit side by side and direct the eye away from the piles of rubbish which, unfortunately, fill every ditch, drain and river bed.
Coonoor’s daily covered market is impressive. The quantity, variety and quality of fruit and vegetables on display would be hard to beat anywhere in the world. We mused on what we would cook and how well we would eat if we were able to do our food shopping there!
The other ‘must-see’ attraction in Coonoor is the Highfield Tea Estate. You reach it by walking along a path to the right of the entrance to Sim’s Park. It’s quite a long walk, but very pleasant and, for most of it, you are shaded by mature trees. We were the only ones walking, though – we discovered everywhere we went that Indians generally don’t like to walk and thought we were crazy for doing so! On the walk up to the estate, you pass by several large properties, all protected by high fences and elaborate gates, with names like Fairlands, Oxford and Grantleigh! I can see the attraction if money were no object!
Once we arrived at Highfield, the views were stunning. It was lovely to see the ladies picking tea. At the entrance to the factory, we were greeted by several self-appointed guides offering to show us round. However, we had read in our trusted ‘Lonely Planet’ that you could just wander around by yourself, so we declined. In the event, the factory was undergoing maintenance on the day we visited, so none of the machinery was operating. It was still interesting to look around, though.
We hope to return to Coonoor before too long – to catch up with Harsha and, perhaps, to rent a place where we can self-cater and take advantage of the fabulous market!
Join our mailing list
Sign up to receive our monthly newsletter. Keep up with what we're doing and be the first to receive special offers and insider tips.
Where do I find your blog on Mark’s family history that you mentioned in your blog on Coonoor
Hi Sunil,
This is the link to the post – https://www.happydaystravelblog.com/family-connections-in-the-nilgiris/
Your question has reminded me that I have formatting issues in my posts about India! I have changed host since I first published them. I must make a note to go back and correct them. Thanks for the reminder 🙂