Elephant Camp

The Western Ghats


In mornings and evenings you can see the reserve's working elephants being fed at the elephant camp just east of the Mudumalai reception centre, where you'll need to buy tickets. Most elephants here are rescued from the timber trade and are unfit to return to the wild. (While Lonely Planet does not recommend or condone recreational elephant rides, the admission fee to elephant camp helps keep these animals fed.)


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby The Western Ghats attractions

1. Mudumalai Tiger Reserve

0.17 MILES

In the foothills of the Nilgiris, this newly enlarged 765-sq-km wildlife reserve is like a classical Indian landscape painting given life, with chital…

2. Bandipur National Park

3.73 MILES

This park covers 880 sq km and was once the Mysore maharajas’ private wildlife reserve. It's noted for herds of gaurs (Indian bison), chitals (spotted…

3. St Stephen’s Church

13.88 MILES

Perched above Ooty's centre, immaculate pale-yellow St Stephen’s, built in 1829, is the Nilgiris' oldest church. It has lovely stained glass, huge wooden…

4. Botanical Gardens

14.03 MILES

Established in 1848, these pretty 22-hectare gardens are a living gallery of the Nilgiris' natural flora. Keep an eye out for a typical Toda mund (village…

5. Nilgiri Library

14.11 MILES

This quaint little haven in a crumbling, earthy-red 1867 building houses more than 30,000 books, including rare titles on the Nilgiris and hill tribes,…

6. St Thomas' Church

14.3 MILES

Set between trees at the eastern end of Ooty Lake, simple St Thomas' dates back to 1870.

7. Rose Garden

14.6 MILES

With terraced lawns and over 20,000 rose bushes of more than 2000 varieties – best between May and July – the Rose Garden is a sweet place for a stroll,…

8. Tribal Research Centre Museum

15.53 MILES

If you're interested in the Nilgiris' tribal communities you'll love this slightly scruffy, erratically open museum, with its fascinating exhibits on…

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