Munnar, Places to see
Munnar is a beautiful hill station in God’s own country Kerala, India. It is situated approximate 5200 ft (1600 meters) above sea level and it has one of the World’s largest tea estates. In addition to that Munnar has many protected areas where you can see endangered species like the Nilgiri Thar and the Neelakurinji. Neelkurinji is a blue color flowers and only appear once in 12 years. This year 2018 is the year when tourist can witness the wonderful green valley of Munnar to be covered as blue. From July to October 2018, it can be seen. We went in the second week of April, we saw some of the trees with the blue blossom. So guys plan for your next trip to Munnar and this post will help you to plan your trip. Here you will get the information of Munnar, Places to See, Places to stay and day wise itinerary.
If you want to visit the back water and sea of Kerala, please read my post regarding Kovalam .
Best time to visit Munnar:
Keeping the temperature into consideration, the best season to visit Munnar is March and October. From April – July temperature will 20-22 degree at night but higher (30-34 degree) at day time. However if you want to witness the waterfalls of the hill station , it’s better to visit in October- November as this time you can witness waterfalls with its highest water level.
How to reach Munnar:
By Air: The nearest airport is Cochin International Airport. Munnar is 110 Km from the airport. From Cochin you can get a cab or the state run busses to reach Munnar.
By Train: If you travelling from any nearby state like Tamilnadu, Karnataka or Andhra Pradesh, then train is one of the best option to reach Munnar, however there is no railway station in Munnar. The nearest railway stations are Aluva (110 Km), Ernakulam (130 Km), Madurai (160Km), Coimbatore (150 Km). Based on the train availability and your plan you can book the ticket.
After reaching any of the above mentioned places, you have to book a cab or take bus to reach Munnar.
Places to see/ visit in Munnar:
There are many places to see in and around Munnar. You can decide based on for how many days you are planning to stay in Munnar. Here is my suggestion & recommendation for the 1, 2 & 3 days itinenary in Munnar, Kerala. Please see here places to visit in Ooty, Tamilnadu.
1 day itinerary (must see Places) in Munnar:
- Matupetty dam
- Kundala
- Top station
- Pothambedu view point
- Lockheartgap
2 days itinerary (must see Places) in Munnar:
- Matupetty dam
- Kundala
- Top station
- Pothambedu view point
- Lockheartgap
- Tea museum
- Echo point
- Cinnakanal falls
- Powerhouse falls
- Periakanal waterfalls
3 days itinerary (must see Places) in Munnar:
- Matupetty dam
- Kundala
- Top station
- Pothambedu view point
- Lockheartgap
- Tea museum
- Echo point
- Cinnakanal falls
- Powerhouse falls
- Periakanal waterfalls
- Attukal
- Iduki dam and hill view park
- Elephant /Anairangal lake
After knowing the itinenary, here are the details of the places we have been in the Munnar, Kerala.
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Chinnar wildlife sanctuary / Annamalai tiger reserve:
We reached Coimbatore by train and from there, we took a cab to reach Munnar. Chinnar/ Annamalai wildlife sanctuary was our enroute destination. It is 108 Km from Coimbatore and situated at an altitude of 1400 meters in Western Ghat. We passed the forest and didn’t stop, so we could only see monkeys. Our driver was telling that there are elephants and various types of birds inside the forest.
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Mattupetty dam:
Mattupetty dam is situated inside the hills of Munnar and it is 15 Km away from Munnar. Here you will get wonderful reflection of tea garden covered mountain. There is also a hydro power plan which uses the water of the dam. You can do boating in the lake or just sit there to enjoy the panoramic view.
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Kundala Lake & dam:
Kundala Lake is approx. 20 km away from Munnar and on the way to top station. The picturesque lake is situated at 1500 meter above sea level. The dam was built in the year 1946 for Pallivasal hydroelectric project. Here also you can do boating and Sikara ride.
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Attukal waterfalls:
Situated between Munnar and Pallivasal, Attukal Water falls is one of the famous waterfalls in Munnar. However we did not see much water in the falls, so it is better to visit in August- October, if you want to witness the waterfalls. You can do trekking & hiking in the area.
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Top station:
Top station is located at 30Km away from Munnar and as the name suggest, it is the highest point in Munnar (1700 Meters above sea). Here you will get bird eye view of all the hill range in the area. This road also connect Kodaikanal and it lies in the border of Tamilnadu and Kerala. Most of the time the view will be covered by clouds and you would feel that you are above the clouds.
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Pothambedu view point:
Located at 6 km from Munnar, this view point is a paradise for trekkers and photographers. You can view the panoramic view of Munnar.
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Idukki dam and hill view park:
This was the place in our Munnar trip. Idukki dam is the biggest arch dam in Asia at height of 1650 Meters. This place is approx. 60 Km from Munnar, so if you are staying for at least 2 days in Munnar, you must visit this place.
The dam is open only in festivals and weekend (Saturday, Sunday). So if you can plan your trip on those days, you can walk over the dam top.
We didn’t know the fact and visited on Friday, so we couldn’t go to the dam but we saw the dam view from the Hill view park.
Hill View Park is a well maintained park and from here you will get the splendid view of the dam. The entry fee is Rs. 20/head. There are Children Park, canteen and a small lake above the hill. There is boating facility also inside the small lake. This is the place where you can relax for some time and enjoys the view.
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Lockheartgap:
This is also a view point which is 15 Km away from Munnar and here also you can witness lush green valley of tea garden and mountains.
Currently the road from Munnar to the place is on construction phase of road widening, so the road is closed between 7 am- 7pm. We went in the morning and the misty view of the place was unforgettable.
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Tea estate/ Tea museum:
There are almost 20-25 tea estates in and around Munnar. Tata (Kannan Devan), Harrison Mallayam, Madupatty, Periakanal are names of few famous tea Estates. Most of the tea factory can be visited between 9am-5pm in the weekdays and there they will explain and show you how the tea is processed from the tea leaves.
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Echo point:
Situated at approx. 600 feet above sea level, this place is a popular view point in Munnar. Echo Point is approximately 15 Km away from the Munnar and on the way to top station. The uniqueness of the place is the confluence of three mountain ranges, Mudrapuzha, Nallathanni, and Kundala and the nearby lake. You can see the shadow of the green mountain in the calm water of the lake.
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Elephant /Anairangal lake:
This is another place in Munnar where you can spend a lot of time. This place is 20 Km from Munnar and surrounded by forest, tea garden hills and a large lake- Anairangal/ Elephant lake. We heard that elephant used to come here often from the nearby forest to take bath and drink water, hence the name. Unfortunately we didn’t see any elephant here, but we couldn’t resist ourselves from boating in the beautiful lakes.
The entry fee of the park is Rs. 50/head and Rs. 500/ Camera. For boating there are 3-4 options- speed Boat, slow boat, kayak (self-drive) and the coracle ride. We decided to take the coracle ride as it is unique in Kerala and some place of Tamilnadu.
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Powerhouse falls, Cinnakanal falls and Periakanal waterfalls:
All these 3 waterfalls are nearby and approx. 16-20 Km away from Munnar.The time we went (April), these were almost dried.
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Eravikulam National Park:
This is also one of the most sought after destination in Munnar where you can see the endangered species of Nilgiri Thar and the Neelakurinji covered mountain. We couldn’t visit the place as it was closed that time.
During March- April the park is closed, as it is the mating season for the species. From May- July it is the best season to see the Nilgiri Thar. However In the rainy season (August-October) again it will be difficult to locate the animals and the road also will be muddy and unapproachable.
Have you visited Munnar already, then share your experience by comment below. If you have any quarry, you can drop a message below. If want to visit Kovalam & Varkala beach to witness the awesome beaches of kerala ,please read my post here .
If you are travelling to Kerala for 15-20 days and confuse about places to visit in Kerala and things to do, please read Best places to visit and 16 best things to do in Kerala in Greta’s Travels.
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