Top 15 Best Places to Visit in Munnar
Refreshing breeze, mountains covered with mist and acres of tea plantations, beautiful valleys and mud roads between tea gardens and some adventurous ride through the hair pin curves would definitely be enthralling to anyone, and that is exactly why Munnar is one among the most loved hill stations in India and Munnar Tourism is well known. Stretched along the Western Ghats, this ‘hill range’ as it is widely called, has many breathtaking sights and landscape perfect for honeymoon and even for a family vacation.
Munnar in local language Malayalam translates into Three rivers and the name would have originated from the fact that this hill station which was the erstwhile summer capital of British was located in the confluence of three rivers.
Best Season to visit Munnar
Munnar has emerged as an all season destination . The tourist season at Munnar, like all the other popular tourist destinations in Kerala starts from August and runs up to March.However unlike other destinations, Munnar has a summer season in April to May when crowds come to this cool hill station to escape the heat in the plains. Munnar is less crowded from June to July during the monsoon season.
Best Places to Visit in Munnar
Some of the most popular places to to visit in munnar include Tourist spots like Eravikulam National Park, Mattupetty Dam, Anamudi, Devikulam, Nyayamakad, Muniyara Dolmens, Attukal Waterfalls, Photo Point, Echo Point and Pothemadu and here is a list of Munnar Tourist Places that you should visit when you visit this tourist destination that is also called as “Kashmir of South India”
The beauty of the best places to visit in Munnar cannot be just written or explained, it has to be experienced and munnar is the most popular spot among the popular tourist places in Kerala.
Here is a list of places to visit near Munnar and things to see when yo visit Munnar
1. TATA Tea Museum
Tata Tea Museum is located at the Nallathanni estate and the museum has curios and photographs that traces the growth and evolution of tea plantations in Munnar right from the tea sapling to an automated tea factory where it is processes. The Museum is a fitting tribute to the efforts put on by the initial planters in transforming one of the most popular hill stations and the epicenter of tea trade in Kerala : The entry fee to the Tata tea museum is Rs. 75 per person and you can enjoy a free cardamom tea along with the demonstration of the history of tea in Munnar.
TATA Tea Museum in Munnar
2. Blossom Park
Hydel / Blossom Park is situated near the Pallivasal hydro-electric project and you can enjoy activities like Cycling, boating and roller skating as well as Hammocks& meditation caves . This is an ideal picnic spot for families who are looking for holidays with kids in Kerala and the entry fee is only Rs.10.
Blossom park has beautiful gardens with rare varieties of plants, trees and flowers , facilities for water cycling, boating cycling for kids, roller skating etc
Instructions for Tourists – Entrance Fees to Blossom International Park is – Rs.10.00/ for adult and Rs.2.00/- for Kids and there are facilities for water cycling , boating etc
3. Pothamedu ViewPoint
Pothamedu ViewPoint: You can watch the beauty of the Munnar mist that is engulfing the green hills from Pothanmedu View point.The drive to the Pothamedu ViewPoint takes you over an old bridge and narrow roads and the views during the drive is also very scenic. You should try to sip the hot tea from the tea shop near the view point to enjoy the feel of Munnar to the full.
Pothanmedu view point Munnar
4. Attukal Waterfalls
Attukal Waterfalls is a must go tourist spot in Munnar where you can view a waterfall amidst hills and jungles. The waterfalls are at a nice location between Munnar and pallivasal and the road to reach itself is so beautiful.There is a narrow bridge through which you can drive your car and watch the falls but this is slightly risky as there are potholes in the bridge. There’s a small tea shop cum view point near the falls from which one can have a close look at the falls and sip a hot cup of cardamom tea.
Attukal Waterfals in Munnar
5. Top Station
Top Station is a view point at the highest altitude in Munnar and is located at a distance of almost 40+ KM’s from Munnar. If you are visiting Munnar, you need to be very lucky to reach top station when the sky is clear – without fog . It rains in Munnar frequently as a result of which fog covers the beautiful views from Munnar. The drive to top station is pretty long but the drive has beautiful views, tea gardens and two dams on the way. It is better to visit the Top Station initially and visit the dams etc on the way back if you are planning to start early from Munnar.
Top Station in Munnar
6.Kundala Lake
Pedal Boating Kundala Lake that costs Rs.150 per couple for each hour is a popular activity for Kerala Honeymoon packages . Kundala is Asia’s first arch dam and Neela Kurunji flowers which bloom once in twelve years, bloom in the hills and valleys around Kundala lake. Echo Point gets its names from the echo that is generated when you shout and window shopping and sightseeing in the toy shops around this tourist spot is a popular past time for guests visiting Munnar. The fresh mountain air, the mist-clad hills and panoramic view make it worth a visit. Speed Boating is a popular activity in Kundala Lake
7. Mattupetty Dam
Mattupetty is yet another eye candy in Munnar. The Mattupetty Dam and Lake are celebrated tourist spots with an excellent view of the lake and tea plantations spread out to a wider area. Boating facilities are available to provide the visitors with an amazing experience and elephants are often see here in Munnar.Mattupetti dam is a storage Concrete Gravity dam built in the mountains of Kerala, India to conserve water for hydroelectricity
Mattupetty Dam in Munnar
Instructions for Tourists – District Tourism Promotion Council has organised for boating in Mattupetty Dam and if you are lucky you may be able to see some elephants as well. The most attractive part of Mattupetty dam is its still water which reflects the tea gardens in the mountains around.
8.Eravikulam National Park
The Eravikulam National Park is a sanctuary located in Munnar to protect the endangered Nilgiri Tahr. The place is the natural habitat of this rare mountain goat which is facing extinction . Rajamala region is the tourism zone of the Eravikulam National Park. Flee to Rajamala if you want to see herds of Nilgiri Tahr roaming around freely. No visitor is allowed beyond the tourist area due to security reasons.
Instructions for Tourists – The park closes during February-March for about 30 to 45 days and tourists wont be allowed inside.The park opens its gates at 07:00 in the morning and closes by 18:00 in the evening. There is no online ticketing facility and please expect long queues on public holidays and weekends.
Eravikulam National Park
9. Marayoor Dolmens
Pristine, exotic, adventurous, diverse and beautiful – Marayoor is a land of waterfalls, rivers, rocky hills, bamboo forests, sandalwood trees, cave temples and paintings. Dolmens in Marayoor dates back to the stone age and in Malayalam the dolmens are called as Muniyaras or dwelling places of the Sadhus . Dolmens were created using slabs of rock, three for the sides and the fourth slab placed on top of these three as a roof. There are dolmens with 5 rock slabsas well where the 5th stone slab acts as front wall with an opening as entrance. Neelakurinji flowers that blossom only once in every twelve years is yet another spectacular native of Marayoor as well.
Instructions for Tourists – Marayoor Dolmens are accessible from road only at Kovilkadavu which is in the Marayoor Kanthalloor route at a distance of 48 kilometers from Munnar and at Pius Nagar which is at a distance of 50 kilometers from Munnar. Go for visiting Marayoor Dolmens only if you are interested in history as the climate of Marayoor is totally different from Munnar.
10. Anamudi
Anamudi is the highest peak in the Western Ghats and South India and is situated 2695 meters above the sea level and is one of the most enchanting sights in Munnar. The place is ideal for trekking and offers many activities if you love to explore something adventurous as it is the highest point in India outside Himalayas.
Anaimudi Peak is the highest point in India outside Himalayas
Instructions for Tourists – Anaimudi is inside the Eravikulam National Park and is prohibited for tourists by Kerala Forest Department.
11. Indo Swiss Diary Farm
Indo Swiss diary farm project or Livestock project is located near Mattupetty Dam and is among the best Places to Visit in Munnar. This project was created t produce high yielding cattle and was launched in the year 1963 as part of the bilateral agreement between India and the Swiss government. The sight of the cattle grazing freely on the hills of the wide farm is a unique experience which any tourist can have ever in his life.This project is currently operated by the Kerala Livestock Development and Milk Marketing Board.
was launched in the year 1963 as part of the bilateral agreement between India and the Swiss government
Instructions for Tourists – Indo Swiss diary farm project is not open to tourists at present
12. Lock hart Gap
Lockhart Gap is situated close to Mattupetty and is an ideal place for adventure trekking and adventure activities. This tourist spot in Munnar has fresh mountain air , mist clad tea garden hills and panoramic view of valleys in Munnar.
Lockhart Gap is well known for adventure Tourism
13. Cheeyapara Waterfalls
Cheeyappara Falls are on the way to Munnar after Neriamangalam and before Adimali and flows down in seven steps making a great view from the road near the second step from bottom. Valara is another waterfall near Cheeyapara that is enclosed by dense natural jungles. Indeed, it is also a good spot to enjoy a break and have a hot tea before reaching Munnar.
Cheeyapara waterfalls flows down in seven steps making a great view from the road
14. Life of Pi Church
In the film life of Pi which was shot in Munnar, there is a full scene that captures the beauty of Munnar when the protagonist Pi visits a church in Munnar . The story in life of Pi is based on the tigers that author Yann Martel saw in Trivandrum zoo in Kerala.
A Scene from the movie Life of Pi that was shot in Munnar
15. Meesapulimala
If you are into hiking, then Meesapulimala trekking will be a good activity to do in Munnar. The trek starts from a place called silent vally and goes in between the tea gardens and forests . Get on top of Meesapulimala and if it is a cloudless day, you can see the the beauty of Munnar Tea Gardens far and wide.
Meesapulimala is one of the best mountains to trek in Munnar
How to reach Munnar
Munnar does not have a railway station or airport and ‘Aluva’ is the nearest major town with a railway station which is situated at a distance of 90 kilometers. Airports near Munnar include Kochi, Coimbatore, Madurai and Calicut. Direct buses are also available to Munnar from all major towns in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
