Needle Hill Viewpoint
The Needle Rock Viewpoint is a very popular tourist spot in Gudalur, a small town in the Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu. For tourists on a single stretch of sightseeing travel across Ooty and the Nilgiris, you can spend a few hours in Pykara and then proceed further from Pykara to Gudalur where you arrive at the Needle Rock View point.
The Ooty Needle Hill Viewpoint is characterized by a huge rock in the unique shape of a cone and hence the name was inspired.
The Needle Rock View point offers a stunning 360-degree view of the entire valley and grasslands of the Nilgiris, a sight you would not get to experience anywhere else in South India. Also referred to as the Soochimalai viewpoint by the locals, the Needle Rock Viewpoint features a distinct conical shape, a unique feature to view and capture in your cameras for sure.
The Needle Rock Viewpoint is also known as the Needle Hill View point and stands between Pykara and Cuddalore. It is usual method for tourist cabs to cover Pykara first and then drive you to this view point as is falls en route to other tourist spots around Ooty.
From Pykara, you also trek along the Ooty – Mysore Road to arrive at a forest area opening. Just before the forest, you will notice a small village named Gudalur and it is between Pykara and Gudalur that the Needle Rock View point is situated.
This tourist attraction is a hidden spot also named as the >Needle Hill Viewpoint and is covered with dense eucalyptus forest through which you need to hike uphill for about 5 to 10 minutes to arrive at this spectacular and huge barren rock. The climb up to the head of the rock is easy and anyone can do it.
As you arrive at the top of the Needle Hill View point, you will reach the tip of this rock that opens out a whole new unbelievable world in front of your gaping eyes, a sight that spreads across miles and miles of verdant landscapes and blue tinged mountain tops that you would probably have noticed only in movies and nowhere else.
The Needle Rock Viewpoint offers unforgettable awe inspiring sights, an experience in your life that will definitely linger in your memory forever. The view of the clouds laden below your feet with only the tops of village houses projecting through as the clouds envelopes the entire valley is a sight that can only be experienced with your own eyes and not in a photograph. This is one place that every visitor to Ooty must visit to believe and talk about.
Needle Hill View point literally personifies the words ‘reaching out for the clouds’ as it is quite unique for a Peak and the clouds to be at the same level and if you are lucky, on a rare occasion, you will notice small villages with intermediate forest areas at a distance when the clouds part ways.
From the Needle Rock Viewpoint, on a clear day, you can enjoy the sun slowly setting at the horizon, an experience that is sure to take your breath away; however, this is quite rare occasion as this place is almost always mist-laden and enveloped with clouds.
Other spots that you will notice from the Needle Hill View point is a panoramic sight of some parts of Mysore and Kerala, entire Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Gudalur town, Bandipur, Districts like the Nilgiris and Wayanad including a visual treat of the unique frog-shaped Hill and a popular mountain named Aanakkallu or 'Sleeping Beauty Mountain’ that exactly resembles the shape of a sleeping woman, a must-see. The area is also laden with dense eucalyptus trees that lends an exotic environ to the entire region.
The Ooty Needle Hill Viewpoint is a real gem hidden away from the eyes of the general public. Unlike Pykara, the Needle Rock View point is not known by all hence many tourists are unaware that an extraordinary place like this can even exist near Ooty. However, for those who have seen this point, they can only state that, what awaits a traveler is a sight that is sure to mesmerize you beyond your wild imagination.
An excursion to the truly magnificent and worthy Ooty Needle Rock Viewpoint is recommended for all travelers; however, do note to keep your trip restricted to the day time only and definitely not beyond sunset. It is not safe to visit this area after dark being a dense forested area and therefore, a high probability of wild animal attack is possible.
Also ensure that you wear comfortable attires and warm clothing as the temperature around the Ooty Needle Hill Viewpoint can drastically drop during towards the end of the day especially during monsoon.