Coonoor gets a fraction of Ooty's tourist traffic despite sitting only 20km away, which makes it the better choice if you want viewpoints and gardens without the queue. Sim's Park, a terraced botanical garden dating to 1874, is at its best in the first hour after opening, before the day's tour groups arrive.
Dolphin's Nose and Lamb's Rock are best visited back-to-back — they're a short drive apart, both offer sweeping views over the escarpment towards the plains, and the light is noticeably better in the late afternoon than at midday, when haze tends to flatten the view.
Coonoor's tea estates are also more accessible for a genuine working-estate visit than Ooty's — several still run public tours with an actual factory walkthrough, not just a retail counter. Our Tea Trail Weekend package is built around exactly this loop.