Kerala is called God’s own country for a reason. It has a wonderful mix of awesome food, ancient culture, rich history, wonderful beaches, scenic backwaters, and the rolling hills of the Western Ghats. The Western Ghats are magical; they are among the oldest and most diverse mountain ranges in India. Considered as one of the best honeymoon destinations in India, Munnar is strategically located in the middle of the Western Ghats, at the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. If you are planning to visit Munnar, here are the things that you need to know.

Natural Beauty

Munnar used to be in the Royal state of Travancore, and it was a rich and rolling forest teeming with all kinds of wildlife including tigers, elephants, gaur, and local specialties like the Nilgiri Tahr. Gradually, it became the summer resort of the British government in South India.

What to do?

As soon as you reach the Munnar town, you will lose yourself in the beauty of this exotic destination. You will be inspired to drive aimlessly in all directions. You will be soothed by the sea of greeneries all around. No matter whether you like four wheelers, two wheelers, mountain biking, or trekking – Munnar has something for everyone.

Where to go?

Go to high places like the Top Station for the views, or to the Matupetty Dam for river and water body views.

Tea Gardens

The whole history of tea growing in India is a fascinating story of economics, politics, and industrial espionage. In the 16th to the 17th century, the western explorers discovered China and introduced tea to the world. The West was entranced by tea and couldn’t get enough of it – but this led to a huge trade imbalance because the Chinese Empire only wanted to sell tea and not buy anything. This resulted in a huge drain of the world’s silver to China, and the western countries were almost going bankrupt. They took a war against China to make them open their markets.

tea-estates

In the meanwhile, some ingenious traders managed to smuggle out tea bushes only to understand that they need mountainous and rainy places to grow. They identified such places in India and Sri Lanka and started growing tea there, and the rest is history. Just think of the determination and hard work of the first planters, who had to uproot entire forests and plant the tea bushes all over the mountains.

What to do?

You can enjoy the drives and incredible views in the tea country. You can also visit the various tea plantations, estates, and museums. Make sure you purchase the authentic Kerala tea for your family and friends. The roads inside the tea gardens are really grim so you can enjoy some hair-raising off-road driving adventures while you are visiting these gardens.

Where to go?

Visit the interesting tea gardens like the Kolukkumalai Tea Estate and the Tata Tea Museum. The Kannan Devan tea museum is the best place to be visited to understand the history of tea.

Wildlife and Mountains

If you love wildlife, Munnar offers many wildlife sanctuaries to lose yourself in the jungles. The Western Ghats is a UNESCO world heritage site with an amazing biological diversity. New species are being discovered here even now.

wildlife

What to do?

If you visit the wildlife sanctuaries here, you can also spot the rare Nilgiri Tahr. Munnar is the only place in the world where they are found. The active and adventurous people can try the trek to Anamudi Peak inside the national park. You will have to take special permission from the forest department for this. You can also check out the beauty of the Neelakurunji flowers, which bloom once in 12 years.

Where to go?

Although the process of uprooting the forests and replacing them with tea caused enormous pressures on the original biodiversity, you can still see fragments of the original forest in the Rajamalai and Eravikulam national park.

Water bodies

The name ‘Munnar’ is supposed to come from the local word for ‘three rivers’ – Mudrapuzha, Nalthanni and Kundala.

What to do?

You can enjoy the beauty of water bodies and the fantastic views of these rivers in Munnar. What’s more, you can also take joyrides on the lake.

Where to go?

To enjoy the beauty of these water bodies, you can visit the site of the Matupetty Dam. Apart from the dam, you can also check out the beautiful site of Pallivasal – the place of the first hydro-electric project in Kerala and also the waterfalls at Chinnakanal and Anairangal.

Are you inspired already to pack your bags and travel to Munnar? Book your stay with Sterling Holidays’ Terrace Greens Resort.