If you are planning a holiday trip to Ooty in the month of May, Visit the Botanical Garden first. As the name suggests, it is the place loaded with stunning variety of flowers, ferns and orchids. This huge garden, covering an area of about 50 acres along the Dodabetta Peak (the highest peak in Ooty), is a popular lovers' point and the beauty here is admired and appreciated by all the tourists.

The garden is well maintained by the Tamil Nadu Government and the Horticulture Department. They organise several programs here with the help of local people to attract the tourists. The 'Summer Festivals', organised in the month of May, pulls maximum crowd and tourists. The Flower Show, a few cultural programmes, traditional classical arts and some of the adventure sports are important elements of the festival.

Since its inception in 1848, the garden has been a centre of attraction in the city. It has a fossilised tree, which is supposed to be about 20 million years old. Today, it is a home to over 650 species of plants and trees. On the basis of its 16 heritage properties, the Botanical Garden is looking forward to be included in the list of 'World Heritage Sites', declared by the UNESCO.

The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) backs for the global recognition for the garden. It also has a beautiful Italian floral garden. If you simply want to relax, the garden offers a huge green carpet of the well-maintained lawns.