Munnar, The beauty of Kerala

Hello Friends,

Another one of my thrilling trips was to Munnar that I visited during the end of March 2018. Actually, it supposed to happen at least a year ago but I kept on postponing as I was waiting for the right crowd of friends to enjoy this amazing place with. Also, as I always keep telling to my friends that this could be the last trip in South, so it had to be special. But who knows when I might change my mind ;). One more reason why this trip is so special is that so far I had only been trekking in hill stations that had beautiful hills but this was the first time I had been to a place where I trekked in such an amazing place with thick, dense forests. When in Munnar, you'll witness the lush green tea plantations, dense forests, cool mountains as far as you can see.

Kannan Devan Hills

I had all the details of the trip, like the hotel booking, cab booking, etc. all in place about two months in advance but the group I was gonna take off with was not decided until the last moment. Finally, I made my office colleagues and roommates go with me and put together a group of 11 people and decided to book a TT.

There are so many places to visit nearby Munnar but I have listed only those which we could cover in our three days plan. So here we go...

How to Reach:

Below are the major cities from where you can easily reach the Munnar. To further minimize the trip budget in case you are in a small group, booking Train tickets in advance up until the below-mentioned places would be the best idea. For the onward journey, we can easily book a cab.

1. Ernakulam to Munnar   (135 KM )

2. Madurai to Munnar  (135 KM )

3. Palani to Munnar (120 KM)

4. Coimbatore to Munnar ( 158 KM )

Bangalore to Munnar : 

We hired a TT from Bangalore. It is a 476 KM journey one-way. If you are traveling from Bangalore to Munnar below are the state entry charges which was taken care by our TT driver:

Tamilnadu state: 1500 RS /-, Kerala State: 5000 RS /-, Toll Charges approximate 1000 Rs., TT (Non AC) charges was about 11.5 RS /- per KM  (Total trip route: 1300 KM).

We started our journey on a Thursday night @11 PM. All my friends were happy with the TT we had booked as it was well-maintained and clean, fitted with JBL speakers and some Red&Green LED lights giving a disco-kind vibe. You can contact the TT driver at the below-mentioned number:

TT contact :

Driver- Chethu: 8073103532          Driver Owner:  9845001079    Travel Company: 9901113359

Note: Cab charges may subject to change Season wise

Places to cover:

I have categorized the following places the way we covered them, namely, Day1, Day2 & Day3. Depending on the location of your stay I would suggest that it is better to choose a plan to cover distant places first.

Note: Please don't hire a guide in Munnar. If you know the places and the route to get there, you will be just fine but hiring a guide may spoil your entire plan. I have also shared the route maps on the blog to help you out there.

Day 1:

Below listed places amount to a total round distance of 68 KM from Munnar.

Day_1 Route map

      1)  Kannan Devan Hills:

If you are arriving to Munnar from Bangalore by road, you will be welcomed by the beautiful  Kannan Devan Hills. Here you will experience the green tea plantation over the hills just like they show in the movies.

2) Tea Museum :

KDHP tea museum is an Industrial and historical museum situated in Munnar. It is also known as Tata Tea Museum.

3) The Blossom park:

Also known as the Hyde Park. You can trek through the thick tea plantations and forests.

4) Pothamedu View Point:

Pothamedu View Point provides a panoramic view of Munnar, adjoining valleys and the Mathirapuzha river. The lush green vegetation in the place with Cardamom and Tea plantation gives a rich view of this place.

Pothamedu View Point

5) Attakud Water Fall:

This is not very big Fall but the view of flowing water through the large rocks is a true beauty.

Attakud Waterfall

                                                              

 Day 2

Now, the Day-2 places are one of the major attractions of  Munnar which needs a complete day to explore. This leg of the trip covers a total of 76 KM from Munnar.

Day_2 Route map

1) Mattupetty Dam: 

Mattupetty Dam comes in Idukki district is a storage of concrete gravity dam built in the mountains of Kerala to conserve the water for Hydroelectricity.

Mattupetty Dam

2) Echo Point & Kundumala View Point :

Both places are close by. It is a small trek to reach Kudumala. The view here is eye-catchy. 

Echo Point

3) Kundla Lake:

This is peaceful, still water lake flowing among the hills. It's a little crowded, nevertheless, you can spend a good time here. Plus point is the boating.

4) Munnar Top Station:

Top station is around 10 KMs from Kundla lake. While going towards this place I felt like I was on top of Munnar and the weather also started to get a lot cooler. The view from this point is absolutely stunning with forests situated in the foot of majestic hills. If you wish, you can take the narrow path to trek mid-way down and do some awesome photography there.

There are two viewpoints close by on this route. To reach the Top station keep walking further ahead until you reach the end. There is an entry fee of 10 Rs /- at the Top Station.

Day 3:

On the 3rd day, we booked a Jeep Safari because we decided to enjoy a little off-road ride. The Jeeps are a little bit costly here. They charged about Rs. 5000/- for 11 people and 2 Jeeps.

Also, because we were not aware of the route and the places to cover, we had to take the offer.  The places listed below cost a little extra, you can save this money if you have your own vehicle. But be careful as the roads are very narrow, and risky. Make sure you have a skilled driver :)

This a brochure is given to us by the Jeep drivers. The trip started at Sengulam. In case you are planning on hiring on of these jeeps, I must tell you, the prices mentioned in it are negotiable.

Page 1

Page 2

1) Sengulam Boating:

This place is 16 KM from Munnar. Lake view is breath-taking. It is relaxing to spend time at the park. There is an entry free to be paid.

The route to the next destination was an off-road drive. It was so exciting to travel through the thick forest along a very narrow path. It was a little scary too as the jeep kept swaying from one side to the other. 

i. Ripple Waterfall:

This was the first place we visited by Jeep driving through the deep forest. The waterfall was very dreamy. The driver warned us to be careful and not to go deep in the fall. We enjoyed a shower in cascading fall here. Just this one stop  made us feel like it was best 5000 rupees we had ever spent.

ii. Hanging Bridge:

There is beautiful wooden bridge fastened and hanging between two Hills. The bridge would shake even if were just walking or driving on it. It felt like we were gonna lose our balance and fall. But it was still safe and nothing happened :D

Hanging Bridge

iii. Ponmudi Dam view:

This is an awesome place for photographers. The water from the lake at the bottom of hills was really a peaceful view and pleasing to the eye.

Ponmudi Dam view

iv. Ponmudi Top Station:

There is a beautiful view of thick forests spread over a long distance with the among tall hills. Again a photogenic and relaxing place.

Ponmudi Top Station

v. Ponmudi Echo Point:

This was the last spot for the day. There is a small brook of water flowing through the large cleavage of rocks at Echo point. There was large open space inside so we relaxed there for about an hour.

It was time for us to leave for Bangalore. It was Easter, and we found it difficult to find food.
Munnar, is a beauty one can visit throughout the year. Except for the places listed under Day 2, there are no specific spots that you need to cover because, any path you take, any place you go in Munnar, you'll find it to be the most beautiful place in the world. It's a largely spread forest area including adjoining Anamudi, Chinnar, Annamalai, and other small reserve forests. It's a very peaceful and calm place. Winter (September to February) could be the best time to visit this place.

We were all so happy. For me, personally, this was the best trip I have had so far. Given a chance, I wish to go back and visit once again with my family :)