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Location :135 kms NE of Kochi in the State of Kerala
Altitude :1600 mtrs.in the Western Ghats
Nearest airport :Cochin International Airport (120 kms/4 hours)
Nearest Railhead :Ernakulam (130 kms/41/2 hours)
Best season :September to May.Light woollens may be handy . |
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Munnar literally means three rivers, a reference to the three streams around which the town grew. This mist clad hill town ,steeped in history. was once the summer resort of the erstwhile British government in South India. Here, more than 12000 hectares of lush, manicured tea fields form an beautiful canvas . Among the exotic flora found in these forests and grasslands there is the |
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Neelakurinji. This flower which bathes the hills in blue every twelve years, last bloomed in 2006. Munnar also has the highest peak in South India, Anamudi, which towers over 2695m. |
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Things to do/Places to visit |
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Make a trip to the Eravikulam National Park - 15 km from Munnar and home to the largest population of the endangered Nilgiri Tahr (wild goats). This 97 sq. Km park , a former hunting preserve of the British planters today exemplifies wildlife conservation at its best. The incredibly agile Nilgiri Tahr is today the pride of Munnar and its mascot. The Anamudi peak (2695 m ) is located |
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in the southern region of the park.
(Timings : 7am to 5pm) |
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Visit the Tea Museum. Run by Tata Tea, the museum traces the evolution of the tea industry in Munnar from the 1880s. At the adjacent tea processing unit, one can witness the various stages of tea manufacture and the intricacies of tea tasting. An aromatic experience.
(Timings : 10am to 4pm ) Mondays closed. |
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Cruise on the vast reservoir of the 160 ft high Madupety dam or the Kundale Dam which is a 70 ft high arch dam (13 kms from Munnar) on the way to Top Slip. If you are lucky, you may sight elephant, gaur or sambar while boating . Top Slip perched precariously on a precipitous ridge has an interesting site-the ruins of the old ropeway station that linked the foothills to the tea estates, |
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transporting tea chests out and provisions in. |
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Jeep up the dizzying heights of Kollukkamalay (38 kms), the highest tea garden in the whole of India(7900 ft) located in precipitous terrain. Besides producing some of the most flavoursome teas in the South ,it offers some awesome views of Tamil Nadu plains.
Attend a service at the Church of South India , built in 1899. A repository of Munnar’s colonial past, the church and the adjoining cemetery with its tombstones are very interesting.(10am to 5pm.Service at 8am)
Browse through the scrupulously preserved leather bound, handwritten ledgers dating back to the early 1900s at the Munnar Supply Association, a department store founded by the early planters.
Go trout fishing at the two prime fishing sites-Gravel Banks and Devikulam Lake. Live bait is taboo and prior permission is required.
Tee off at the lush nine hole golf course at High range Club ,with its colonial ambience and old world charm set amidst sylvan surroundings. Prior permission required.
Take on the challenge of climbing the Aanamudi peak,8841 ft high
Go trekking into the Chinnar Wildlife sanctuary,60 kms from Munnar
Go paragliding across the lush green hills or cycling on the mountain paths
Learn more about the fragrance in your toiletries. Visit Marayoor,40kms from Munnar,and see the largest natural sandal plantation in Kerala.With prior permission you can also visit the sandalwood factory.
Shopping
Fresh and best quality tea –Tata Tea sales Outlet
Strawberry Preserve – Shrishti Welfare Centre
Handmade greeting cards – Shristi Welfare Centre
(Proceeds from this centre go to the rehabilitation of physically and mentally challenged children of the plantation workers)
Spices |
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