Pristine Tea Country!!. Review on Munnar

I initially heard about Munnar in 2000 thru friends and have visited the place twice.

Mun in local language means three andaar means river. So as the name indicates, the place is named after the fact that three rivers meet here.

Munnaris about 140 kms from Madurai by road via Theni. This road is not good in some stretches, especially when you climb up hill from Theni. The second route is from Coimbatore (160 kms). This road was closed when I last visited in dec 2003 because of a bridge construction. When operational this was a very good option. The third road is from Cochin (130 kms). This seems to be most preferred road though it may not be the best of the three.

We drove up to Munnar from Chennai via Madurai on both occasions. The road uphill after Theni is bad till you cross-over from Tamil Nadu to Kerala. Once you are uphill, then you are in Tea Heaven. It is present anywhere and everywhere. The road is quite refreshing all the way to Munnar.

The main advantage and plus point of Munnar is that it NOT yet commercialised unlike Ooty or Shimla.It is a very small town in the midst of vast tea estates.That is the speciality of this place. It was very pleasing to see such unspoilt natural surroundings. On both occasions it was quite cool and pleasant during the month of march / may. Tata tea plantations are located everywhere around Munnar. The extent of land that Tata owns in this area can be seen when you reach Top station. Even this cliff belongs to TATA tea.

TEA and spices are very cheap and of very good quality in Munnar. But DO NOT purchase from the tea counters in front of TATA tea factories. They sell pretty close to MRP rates. Go into Munnar town marketand ask the locals about a muslim shop that sells tea and spices and they will be more than helpful. Prices can be more than 20% cheaper and the quality is as good as it can get.

There are many properties in and around Munnar. Club Mahindra has a wonderful property in Munnar (actually 20 kms from Town on Madurai road). The resort, their food and the location is exceptional. So is their price. But a worthwhile option, if you want to spend. The second good property adjacent to Club Mahindra is Sterling resorts. There are also many hotels to choose various budgets around Munnar. (Tea country, Poopada, Abad to name a few).

We stayed once in Club Mahindra on a three nights package. All the rooms / cottages in the resort overlook the tea estates and have a view of the dam below. The resort has a very good restaurant with super views. The same goes to their Bar also. They offer a lot of outdoor activities.

1. Madupatty dam and lake :Around 15 kms from Munnar. Very picturesque place. Can rent high speed boats for a very interesting experience. In summer, you could have the chance to see elephants coming for a drink.

1. Dairy farm : Very close to Madupatty dam. Actually Madupatty in local language means cow shed. This farm is a Indo-Swiss project. You can take a walk around the farm. Visitors are allowed to see the calf of the huge cows. The mothers are not for public. They are supposed to give more than 30 litres of milk a day.

1. Echo Point : An actual Echo point. The mountains do Echo back your voice. Very interesting for Kids and for adults too. Close to Dairy farm.

1. Top Station :This is one of the highest peaks around. It is about 35 kms from Munnar on the road to Madupatty dam. This was the old Munnar - Kodaikanal road, which is not in use anymore beyond Top Station. When in use Kodaikanal was less than 40 Kms from Top Station via Berijam lake. This place offers a panoramic view of the mountain from the cliff edge. The road leading to this place can we very rough for the last 5 kms.

1. Rajamalai :About 15 Kms from Munnar on the Chinnar road. This is the home of the Nilgiri Thar (mountain goat)which is close to extinction. Depending on you luck, you can either see herds of Thars or none. We were lucky on one of our two trips. The road to this place is a stiff uphill drive thru a winding road in the midst of tea estates. This sanctuary is also the range with the highest peak in South India (Anaimudi), though this is not accessible to public.

1. Tea Factory :Various tea factories offer visitor entry in an around Munnar for a casual tour.

1. Anai-erangal dam :Translation in English means Elephant entry dam. This dam is visible from Mahindra / Sterling resorts. A very old British built dam (again in the midst of tea estates). Elephants supposedly use the water in this dam for their thirst quenching??

1. Kolukumalai :This place is visited only thru jeeps. Do not think of taking your own vehicle. A wonderful hill top with home grown Kolukumalai Tea. Many operators / resorts offer a half day trip to this place including a visit to a close by tea factory.

1. Chinnar wild life sanctuary :Known for its elephants. You have to be lucky to sight one. Has forest guest houses to stay. Around 70 kms from Munnar on the Coimbatore road. No organised forest entries in this sanctuary. There is one watch tower to look around. But the main road around the sanctuary itself could be a good place to sight elephants , peacock and spotted deer during early morning and late evenings.

1. Thekkady :It is 100 kms from Munnar. Takes about 3 ½ hours for the journey. The road is average. It is a good option to combine a trip to Thekkady and Munnar.