Ashwin Kumar, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Ooty Lake
An artificial lake dug in 1824 by the man who effectively founded the hill station — and now the most ordinary and most used public space in Ooty.
A reservoir that became the town's front garden
The lake was made in 1824 by John Sullivan, the Collector of Coimbatore whose house and enthusiasm effectively created Ooty as a hill station, by damming the mountain streams that run through the valley. It was a good deal larger then; the railway and the racecourse took parts of it, and what remains is an L-shaped sheet of water with a wooded shore, a boathouse and a park along one side. It is not a wilderness and does not pretend to be — it is a busy municipal lake with pedal boats, a toy train and food stalls, and it is where Ooty actually goes. Understanding that before arriving is the difference between a pleasant hour and a disappointment.
Explore Ooty Lake on the map
City locations, drawn from our published destination data. Attractions, hotels and restaurants are not mapped yet.
What to look at
A town lake, used as one, and it does not pretend to be anything else.
🚣 The boathouse
- Pedal boats and rowing boats, ticketed, on the open stretch of water
🌳 The shore
- Eucalyptus and wooded banks along one side, and a park with a small train along the other
🐦 Early morning
- Before the boats start it is quiet and worth walking; the birdlife on the far bank is best then
🏇 The racecourse
- Alongside the lake, and part of what was taken from it — Ooty still races in season
Getting there
It is in the middle of the town, downhill from the bazaar and the station.
🚶 On foot
- A short walk from the bus stand and the railway station, downhill from the main bazaar
🚗 By road
- Parking at the boathouse end, and the road round the lake is slow at weekends
🎟️ Entering
- The lakeside park and the boating are separately ticketed at the gate
When to go
Early, or accept the crowd — the two versions are barely the same place.
🕰️ Time of day
- First thing, before the boats and the stalls open, when it is a lake rather than a fairground
- Late afternoon has the better light and much of the crowd
📅 Season
- April to June is the Indian hill-station season and the town is at its fullest
- The monsoon months are wet, green and very quiet
⏱️ How long
- An hour is plenty unless you are boating
Worth knowing
Expect a municipal park rather than a lakeland, and it holds up rather well.
🎠 What it is
- Pedal boats, a toy train, stalls and families. It is the most-used public space in Ooty and reads that way
🌅 Go early for quiet
- The difference between seven in the morning and eleven is the whole character of the place
📉 It has shrunk
- The railway and the racecourse took parts of the original lake; what you see is a fraction of Sullivan's
🚶 Combining
- It sits between the station and the botanical garden, so it costs almost no time to add
Frequently asked
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