Munnar – The Kashmir of the South

The hill-station is blessed with bountiful attractions, which attracts tourist all the year round. The place has been designated as Munnar, after the mystique confluence of the 3 rivers viz., Mudrapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundala.

It was 21^st of February, and weekend hotspot to hangout was planned as “ Cheeyappara  “, but the place was disappointing  as we had to find  where the waterfall was, since we could see only rocks completely dry with no signs of water anywhere. And that’s where we realized that it was the beginning of summer and the most important point to be noted was, we were in Kerala and my god  Kerala summers are terribly hot !! They are unbearable!!

From the place we stopped, Munnar was just 35 kms and the time was around 11.30am. That is where all of us decided to visit Munnar. Though all of us knew that it was not a good idea as we won’t be able to cover many of the places, but our anxiety and enthusiasm to visit Munnar was at its peak irrespective of the time we had.

We started our journey in KSRTC bus along the narrow and accident prone roads. We reached Munnar around 1pm in the noon.  Apt time for lunch!! We managed to find a hotel where we had Punjabi and Rajasthani Thali.

We hired an Auto Rickshaw, and the Rickshaw wala explained us the places we could cover by evening. The first place was Elephant Safari. We can enjoy the scenic vistas on a grand elephant ride. Since the cost per person was a bit high we stepped back and decided to just watch people going for the ride. That was fun too!!

On the way, we experienced a visual treat of the tea gardens on both the sides of the roads. How can one resist a tea garden tour when they are in Munnar? Munnar is an attractive destination with the world's renowned tea estates and breath taking landscapes. Rolling hill side covered with tea plantations is a sight to behold. The lush greenery and the soothing cold wind with a mild aroma of tea leaves totally rejuvenated us. We walked through the tea gardens where we took pictures amidst the lush green tea plantations.

The next visit was to the Reservoir. We hired a boat for 4 of us for 300 INR. The maximum capacity is 5. The ride was fantastic. We get to see the forest on the other side of the lake. If you are lucky enough you even get to see animals. We were fortunate enough to see a Bison.

The next visit was to shooting spot. A beautiful place where one can experience the play of light and clouds. The reservoir view from here is just mind blowing. Had a great time here taking pics and rolling on the grassy plains.

And the last place for the day was Echo Point: Its just 13 kms from the main town of Munnar. The magic of echoing sounds, its panoramic view can be explored best on foot. We relaxed there for some time, took couple of pictures and made our way back to the bus stop.

Monsoon.. The very thought conjures up the images of dark sky, wet leaves, umbrellas popping up, rushing jet speed water, water fall formations and the chilly wind. It was one such day when we planned to visit Munnar again on 20^th July, 2013. The Monsoon during this time was at its peak but the invitation from the misty hills of the highrange was too good to resist and we set off to Munnar early in the morning from Kakkanad at 6:30 am. Travel to Munnar through the long winding roads and hairpin bends during rainy season was best. A mystic feeling crept in our minds as we saw the dark clouds, lightning bolt behind the top hill, lashing rain with increased intensity and beautiful formation of waterfalls now and then along the entire length of journey.

This time it was no disappointment; all the waterfalls were full with water. We got down from the bus near Cheeyappara waterfalls, water flowing in seven steps amazingly beautiful. It will be foolishness to compare the waterfall in summer and rainy seasons. The splashing water spray, the mist, the gurgling sound and cool climate infused the peace into our souls. We spent some time enjoying the beauty of waterfall, had breakfast which we had got packed from home and started our journey to Munnar.

As we were nearing Munnar, we saw the lush green hills with the unending greenery of tea gardens and cool climate which made us feel the surge of energy flow through us. It was awesome to experience the clouds changing to mist, touching us with a romantic feeling. Feels like hill station is radiating a fragrance of romance and enthusiasm making us fall in love with serene hill station. It is really a different feeling to visit Munnar during rainy season with fresh, refreshing and clear beauty of nature. It poses an ideal time to admire the vibrant natural habitats of the mist covered surrounding of the Munnar.

This time we chose to visit the places which we had missed during our previous visit. We hired a car in munnar junction and started our exploration.

Eravikulam National park located 15 km from Munnar, renowned for its endangered inhabitant called Nilgiri Tahr. Private vehicles are not allowed inside national park, visitors are taken to Rajamala in forest department vehicles which cost 100 INR per person. A safari inside the park along the trails is an experience of a life time; the water gushing on the rocky slopes, stark beauty of rolling grasslands and sholas. Visitors here are introduced to the shola grassland ecosystem unique to this region. There is a very informative interpretation center in Rajamalai. The visitors are allowed to trek from this point untill tourists area which lets one experience the flora and fauna exclusive to Rajamalai and one can observe the Nilgiri Thar at close quarters. We had great time in the peak with heavy rain, chilling weather and most importantly the flora and fauna of Eravikulam national park.

We then moved to Lakkom waterfalls, one of the prominent torrents in Munnar. The waterfall was in its full glory due to heavy rain. The way to this waterfall is an every bit a reflection of paradise on earth; Passing by tea plantations and breathtaking locations, finally the most beautiful Lakkom waterfall.

Our next visit was to Attukal waterfalls. This is a must visit place for its charming sceneries, glittering waterfalls and rolling hills which remains feast for the eyes. All in Munnar is bliss to eyes during monsoon.

Map :