Hey everyone, it's almost summer time in India and many places around the world. Most of you want to spend a summer vacation with your loved ones somewhere where the weather it not too hot. Many tourists head to the mountains in North India. But not many are aware that South India too has some beautiful places where the weather is nice and cool.
Kerala, a state in South India is known as God's own country because of its beautifully breath taking landscape. Anyone who has been to Kerala would agree with me. It is a perfect getaway whether you want to just relax with family or friends or go on a honeymoon. It's known for the beautiful backwaters, nature, wildlife, festivals, spices, Ayurveda massages and of course the yummy food.
Munnar is a beautiful hill station which is situated in the state of Kerala. We visited the mystical hill station a few years back. It is an ideal place for families, honeymooners who want a place to relax among nature. It is known for tea plantations, waterfalls, wildlife and greenery.
It was a road trip of sorts where we visited three places – Munnar, Thekaddy and Alleppey. In this post I will be talking about our experience in Munnar. We took a flight from Mumbai to Kochi or Cochin which is the capital city of Kerala. From there we travelled by road to Munnar which takes approximately 3.5 hours by car.
The view of the tea plantations and greenery is mesmerizing. The weather was nice and cool, which was a relief from the Mumbai heat. The food is really yummy. You get dosas all over India, but if you want authentic South Indian food then Kerala is the place. We stopped for breakfast on our way and sampled some yummy uttapa, dosas and chai (tea).
Our hotel had a nice view of the hills and tea plantations and we were lucky to view of mist on several occasions. I had only seen mist up close on our visit to Ooty.
Below is a review of few places we visited in Munnar.
The dam was built for the purpose of water conservation and hydroelectricity. The view from the dam is really picturesque. It is also a famous picnic spot.There are also shops selling souvenirs and restaurants for food.
The lake is a little further up the road from the dam.The lake has an echo point.It also has a beautiful view of trees and mist.There are activities like boating and horse riding.
The Munnar Tea Museum is an industry and history museum situated in Munnar. It's official name is Tata Tea Museum, but it's also known as Kannan Devan Tea Museum.
Here we got to see the various stages of the tea processing and the different types of tea like green tea,black tea etc.We also got to sample some tea or chai and buy some to take home.This place was heaven for tea-addicts like us.We also clicked pics among the tea plantations.A section of the museum also houses classic bungalow furniture and office equipment of the Colonial area in Kerala.
We wish we could have visited more places in Munnar, but since we had to cover more places on our trip, our itinerary was short.There also many national parks and waterfalls that you can visit, if you have more days to spend here.
Thank you for reading. If you haven't been to Munnar then you should definitely visit soon. We headed to Thekaddy next, which I will cover in our next post.
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That's a very simple and enjoyable way to experience a destination! I love eating the banana chips, i loved the weather and I love the landscape in Munnar! Overall, I have been to Alleppey and Kochi but not to Munnar but I know I have to be there!
I did this exact trip almost 8 years back. And I am so happy to see Munnar has not lost it's charm a bit in all these years. The spots that I remember from then still look the same from your trip. Isn't it one of the most beautiful hill stations of South India? I went there in November and had totally fell in love with the place.
I think among the Munnar attractions, I would absolutely appreciate the tea museums. There are a lot of stories to tell with tea, and it's great also to slow down and enjoy a cup or two with friends. I also low this "mystical hill". It reminds me of the lesser known parts of the earth that remain beautiful as time goes by.
Tea plantations! Wow! I have always wanted to visit one, it started when I saw a Korean drama set in a tea plantation. I mean they look so beautiful, just like the one in Munnar. It looks so unique, never seen anything like it. We don't have a tea plantation in the Philippines I believe, so I'm definitely going to visit Munnar if ever I get to Kerala. I'm a coffee person, not really a fan of tea, but for this view, I would make an exception.
Wow! Kerala looks so serene, I hope I can go there too someday- I will eat so much dosa and kothu paratha! The Kerala Blog Express invites travel bloggers all over the world every year I think, but I never really tried to join.
Love the greens ! Reminds me of Cameron Highlands back home in Malaysia !
Great post! My husband and I went to Munnar a couple of weeks ago to catch a glimpse of the Neelakurinji flowers at Eravikulam National Park and were lucky enough to find them at the end of their blooming season. The team museum must have been an interesting visit. We too visited an active tea factory/museum called the Lockhart Tea Museum.
I was suppose to go to Kerela two years ago, and it didn't work out. It's such a beautiful part of India. I hope I get the chance to go soon.
These photos made me so hungry! All of these tasty treats and chai in the midst of this gorgeous, verdant landscape looks like an absolute dream. I love the idea of visiting a tea museum in Kerala… especially after I've filled up on dosa with sambar and chutney!
What a lovely place! The rolling hills enveloped with fog look so inviting. I would love to visit this area some day and especially to visit the tea museum. Thanks for sharing.
Love Kerala, have been to Kannur but yet to visit Munnar. This is such a wonderful post! All that mist and greens are so soothing to the senses. And dosas, yummmm! The tea museum sounds like a great find, so much to learn about the modest cup of chai that helps to keep more than half of India awake and running the whole day.
We love a good cup of tea. It is very enlightening to learn how the products we consume everyday make their way to your supermarket shelves. We would happily sit back with a cuppa tea and a pack of banana chips. It all sounds delicious.
Munnar looks so beautiful! My family and I are wanting to visit Kerala the next time we go to India, so we'll have to make note of this place. I think it would be fun to learn about tea at the tea museum. And of course, all that food looks amazing.
Now wonder they call this God's own country! I'm a huge tea gal so you had me at tea plantations. The food looks amazing too and I would absolutely love to make it out here someday!