For the longest time, Munnar in Kerala has either been in talks for its tea gardens, or not at all. The hill station is largely bypassed as the tourist trap that shapes itineraries. But in my experience of traveling through Kerala, Munnar is the most magnetic exception. With its emerald tea plantations, and peaceful lakes, Munnar is truly synonymous with God’s own country.
AB and I experienced the deepest corners of the hill station with the same mindset that we bring to all our journeys – travel slowly and mindfully and soak in the beauty of Kerala, one city at a time. Here’s how we explored this haven in South India in 6 days, and a curated list of best places to visit in Munnar:
Table of contents
Day 1: Arrival and Slowing Down in Munnar
The drive from Kochi airport to Munnar in Kerala takes 4-4.5 hours. The first half of Day 1 was mostly consumed by travel. We stopped at the Cheeyappara waterfalls. As the entry point to a mystical land in India, it doesn’t do justice to what’s awaiting your arrival.
We drove past mist-kissed valleys that were wrapped in a pristine green blanket. There’s a purity to Kerala’s Munnar that can be easily felt when the crisp mountain air touches your face. At around 4 pm, we reached our destination, the Windermere Estate. The aroma of coffee, cardamom and tea now infused the air that we breathed. As city dwellers, it was almost absurd to have found an unapologetic hideaway surrounded by nature. As soon as we unpacked, we knew experiencing this estate had to be the limelight of the day. If you’d like to explore more accommodation options, check out: Fragrant Nature Munnar, Blackberry Hills Retreat & Spa for the best views.
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Day 2: Visiting the Tea Museum, Echo Point, Kundala Lake and Top Station
The next morning, our very first visit of the day was to the Tata Tea Museum. Back in the 19th century, Britishers chose Munnar in Kerala as their first tea estate. Over the centuries, Tata has transformed Munnar into one of India’s premier tea havens. The museum showcased antique tea processing machinery and the various steps of tea production techniques.
A Must Visit: Rose Garden, Munnar
Afterward, our driver and tour guide highly recommended the rose garden as one of the top places to visit in Munnar. It was unabashedly touristy, yet I walked through the lanes for almost an hour. The place looked deceptively magical with a wide array of flowers planted in plain pots. It resembled a garden from the fairytale books we grew up reading.
Highlights of the Day: Kundala Lake & Echo Point
After a hearty lunch, we took the road to the North and reached Echo Point. I refused to get out of the car as crowds swarmed the viewpoint, but it’s quite a scenic spot. At a lonelier hour, I would have shouted my name across the water at the hills, and waited for nature to answer. All things considered, we headed to our next destination, Kundala Lake, before time. To our delight, Cherry Blossom trees lined the approach area – an experience exclusive twice a year. We slipped ahead of the crowds making our way to the boating area, and rented a shikara. The view held the tea slopes in reflection, emerald green merging with the crystal blue shades of the lake.
The end of this road led us to the Top Station. Our guide had warned us that Top Station is wrapped in mist most evenings. Thank heavens, it was! My Jane Austen loving soul, loved the misty, grey weather that wrapped us whole. We sat there like two tiny ants hiding beneath a huge rock, as the majestic Western Ghats fell gracefully to the Theni plains below.
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Day 3: Munnar Spice Garden, Sengulam Dam, and Pothamedu
A Slow Morning at Munnar’s Spice Garden
On Day 3, our first stop was the Munnar Spice garden. It was a two hour long exploration of spice-scented paths filled with the finest cardamoms, peppers, cinnamons, vanilla plants. We had the most wonderful guide for this journey. Of course, he knew the spices like the back of his hand. Every few minutes, he crushed a certain something between his fingers and held it out to test our knowledge. He split a nutmeg open and inside, rested a red lattice wrapping the seed in a vivid blanket. What sparked my curiosity was his chemistry with the rescue animals. Each one of them – especially the ducks, knew him as their shepherd and followed him around during our tour.
Boating at Sengulam Dam
Two hours later, we were on our way to the Sengulam Dam. Upon reaching, I was baffled by its appeal, and the kind of solitude that sharpens your senses and bathes your pupils with some heavenly water, allowing you to praise the true colors of nature. We spent forty precious minutes doing absolutely nothing, apart from posing for a few photos (of course). For lunch, we tried local Kerala thalis. The taste of a simple rasam and kerala rice, with a pairing of fried Aria fish pieces still lingers in my mouth. As a seafood lover, it’s one of the best authentic dishes I have tried in Kerala.
A Slow Evening at Pothamedu Viewpoint
We saved Pothamedu for last, deliberately, because it’s a ten minutes drive from the estate and because it is at its most visual extreme at sunset. We got there with time to spare, found a secluded spot away from the buzzing hive of restless strangers (quite like us), and sat in silence paying wowed attention while the sky went gold and the ever-jovial green landscape of Munnar slowly resigned to the mood of the hour. Then we drove back to the estate with a head full of nature-centric thoughts. I played the song “slow down you crazy child” to drive the perspective home.
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Day 4: Devikulam, Anayirangal Dam, and Chathurangapara Windmill Viewpoint
On Day 4, we had reached the last leg of our Munnar and Kerala trip, and the realisation already came with a sense of yearning. Every local we consulted highly recommended running southeast, if that’s the last thing we do here. I also wanted a trip to the Eravikulam National Park, but we had only one day left so we made a choice.
Things to Do at Anayirangal Dam
The Anayirangal Dam was the first destination for the day. The reservoirs of Munnar reveal the soul of the city. While Mattupetty Dam is the largest reservoir here, Anayirangal reservoir is the second best, followed by Kundala lake. The route snaked up passing through a quilt of emerald tea gardens. Without reservation, we hopped on a paddle boat here and rowed deeper towards the center. We were surrounded by a densely forested peak with an unbroken canopy of trees running down the edge of the water. As instructed by the man who rented us the boat, we slowed towards the left of the lake. A few minutes later, a herd of elephants descended down the slope towards their side of the lake. This was the closest AB and I had ever gotten, to witnessing wildlife in their own habitat.
If time permits, ask your driver to park near the Anayirangal hanging bridge. To illustrate, it’s a short walk down the cliff, and crossing a hanging bridge, swaying somewhere between a sea of tea gardens is an iconic experience.
Sunset at Chaturangapara Windmill View Point
From there, we followed a winding road – dipping, rising and looping amid forests of pine, cyprus, and cedar on one side, and tea plantations on another. Somewhere towards the last stretch of the road, I questioned the decision as we wobbled out of our breath, but my driver kept mumbling “It’s worth it.” The most compelling evidence was right outside the window. We were driving past the terrains of Kerala that kept falling vertically behind, and the Tamil Nadu plains peeked at us. Our driver parked the car and led a short almost 200 metres climb on foot. We reached an austere and windswept cliff, dotted with dozens of wind mills all turning in their own time and overlapping slightly out of phase.
To my absolute delight, I found my body pushing against the wind – the same wind that came up over the edge from the plains below with nothing to slow it down. The same wind that was turning perhaps a hundred blades on every ridge in sight. I climbed as far as I could, widened my feet and leaned forward at an angle that could hold my body together. As a result, a slightly nervous AB kept yelling “please be careful, don’t go too far,” At that moment I felt like a naughty little Heidi chasing the clouds, running around as her Peter followed. It was the most physical presence I have felt anywhere in this world. Your soul never forgets a memory like that.
Day 5: Bidding Adieu, Until Next Time
The next morning was all about an unhurried check out, and a drive back down to Kochi. Four hours in reverse, and a lot of time to summarise the key highlights of our trip. My important tip to travellers is that you must give this place the time it deserves. Don’t rush through it. Like a vivid blue sky, or your first underwater expedition – Kerala’s Munnar is not to be taken for granted.
FAQs about Munnar
Munnar is a hill station in Idukki district, Kerala, in the western ghats of South India. It sits at roughly 1600 meters above sea-level and lies close to the Kerala and Tamil Nadu border, around 110 km east of Kochi.
The essential stops are Mattupetty Dam, Kundala Lake, Echo Point and Top Station, all strung along a single road running northeast out of town. On the southwest side, Pothamedu viewpoint, Periyakanal waterfall and Sengulam Dam sit within easy reach. To the southeast lie Devikulam, Anayirankal Dam, the hanging bridge and the Chathurangapara windmill viewpoint on the Tamil Nadu border. The Tata Tea Museum and a spice garden round out the list.
As a hill station, Munnar does not have its own airport or railway station. Cochin Airport is the nearest at 110 kms distance, roughly a four hours drive from Munnar. The closest railway stations are Aluva at around 110 km, Angamaly at 120 km and Ernakulam Junction at about 125 km.
The fastest route is a flight from Bangalore to Kochi, which takes under an hour, followed by a four-hour drive. By road, the journey covers roughly 570 to 600 km and takes ten to twelve hours, usually via Salem and Coimbatore.
One can fly to Kochi, which takes about an hour, then drive four hours to Munnar. Alternatively, you can fly or take a train to Madurai and drive in from the east through Theni and Bodimettu, a route of around four and a half hours that climbs through some of the best scenery.
One can fly from Delhi to Cochin International Airport, a journey of roughly three to three and a half hours, then drive about four hours to Munnar.
