Ooty in 3 days: what to see, in what order

At 2,637 m the highest point in the Nilgiris, about 9 km from Ooty town. A telescope house at the top looks out over the hills and tea gardens, and on clear days down to the plains.

Tip: Mist often rolls in by late morning and hides the view, so make it your first stop.

A working tea factory with a small museum on the Doddabetta road. You follow Nilgiri tea leaf through withering, rolling, drying and sorting, then taste the tea at the end.

Tip: The shop sells the factory's own tea, and it makes a light gift to carry home.

Laid out in 1848 on the slopes below Doddabetta, with terraced lawns, a glasshouse of ferns and orchids, and a fossilised tree trunk said to be 20 million years old. The summer flower show is held here every May.

Tip: The garden climbs uphill from the gate. Walk to the top terrace for the best view back over the lawns.

One of the largest rose gardens in India, with thousands of varieties on terraces cut into Elk Hill, near Charing Cross.

Tip: Climb to the top terrace for the view over the town.

A hall of plants and flowers made entirely of hand-wound thread, without needles or machines, across the road from the lake.

Tip: It is next to the boat house, so see it before or after the boats.

An artificial lake built in 1824 by John Sullivan, the founder of Ooty, edged with eucalyptus. Pedal, row and motor boats go out from the boat house.

Tip: Weekend queues at the boat house can be long. Weekday afternoons are quieter.

A roadside viewpoint on the way to Coonoor, looking down a long valley of tea gardens, terraced farms and villages.

Tip: The Nilgiri toy train runs along the valley below, so look for it on the line.

A botanical garden in a ravine in Coonoor, opened in 1874 and named after J. D. Sim, with rare trees from around the world and a small lake. Coonoor's fruit show is held here every May.

Tip: Paths go down into the ravine and back up, so wear shoes with grip.

One of Coonoor's older tea factories, where a short walk through the works shows how the estate's leaf becomes tea, with cups to taste at the end.

Tip: Buy loose tea here rather than in the town shops; it is fresher.

A cliff-edge viewpoint about 8 km out of Coonoor, named after Captain Lamb who cut the path to it. It looks straight down over tea estates to the Coimbatore plains.

Tip: There is a short walk from the road to the edge, with railings at the drop.

A flat rock jutting out like a dolphin's snout about 10 km from Coonoor, with Catherine Falls across the valley and the Kotagiri hills beyond.

Tip: Small stalls at the car park sell hot tea and corn. The walk to the rock is short and steep.

A slope of tall, straight pines on the road towards Pykara, often used as a film location, with paths running down between the trunks.

Tip: The paths are steep and covered in pine needles, so they get slippery after rain.

Open rolling grassland at the ninth mile on the road to Pykara, where many films have been shot. Pony rides and snack stalls line the edge.

Tip: It gets windy and cold even on sunny days. Bring a layer.

A reservoir in the forest about 20 km from Ooty, with a boat house for speed and row boats out across still water between wooded hills.

Tip: The speed boat is the popular one. Ask for the longer ride if the queue is short.

A run of cascades on the Pykara river, falling over rock steps through the forest about 2 km from the lake.

Tip: A short walk from the car park leads to the falls. The rocks are slippery when wet.