Holidays In Munnar,kerala,india
Four hours driving time away from the steamy, tropical palm fringed coastal Cochin
and its seashores lies the verdant, picturesque hill station of Munnar. Tucked into the Western Ghats, surrounded by tea and spice plantations, soaked in atmosphere, Munnar is heart-stopping beautiful hill resort. Hidden away in the midst of thick vegetation and lush rainforest, Munnar was the secret holiday getaway to the hills, of only a few who were familiar with its many charms. But modern day Munnar has become highly visible on the tourist map as Kerala sells its much faceted self to domestic and foreign visitors. A misty, lush green hill station 1600m ASL in the Annamalai range of Kerala, Munnar is fast making a transition from a tea, coffee and spice plantation centre to a prime holiday resort and wildlife reserve. This hill resort retains its colonial British character with neat bungalows, cottage gardens filled with flowers and the smell of fresh spices, tea and roasting coffee beans that hangs heavy in the air. The surrounding hill slopes are covered with orderly rows of tea bushes, the plantations amongst the highest in the world stretch for miles only interrupted by pockets of forests teeming with local fauna and flora. Amongst the unusual flowers that grow here is the Neelakurinji that blooms once every twelve years and bathes the entire area in a beautiful blue colour. The Neelakurinji is next due to flower in 2018!Shopping
Munnar''s greatest buy is, of course, tea. Tea is in fact, probably one of the few things that are really worth buying from Munnar. In Munnar you can also buy luscious strawberries and locally produces spices but nearly all other so-called souvenir items, such as coir or metal ware, are from another part of Kerala.
Events
The most popular festival in Munnar is the Nehru Trophy Boat race . It''s a much anticipated festival held in the month of August. The race begins with a colourful procession of decorated boats and floats with people performing on them. The audience enjoys the race from pavilions set up
on the banks as well as in the middle of the lake. Onam is another festival celebrated with gusto in Munnar. This festival is ten days of singing, dancing, and feasting with religious ceremonies. If you''re not squeamish, go watch the snake boat races held at several places on the palm-fringed lagoons.
Night Out
In the Munnar market locals set up food stalls in the mornings and at night. Its street food and its quite delicious. The restaurants at the bazaar serve a variety of food, south Indian cuisine as well as aromatic chicken biryani (flavoured rice). There are a couple of clubs that still retain
a colonial aura. Theres some great pool and snooker to be played, and the bars are quiet and laidback but you can enjoy all this only if a member recommends you.
Activities
There''s plenty to do in Munnar besides sight seeing. There''s something here for everyone. Take a trek up the hills and walk about the vast tea estates. Some resorts offer exciting adventure sports like paragliding and tandem jumping, rock climbing and rappelling to their guests. For those interested
in angling you will need to get permission from the High Range Angling Association.
Sights
The old Christ Church in the town centre is small, cosy and charming with wonderful stained glass panels. It was consecrated in 1910 and the original wooden pews are now a rich grainy brown. In 1981 the medium of instruction changed from English to the vernacular. Sunday service now is
in Tamil and Malayalam. Mount Carmel is the oldest Roman Catholic Church in the region. First set up in 1898, the present church dates back to 1938. The tea gardens are the last bastion of the Raj. Several still preserve customs like chhota hazari-an early morning cuppa hot chocolate before a round of work. Most managers would be happy to let you take a stroll among the bushes. Dr. Salim Ali, the famous ornithologist, established the Thattekad Bird Sanctuary in 1983. It has a resident population of Malabar grey hornbills, woodpeckers, and rare species like the rose-billed roller, and the Sri Lankan frogmouth. Visit early in the mornings, as the day comes alive so do the birdsongs. The colder months from October to March are the best time to be at the park. The highest peak of the ranges is Anamudi (2695 meters). It can be sighted from many places in Munnar. This is protected forest area and off bounds for everyone except those involved in serious research. At a height of 1700 meters, Mattupetty Lake (13 km) and dam is surrounded by tall hills and forest. You can hire a boat, and walk down to the nearby dairy and cattle farm. Top Station (41 km, 2200 meters) has some of the highest tea plantations in India. At the edge of the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, you can look over across at the hills ebbing into plains in the other state. Come here for breathtaking views of rolling hills awash with greenery, and crisp air. Eravikulam Park (16 km) is where you can find the endangered Nilgiri Tahr (ibex). Docile and friendly, it is hard to imagine that this is a rare animal when you see the numbers in this area. The Elephant Lake is great for trout fishing so anglers must take the bait and visit!
How to get there by Air
The nearest airport is at Kochi (Cochin) at a distance of 4 hours by road. It receives traffic from all the major Indian cities and from the Gulf.
How to get there by Rail
The nearest railway station is also at Kochi, or rather at Ernakulum. The Ernakulum Junction is a major junction in the south; it gets trains from all over the country including frequent ones from Delhi, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai, Mangalore and Bangalore.
How to get there by Bus
The best way to get to Munnars fabulous tea bushes is by road from Kochi. However, the monsoons that do great things for the tea are not half as kind to the roads and the 4 hour journey up by bus may become a prolonged pain in the...back! Take a cab from Kochi, Kottayam (5 hours), Madurai (6 hours),
Coimbatore (6 hours too), or Thiruvananthapuram (9 hours). Both rattling state transport and sleeker privately run buses also service these routes.
Best time to Visit
The summers are ideally cool, a lovely retreat from the sweaty hot plains heaving under the suns assault. The months of September-October when the rains have ceased are the best. It really is a cool, invigorating, beautiful season. Avoid the monsoon season between June and August, because when
it rains here it really pours and the winters get pretty cold in Munnar owing to its height (1600 meters).
Hotels in Munnar
There are plenty of hotels in Munnar for every kind of traveller. In the top end category are the Club Mahindra Lake View Resort and the Tea County Hill Resort, a KTDC property. In the mid range Sterling Holiday Resort and Oak Fields are great options. For a slightly more pocket friendly accommodation
budget travellers can check out The Siena Village and The Residency Hotel.
Nearby Places
Marayoor with its valuable sandalwood forests and some archaeological sites is just a short distance from Munnar, approximately 40 kms away. On the way to the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary the sandalwood forest is thick and the sweet musky fragrance. Excavations in the area have yielded relics
dating back to the later Stone Age. Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is a tiny reserve a little beyond Marayoor and is approximately 60 km from Munnar. Wild elephants and tigers are supposed to be endemic to the reserve but are so hard to spot that it is difficult to believe their existence here. No matter the lack of wildlife, the place is perfect for a picnic in the midst of green forests - an ideal way to spend a family vacation.
Special Permits
For those wanting to try their hand at angling you will need to get prior permission from the High Range Angling Association.
For more information for this Destination please check india Travel Guide
budget hotels in Hyderabad
by: Raman Mankotia Keep Festival Values Alive - Send Rakhi To India Miele Vacuum Comparison Lets Make A Miele Comparison In The Lower Price Range Top Philadelphia Tourist Attractions Top Ohio Tourist Attractions Top San Diego Tourist Attractions Top Washington Dc Tourist Attractions Holidays Place Pune,maharashtra,india Tour To Tawang,arunachal Pradesh,india Check Out The Great Choice Of Convertibles In London. Now Is The Best Time To Learn French Top Oregon Tourist Attractions St Louis - The French Connection In America