MOUNTAIN ESCAPES
| MUNNAR |
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| Munnar guide >>> Munnar travel guide and tourist information on
Munnar, how to get to Munnar, also details on sightseeing in Munnar, best time to visit
Munnar and accommodation in Munnar |
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Four hours driving time away from the steamy,
tropical palm fringed coastal Cochin and its seashores lies the verdant, picturesque hill
station of Munnar. Tucked into the Western Ghats, surrounded by tea and spice plantations,
soaked in atmosphere, Munnar is heart-stopping beautiful. Hidden away in the midst of
thick vegetation and lush rainforest, Munnar was the secret holiday getaway of only a few
who were familiar with its many charms. A misty, lush green hill station 1,600m in the
Annamalai ranges of Kerala, Munnar is fast making a transition from a tea, coffee and
spice plantation centre to a prime holiday resort and wildlife reserve. |
| The town retains its colonial British
character with neat red-tile roofed bungalows, cottage gardens filled with colourful
flowers and the smell of fresh spices, tea and roasting coffee beans that hangs heavy in
the air, filling it with a fragrance all its own. The surrounding hill slopes are covered
with orderly rows of tea bushes; the plantations, amongst the highest in the world,
stretch for miles, interrupted only by pockets of forests teeming with local fauna and
flora. Amongst the unusual flowers that grow here is the Neelakurinji that blooms once
every twelve years and bathes the entire area in a beautiful blue. The Neelakurinji is
next due to flower in 2006. While in Munnar, visit
the old Christ Church with its beautiful stained glass panels. Go boating
in Mattupetty Lake and fish for trout in Elephant Lake.
Make a trip to Top Station 41 km away, to see some of the highest tea
plantations in India. The tea gardens are the last bastion of the Raj; several still
preserve customs like 'chhota hazari'. Most managers would be happy to let you take a
stroll among the bushes.
Eravikulam Park (16 km) is where you can find the endangered Nilgiri Tahr
(ibex). The Thattekad Bird Sanctuary has a resident population of Malabar
gray hornbills, woodpeckers and rare species like the rose-billed roller and the Sri
Lankan frogmouth.
So if you're looking for quiet strolls along rows of tea bushes, if you're looking for the
enveloping calm of cool mist, if you are partial to pristine green countryside laid out
below clear blue sky.... then you will be hooked by Munnar.
Getting to Munnar
The nearest airport is at Kochi, from where you can get to Munnar in a 4-hour road journey
by bus, taxi or car. Ernakulam Junction at Kochi is the closest railhead, connected to
trains from Bangalore and the rest of the country.
Best time to visit Munnar
The post-monsoon season, beginning October, is the best. It is cool and invigorating and
the hills are beautifully green at this time. Carry woollens and rain protection.
Accommodation in Munnar
Munnar has low to medium budget lodges, guesthouses, hotels and resorts. Accommodation is
available near the market in the town-centre and at quieter locations in the hills. Check
up on hot water availability and bathroom arrangements in the budget and mid-rung
establishments. |
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