Munnar

Some of these sites are more popular for Indian tourists than Western tourists.

• Boating, There are several places to go out for boating in Munnar. One can choose among paddle boats and speed boats to Kashmiri-Shikara. Young couples who travel to Munnar should not miss out on the beautiful 'Kashmiri-Shikara' boat ride. It is one of the most romantic experiences.
• • Bicycle — Experience the natural beauty of Munnar by riding a bicycle through beautiful paths of Munnar and pass through a tea state called Madupatty, around 14 km from Munnar.
• The Christ Church, in Old Munnar. The exteriors have worn out with time though the charming interiors still have a very nice ambiance. It was consecrated way back in 1910 and still has 14 original rows of pews. The first Catholic Church in the High Ranges was Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church.
• • Elephant Arrival Spot — Here you can board an elephant for a ride. — Directions: 18 km from Munnar — Price: It costs approximately ₹350 per person
• The High Range Club has a charming colonial style. The club house is built of wicker and teak and is the social hub for the tea planters of the region. Members enjoy lounging in the bar over Planter's Punch followed by a good meal, a game of billiards or reading a book in the library.
• • Munnar Carmelagiri Elephant Park — The elephant safari takes you through the misty forests, deep valleys and the rugged hill paths of the Munnar forests. One hour package, half day and one day tours. Features are, elephant bath, elephant shower, elephant feeding, timber dragging demonstrations and displays of elephant commands and communication. — Address: Mattupetty Rd — Directions: On the way to Mattupetty Dam — Phone: +91 94 4782 7696, +91 94 4737 9376
• Munnar Supply Association (MSA), Set up in 1900, this is another nostalgic landmark worth visiting in Munnar. It is the oldest department store in the area and has been re-inventing itself to stay relevant and popular. The store was run by tea planters, who still manage its affairs. The MSA is a red brick, red tiled building with gables, buttresses and a porch and is now a heritage site.
• Rock Climbing and Rappelling, Munnar has a steep rock face about 30 m (100 ft).
• Walk in the Clouds, Trek to your heart's content while the clouds slowly descend upon you.
• • Yoga @Kaivalyam Retreat — Holistic health retreat in midst of the tea valleys of Munnar. Open year round, they teach a holistic lifestyle with traditional form of yoga and organic dining. — Address: Moolakada, Pallivasal — Directions: 7 km from Munnar towards Cochin — Website: http://www.kaivalyamretreat.com/
• • Trekking in Mannavanchola Forest — Organized by Forest Checkpost at Perumala, two kilometers from Kanthalloor town (56 km from Munnar via Marayur). This forest is 7.5 sq. km. in area and protects many tigers, leopards, elephants and bison. — Price: Fee ₹.300 for Indians and ₹.650 for foreigners — Phone: +91 4865 233 323

Kerala is famous for Fish Curry. For snacks, one should try local spicy cashew nut, chilly bhaji with hot tea as they are a traditional snack and makes good combination in cold weather.

• Bamboo Hut, G.H. Road. Wide range of food for reasonable prices, although service can be a bit slow. Also, the place usually has Western music (from Bob Dylan to electronic chill-out sound).
• • Food Court — Munnarinn. Closed as of March 2012. — Website: http://www.munnarinn.com
• Non-veg food, Eating non-vegetarian food in Kerala is perceived as a pain due to cooking in coconut oil etc. But this is not the case in Munnar's ""Guru's Restaurant"" which cooks delicious tandoori chicken and all things North Indian. Recommended for all those who miss their north-Indian cuisine and cannot put up with idlyappam and all those items.
• Saravana Bhavan, Right at the heart of town and one of the most inexpensive places to eat. The service here is quick and the food is absolutely delicious. You might have to share your table with others. This place provides South Indian dishes, served on a banana leaf.
• • Silverspoon Restaurant — This place does a great value buffet breakfast of cornflakes, toast, omelet plus Indian breakfast food for ₹95. — Address: Munnarinn, Main Bazaar — Directions: Right beside the bus station — Hours: Breakfast until 11AM

Munnar has some amazing street food (try the Gobi noodles), so if you are after a cheap and delicious meal check the area around the bus stand in Munnar (not the KSRTC bus stand in Old Munnar).

• • CampNoel — Multi cuisine restaurant at 2075 m (6,800 ft) above sea level and possibly the highest altitude restaurant in Kerala. If coming from Top station, turn right at 19 mile. Road is bad so make sure you have a suitably robust vehicle or inform them and they will pick you up. The journey is worth it. Please inform them early if you are going there for only for food. — Address: Pazhathottam — Directions: 15 km from Top Station — Hours: 7AM-10PM — Phone: +91 48 6521 4095 — Website: http://www.campnoel.com
• • Sri velavan stores — All provisions available at reasonable prices. — Address: G.H.road — Phone: +91 48 6523 2379
• • Patel Gujarati Restaurant — Gujarati and Marwari meals. — Directions: Near Post Office — Price: Under ₹100
• • Purohit Restaurant — Bombay, Jain, Gujarati, Rajasthani, Punjabi and South Indian food. Good Gujarati, unlimited Thali at ₹85. — Address: Inside Hotel Dhanyasree, Dhanyasree Jn. Chilling Plant Rd — Directions: Nr Tea County Resorts — Hours: 6AM-10:30PM — Price: Budget — Phone: +91 48 6523 2552, +91 48 6523 2553, +91 99 4623 9251
• • Mahaveer Veg Restaurant — Provides authentic North-Indian food with style ranging from Gujarati to Punjabi and delicious rotis. Meals start from ₹105/-. Only vegetarian food served. The downside to the place is cleanliness at the tables. Mahaveer has a branch near Purohit restaurant; this one is larger and cleaner. — Address: Kalinivas Building, Main Rd — Phone: +91 48 6523 1677, +91 99 4629 2907
• • Kaivalyam Retreat — Kaivalyam retreat has a 100% pure vegetarian restaurant which serves organic and healthy yogic food. As it is a yoga retreat more emphasis is given to food quality and hygiene. Serves North Indian, South Indian and a few continental dishes. Their desserts are good. Set in the midst of cardamom and pepper plantation. — Address: Moolakada, Pallivasal Estate P.O. — Directions: 7.5 km towards Cochin direction — Hours: 24x7 — Price: ₹200 — Phone: +91 48 6523 2628, +91 94 9582 1617, +91 95 2647 7838 — Website: http://www.kaivalyamretreat.com/
• • Tall trees Restaurant — famous for their fish fry. — Directions: Order for 'Meen Pollichathu'

Fresh tea, coffee and milk is available at most places. Hard and soft drink are also available at fair number of shops.

Packed grapes and mixed fruit juice is also available at few places.

• • Abad Copper Castle — Address: Pothamedu-Munnar — Phone: +91 48 6523 1202 — Email: reservations@abadhotels.com — Website: http://www.abadhotels.com/coppercastle/

The best things to buy are tea, coffee, spices like cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and pepper and definitely home made chocolates.

• • Abbas & Co. Tea Merchants — Abbas &amp Co is wholesaler but also sells to visitors. Really good price for tea, green tea, coffee, cashew - nuts, home made chocolates, spices, aloe vera gel. — Address: 25, Bazaar — Price: Budget
• • Fresh tea from a factory outlet — Several varieties of tea fresh from factory. — Address: Kannimallay Estate — Directions: On the way to Eravikulam National Park, 5 km from Munnar town
• • Only Organic — Outlet selling certified organic products. They also offer guided tours across a tea plantation between 8:00 and 18:00 for ₹400. — Address: Block Panchatat Building, Devikulam — Directions: NH-85, Munnar-Kumily Highway — Hours: 8AM - 7PM — Price: Nil — Phone: +914865264023 — Email: care.onlyorganic@gmail.com

Renting an auto-rickshaw to roam around the city costs ₹50 per hour. You can also rent a manual or automatic motorbike on a daily basis for ₹350/day.

• • Gokulam Bike rental — Valid motorcycle license required. — Address: Near High Altitude Sports Stadium, Old Munnar — Price: ₹500 per day (Oct 2017) — Phone: +91 9447237165 — Email: sudheerbike307@yahoo.com — Website: http://bikerentalmunnar.com/

Munnar is a beautiful hill station, and was a summer resort for the British during the British Raj.

The town is divided into two parts: Old Munnar, where the tourist information office is, and Munnar, where the bus station and most guest houses are located.

The region in and around Munnar varies in height from to 2,695 m (8,842 ft) above mean sea level. It is pronounced "Moon-aar" short for "moonu aar" meaning 3 rivers. Three rivers - Madupetti, Nallathanni and Periavaru — flow through this town, but join some distance away from Munnar.

Munnar is famous for its tea plantations, many of them started by the British. The "Kannan Devan" brand of tea from the Tata is cultivated and processed here.

The strobilanthus ("neelakurinji" in Malayalam, the local language), a blue flower which blooms only every 12 years, is found in this region. It last bloomed from August to October 2018. The Eravikulam National Park is the main Neelakurinji flowering area and the number of tourists allowed in the park during the blooming period was limited to 2,750 a day. Munnar also has the highest peak in South India, Anamudi, at 2,695 m.

Eravikulam National Park is one of the main tourist attractions, where you can find the endangered species of Nilgiri Tahr (mountain goat called "varayadu" in Malayalam). A trek to Rajamala ("King of hills" in Malayalam), in the morning is sure to spot a few friendly mountain goats. You can also find gaur, langur, lion-tailed macaque, and elephants depending on the season and time of travel. The altitude is 1,600 m- 2,000 m above sea level.