About Munnar – Hill Station in Kerala
If ever in your lifetime, you wish to see unadulterated natural beauty at its peak, then a visit to Munnar would be a worth making decision. It has lakes, mountains, tea plantations, rarely found flora and fauna with parks to soothe you from the noisy, speedy and chaos of city life. It is located at the meeting point of 3 mountain rivulets named Mudrapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundala. In the Idukki district of the Kerala, on 5200 fts above sea level makes Munnar not only a hill station but a place of adventures as well. Blossoming once in 12 years, the flower Nilakurinji is also found here. With the height of 8838 fts, Anamudi, being the highest in South India is ideal for trekking. History says that once it was the summer resort of the former British Government Officials in South India. Munnar was later developed for nurturing tea plants.
Though the early history of Munnar is yet unknown today. But it is said that the early residents of the region are fellows of the Muthuvan tribal community. Still, it persisted a desolate and uncharted landscape till the second half of 19thcentury when determined planters from insofar as Europe begun plantations here. In 1924, the plantations of Munnar underwent an obstruction in the form a devastating monsoon. Weighty landslides and swamping at several places caused heavy loss of possessions and life. However it was difficult but the natives succeeded in coming back to usual life in a couple of months. Far-reaching replantation was done in numerous parklands. Today Tata Tea Ltd. plays a major role in tea business of Munnar. Besides tea, Munnar is famous for spices like cardamom, cinnamon, clove, coffee, ginger, nutmeg and pepper etc. Your tour to Munnar calls to be incomplete if you don’t visit waterfalls like waterfalls like Attukal, Cheeyapara, Chinnakkal, Kuthumkal, Lakkam, Nyayamakad, ThoovanamandValara.
Munnar is one of the most picturesque locations of the state with some great holiday facilities and is located at the confluence of the Rivers Nallathanni, Mudhirapuzha, and Kundaly. The tea plantations, exotic flora and fauna, stunning hills, forests and great trekking spots like Anamudi mountain peak, make Munnar a perfect honeymoon as well as family holiday destination.
Activities To Do in Munnar
Munnar has a host of things that can be enjoyed no matter whether you are on a family picnic or a honeymoon. Many people enjoy sightseeing in these beautiful hills. Animal sighting at Eravikulum national park is popular with tourists and many people also go trekking in to the Anamudi peak. The locations here are extremely serene and honeymooners can also enjoy the tea plantations, resort stay amidst the scenic villages and the dense forests of the nearby regions can also be enjoyed.
Other Activities:
- Jeep Safari to Kollukkumallay
- Elephant Safari and Plantation Tour
- Speed boating in Mattupetty Dam
- Paragliding
- Trekking and Camping
- Rock Climbing and Rappelling
- River Crossing
Facilities in Munnar:
Food and Beverages:
Munnar have many resorts, restaurants, coffee/tea shops, snacks courts, wine and bear parlor etc are available. While on a trip to Munnar, one must try the local Kairali cuisines. Both vegetarian and non vegetarian food is easily available.
Public Facilities:
Most public facilities including public toilets, security, police stations and public transportation is readily available in Munnar.
Munnar is a popular hill station of Kerala and choosing a hotel is very important for a memorable stay. Most of the people first checks the review and later selects a hotel. But never mind to check the location. If a hotel is having a top review, it means that the hotel / service / rooms / cleanliness are good. Most of the reviews do not mention about the surroundings / scenic beautify etc.
Srees Tours & team travelled extensively to Munnar and nearby places and has wide knowledge of hotels located in and around Munnar. We select the hotels for our clients carefully and according to the client choice. The below article is dedicated to those guests who have given the right feedback to us which made us in this field perfect.
Why we write this article?
As we all know that Munnar is the best destination and especially best hill station in Kerala. The main attraction of Munnar is the cool climate round the year except Apr and May. Hills and valleys, green grasslands, mesmerizing tea plantations view, mist and fog, waterfalls and it goes on – which is not enough to express in words. To enjoy all these during a short trip to Munnar, an idle hotel of choice is required. Selecting a hotel in Munnar is very important for the guests who want to enjoy nature and surroundings. Suppose a client want to stay in resort which is close to tea plantations, but his agent booked or he himself booked through online travel portal a hotel which is in the city or not nearby, then the entire trip is spoiled due to wrong selection and location of a hotel.
Before coming to the subject of “Where to Stay”, we need to understand Munnar, its climate, surrounding places and where the resorts /hotels located and what is the advantage of each place.
Munnar is an ecological sensitive area and Govt has imposed ban on constructions on certain locations. This includes all type of construction in tea and cardamom plantations. Since last 5yrs, construction is restricted in selected parts of Munnar, new hotels are now concentrating in down town villages where locals stay.
Below are the places in Munnar where one can find accommodation or holiday rentals.
- Munnar City
- Devikulam
- Chinnakanal
- Pothenmedu
- Pallivasal
- Chithirapuram
- Anachal
- Baison Valley
- Kunjithanni
- Mangkulam
- Chengulam
Before selecting and booking a resort or hotel, the guest needs to know his own interest and priorities during their holiday to Munnar. Based on the feedback from our previous clients, we have prepared below questionnaire. Ask these questions yourself and answer is given before each question.
Questions |
Answers |
I am on a budget tour and would like to have lunch and dinner in restaurants outside hotels |
Choose a hotel in Munnar city. |
I want to come and relax, need a good resort irrespective of where its location |
Choose any resorts. |
I want to see most of the sightseeing places and don’t want to miss anything. |
Choose a city hotel. |
I need a resort located middle of tea plantation or have tea plantation view from the room |
The entire Munnar have tea plantations. But there are only limited hotels or resorts located close to Tea plantation or have view available from resort.
Most of the resorts located close to tea plantation. But even some of the good hotels do not have tea plantation view. Please check with the hotel.
|
I want to stay calm and quite area with good greenery and nature. |
Couple of good resorts at Pothenmedu – Lachmi Estate and Chinnakanal are good. |
I want to stay in a resort located inside the forest |
Some of the resorts at Lachmi estate and pothenmedu offer this facility. |
I want to experience Munnar Climate |
Pothenmedu, Pallivasal, Chinnakanal, Lachmi Estate, Pulippara, |
I want to experience Munnar greenery and good view |
Resorts located at Pothenmedu, Pallivasal, Chinnakanal etc |
How to Decide where to stay in Munnar.
Below are the main deciding factors to choose best location of a resort in Munnar.
- Cool climate.
- Resorts located in and around tea plantations.
- Resorts located inside the forest.
- Resorts have best view available or top of hill.
- City Hotels.
Experience Munnar Climate
Main attraction of Munnar is cool climate, greenery, tea plantation and fog. Though the entire Munnar have cool climate and fog during Oct to Mar, it’s not always same on the down town areas, especially places like Anachal, Chithirapuram, Kunjithanni, Mankulam, Adimali, Merikulam, Baisonvalley etc. To find out real climate in different parts of Munnar, we need to know Mean Sea Level of each place. Munnar is located 1480 meters from sea level. When MSL is taken in to consideration, 1480 is based on Munnar city. It’s a known fact that when MSL increases, the weather becomes cooler, foggy etc.
Location Name |
MSL |
Distance from city |
Munnar city |
4818ft |
0 |
Pulippara in Lachmi Estate |
5640ft |
12kms by road from city |
Devikulam |
5214ft |
7kms |
Pothenmedu |
5280ft |
4kms |
Pallivasal |
4680ft |
7kms |
Chinnakanal |
4620ft |
23kms |
Chithirapuram |
4290ft |
12kms |
Merikulam (Eety City) |
3960 |
16kms |
Chenkulam Dam area |
3630ft |
18kms |
Anachal |
3630ft |
15kms |
Kunjithanni |
3310ft |
23kms |
Baison Valley |
3310ft |
30kms |
Rajakkad |
3310ft |
37kms |
In case a tourist wants to have cool climate, he can decide his stay in such a resort or hotel which is located at a proper place.
Resorts Located in and Around Tea Plantations:
One of the main attractions of Munnar is its greenery and tea plantations. Though the entire Munnar have tea plantations, only limited options are available for tourists who looks for a resort have tea plantation view or located inside the tea plantations.
Resorts Located Inside the Forest:
Munnar is located in Western Ghats and some parts of Munnar have covered green and thick shola forest. Though the entire Munnar is covered tea & cardamom plantation, only Lachmi estate and Pothenmedu have thick evergreen forests where one can find resort accommodation. It will be different experience for those who are coming from metro cities or those who want calm and quite atmosphere during their Holiday. The main attraction of staying in a forest resort is one can hear cicada and crickets chirping, see owls and fire flies in the night.
Most of these types of resorts are located little far away from Munnar city. Though Pothenmedu is just 4kms, Lachmi estate is approx 12kms. It is always not advisable to travel after sun set on Lachmi estate road as most of the time wild elephants are spotted on the road.
Resorts Have the Best View Available or Located Top of a Hill.
Munnar is very famous for hills and valley and have fascinating view of mountain and valley available from some of the resorts. But all the resorts or hotels do not have this facility available. Resorts or hotels located on a proper hill side or top of a hill have good views.
Some of the best view available places are Pothenmedu hill side, Pallivasal, Pulippara and Chinnakanal. If you want to stay in a resort which has good views, please have a look of below links.
- Resorts located on a top of a hill.
- Resorts located at Pallivasal which have good view available from the resort.
- Resorts located at Chinnakanal which have good view available.
City Hotels.
Munnar city is located on an altitude of 4818ft. Max radius of city is almost a km and most of the hotels are located on the road side. City hotels are most idle for those looking for a budget stay along with cheap restaurants. Most of the sightseeing places are located in different parts of the city and one need to come to city first to proceed for sightseeing. Summarily Munnar city is a centre point from where one needs to proceed. All the restaurants, spice shops and shopping places are in the city. All hotels are multi story buildings and hardly any resorts available except Tea County. Though it is comfortable for a budget stay the tourist may face problems like noise, horn and air pollution by vehicles and of course traffic jams during holiday seasons. We do not recommend city hotels for those looking for greenery and pollution free atmosphere to enjoy a holiday trip.
Nice Tourist place in kerala