Munnar - Misty Wonder!
Landscaped tea gardens,cascading waterfalls all around you, long winding roads with a whiff of fresh mountain air on each turn, cheerful villagers returning your wave with a 100 watt smile and the grand western ghat peaks all around you. Yes! driving upto Munnar is as much of an experience as staying in Munnar!
The tea gardens of Munnar
Waterfalls abound all along the ride up to Munnar
Cascading roads of Munnar
Munnar is 4 hours by road from Kochi i.e about 120 Km's. The distance could have been shorter but the roads are narrow and thus driving above 60 Kmph is not an option. Please tell any Kerala driver to beforehand drive within 60 - 80 Kmph, as the entire lot of South Indian men(including Kerala) seems super influenced by Rajnikanth(a man who can do anything that god cant!). Just kidding!We actually had the misfortune of being driven by a jovial mallu guy called Krishnalal, who swerved and overtook vehicles in front when he was two inches from touching them.Phew!The hilly drive is about 25-30 Km's for those with height sickness, take some medicines along!
There are two options - the regular one and the one off the beaten path. The regular one is to go post Aug'11 when the monsoon diminishes, but expect higher rates of hotels and triple the number of people. The offbeat option is to come during the monsoons, as after rains when the skies clear, the views are breathtaking and added pleasure comes due to cheaper Hotel rates! The temperature between July-October will be between a pleasant 15-25 degrees, but please take warm clothes properly, as one never knows about the chill!
Filter Coffee at the Hotel Misty Munnar - Valley View is Free Of Cost
Munnar is set at an altitude of 6000 ft in the Idukki district of Kerala, and was the favored spot of the Britishers in the colonial heydays. The name Munnar is derived from Malayalam words 'Munu'(Three) and 'Aaru'(River). Munnar gained immense popularity post 2010 when it was voted the #2 best travel destination worldwide by the esteemed review site Tripadvisor!
Munnar has many options for the budget traveller and the luxurious ones. For the budget traveller, one tip that the Terrainspotter team can give is that stay at an area like Pullivasal(6-7 Km's from Munnar) or other adjoining areas instead of hotels in Munnar town as they are priced lesser. There are buses and autorickshaws that will take you to Munnar town - do not pay more than 70-80 INR for two people to an Autowallah. Buses charge the usual fare. For a complete list of hotel info and Purchase for Munnar , please visit the link http://tinyurl.com/43ejkhc
Misty Mountain Munnar Hotel at Pullivasal - Rent 2200/night for valley view room
Walk, walk and walk : Munnar can be best enjoyed by walking along the criss cross roads all lined up on both sides with Tea plantations. Majority of the Tea plantations here are owned by TATA and Pullivasal TATA tea estate is one of the most serene. For the trekkers, a walk from Pullivasal to Munnar town will take an hour uphill but you will get to see the scenery to the fullest! On a misty morning or a foggy evening, you will walk almost amongst the clouds.
The Munnar Walkaways
The view of the valley as you walk on by
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TATA tea plantations)
Tea Leaves
TATA Tea Museum : Located at the Nallathani Tea estate in Munnar, this musuem is surely worth a visit. Visit early as the musuem closes by 5 PM. This Tea musuem houses curios, photographs and machinery, each of which depict some snippet of history on the origin and growth of tea plantation in Munnar
Boating Area en route to Top Station
Top Station and other attractions on the way : About 27 km from Munnar Main Bazaar is Top Station, at a height of 1700 m above sea level. It is the highest point on the Munnar-Kodaikanal road. Travellers to Munnar make it a point to visit Top Station to enjoy the panoramic view it offers of the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu.
Neelakurunji Bloom - Once every 12 years - Source : http://tinyurl.com/3ddcysj
Spices, spices and more spices. You wont get better elsewhere!
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Smiling people of Munnar - btw the one on the left is sloshed(wink) at 12 noon
Munnar is not a cheap trip as you have to fly down to Kochi first and then come to Munnar. The overall expense for a relatively luxurious vacation at Munnar for a couple will cost between 9-12 K INR(airfare and road transport cost not included).
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Budget hotels in Munnar are usually priced in the Rs. 800 - Rs. 1500 range. There are a lot of good budget hotels in Munnar. HotelPushpak.com has many budget hotels in Munnar and some of them are highly rated among customers. Make sure to check reviews and customer ratings before booking a hotel in Munnar. Online booking for a Munnar hotel is easy and takes less than 5 minutes.