Nestled among tea gardens & clouds – Munnar

One of the highlights of my recent trip to Kerala was a visit to Munnar . Munnar  is a hill station in Kerala and in southern India. Munnar is located on the Western Ghats, situated in the Idukki district.

The name Munnar is believed to be derived from Malayalam words Munu (three) and aaru (river), referring to the town’s strategic location at the confluence of the Madhurapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundaly rivers.

Some of the attractions at Munnar are: Mattupetty Lake and Dam, Rajamala, Echo Point, Eravikulam National park & Anamudi Peak, Top station, Spice garden and flower gardens

The weather is cool and it will be wise to carry winter clothing on this trip.

The ride up to Munnar offers sights of lush green tree cultivation, women working in the tea gardens, fruit-sellers ,monkeys and varities of eucalyptus trees.  We stayed at the Abad Copper Castle resort which offered a scenic birds-eye view of Munnar.  The service and food was was good.

The best part of the landscape were the clouds that you can see at Top point.  The  clouds float down from the mountain tops covering everything and appear to come to meet you.  This sight is unique and breathtakingly beautiful.

Another wonderful sight are the stretches of tea garden cultivation bordered by eucalyptus trees.

The route is lined with shops selling varities of tea like ginger, masala, kannan devan tea, corn, fruits like pineapples, oranges, passionfruits, oranges and pomegranates.

Mattupetty lake offers 30 minute pedal boat rides and row boat rides.

We also enjoyed a horse ride near the lake. The horses have names like Shah Rukh khan, Sunfire, Don Samsa & Anushka Sharma

At the Eravikulam national park you can see the endangered Nilgiri Thar.

For the two days of our stay there, I was transported to another world.  I will always cherish the memories of the cool weather, scenic landscapes of tea gardens, clouds and eucalyptus trees.