Munnar hill station in Kerala, is a beautiful place to visit. It is in the Western ghats mountain range of Kerala, India. The place is surrounded by rolling green tea plantations and is a must place to visit. It was a former  resort place for the British elite. Munnar sightseeing consists of a lot of tourist spots , very famous for their scenic beauty. However there are a few top places to visit in Munnar hill station, which we have listed below.Munnar hill station is also very famous for the scenic drive which you can start from many of the southern cities of India.

We drove from Bengaluru, India to Munnar hill station which was a 10 hours drive, around 500 Kms.The trip was all the more special as it was a family get together trip, My husband and I were meeting his family, my in-laws and his brother. It was a perfect three night vacation.

The drive from Bengaluru is mostly highway but there is a stretch of road filled with a number of windmills on either side. A long stretch and seeing the movement of the blades we could guess that it was a very windy place. The landscape was very nice. We tried to get some pictures but the wind was making it quite difficult.

The Road to Munnar Hill Station

To reach Munnar we had to cross the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, and even though we did not spot any tigers, the roads were beautiful and it was a perfect drive. There were narrow smooth roads with lush green forests on both sides. It was a great feeling. The air outside had turned fresher and cooler and it was very relaxing.

After crossing the Kerala forest checkpoint, after a while the landscape completely changed. The roods look washed in water, small hills all around will rolling  tea plantations beautifully planted in disciplined formations. The two more highlights which this landscape has are the small and big waterfalls, literally on the roads and also visible on the far far hills.

The most beautiful Munnar sightseeings I feel is in the landscape. There are a few top places to visit in Munnar like the Rajamalai forest, echo point etc but you are going to enjoy the beauty of the surroundings, the clouds and the rain most.  It was very very exciting, I love waterfalls and enjoy the sound and view of the gushing water, making its way down the hill on stones and boulders and flowing freely. However the magic of the place does not end here, all around you, you would be able to see floating clouds.I would say munnar places to see is Munnar itself.

Have you ever imagined what heaven looks like? If yes, you would see a lot of images of your imagination in Munnar. If no, don’t imagine, come visit the Munnar hill station  in God’s own country. 

Orchid highlands were the hotel we were going to stay at, and it was a wonderful hotel. Highly recommended in upper medium pricing in Munnar hill station. The location was amazing, and our room just perfect to enjoy the clouds around us and hills full of tea plantations. It was raining a lot and was making the ambience just perfect to relax, have a cup of tea and also to enjoy some spooky thrilling stories.All the Munnar sightseeings were very close from the hotel and hence location wise the hotel was superb.

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The first evening we reached very late, and decide to just have a walk around the hotel. The walk was fun as it was completely dark without the street lights hence a flashlight is a must. We explore the place and enjoyed the coolness and clouds surrounding it. We had dinner in the hotel which had amazing Indian food.

To explore Munnar places to see there are three possible directions which you should choose from. These directions cover all the top places to visit in Munnar.

• Mattupetty Direction.

• • Flower Garden
• • Mattupetty Dam and Shooting Point
• • Boating Centre
• • Echo point
• • Kundala Lake
• • Top Station View point

• Coimbatore Direction.

• • Tata Tea Museum
• • Rajmala(National Park)
• • Luckam Waterfalls
• • Marayoor Sandalwood forest
• • Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary

• Thekkady Direction. 

• • Rockhart Gap and Rock Cave
• • Power House Water Falls
• • Anairangal Dam view
• • Kolukumalai (Tea Factory)

• Around the Munnar City. 

• • Tea Garden Visit
• • Old British Church and Garden
• • DTPC boarding and garden
• • Hydel Park
• • Pathamedu View point
• • Attukadu waterfalls
• • Dream land

The first day of exploration we decided to go to the Mattupetty direction.

Munnar places to see in Mattupetty Direction:   

The first few minutes of our drive from the hotel were very exciting. The roads from the hotel to the city junction were full of clouds and continuous rain. At that time we were not aware of the flood condition which was going to hit this wonderful place in a few days. However the rain added a mystical beauty to the place. It became more alive. There was no visibility on the road and everything looked beautiful. At a high point where we could just see the valley filled with clouds, we got down and got some pictures to capture the magic. We headed towards  Mattupetty Dam which was around 21 Kms from our hotel.

Mattupetty Dam and Shooting Point:

Mattupetty Dam is one of the top places to visit in Munnar. In the Idukki district it is a gravity dam which was constructed for power generation and water conservation. It is surrounded by green lush jungle and the drive to the place is beautiful. The water in the reservoir is very still and hence reflects the greenery of the place perfectly. There used to be boating on this place but has been stopped recently due to accidents. As for us since it was raining so much it was safer for us not to take a boat ride.

There are some local shops selling souvenirs and also some comforting hot food. We had an amazing steamed corn and some sour mango with chilli and salt. It was a wonderful site to enjoy and take some photographs. It indeed is a wonderful top place to visit in Munnar hill station. There are some balloon shooting stalls and you could try a  hand at it if you want to support the local people. The backdrop of the reservoir is beautiful.Mattupetty ranks hight in Munnar places to see lists.

Boating Centre: 

The boating centre was closed because of the rain , as it could get scary. We are glad they were closed as the news of the flood after we came back made us sigh with relief. We wanted to do take a boat ride but the water in the Dam looked higher than normal and hence the precaution.

Echo point:

The echo point is beautiful, on the roads on both sides it has beautiful shops from where you can buy small knickknacks to take home and support the local market. I bought some original Kerala medicine for hair, as the women of Kerala have lush long black hair and I hoped these traditional plants wood mixed with oil would help. There are also a lot of food corners where you can enjoy some food.

The echo point, another must visit place in Munnar hill station is just a little below the road , you take a few stairs and you see people yelling and shouting to see if it is echoing. Not all voices echoed but most of it did. Especially smaller words like Hello, Maaa, and whistles you could clearly hear the echo back. The place has a beautiful lake amidst the tea plantation hills. It was a beautiful point to stop and enjoy. Children especially  enjoy the echoes.

Kundala Lake:

This lake which is 1700 meters above sea level is a picture perfect place. It was raining when we reached the lake and hence the view was more beautiful. I had heard that the sun-rays glitter on these lake, however when we reached there was no sun but the rain made the place all the more appealing. Cherry Gardens blossom twice a year and the Neelakurunji which changes the lush green of Munnar to breathtaking blue blossom once in 12 years. Though  this year when we visited it was time for the flowers to bloom but we were a little early in the month.

Kundala Lake is Asia’s first Arch Dam, also known as Sethuparvathipuram Dam. This makes it one of the top places to visit in munnar for tourists.  You can enjoy  many a things in the surrounding of this dam, like the green valleys, tea gardens, waterfalls, eucalyptus and pine trees, etc. There is no entry fee or opening hours. It is a wonderful stop on your way to the Top Station view-point.

Places to visit in Munnar- Top Station View point:

The view-point was around 44 Kms drive from our hotel. The drive was beautiful through the lush green tea plantations and the highgpoints. However when we reached the top station view point, we were mesmerised to see the view of the valley filled with clouds. The place is in the confluence of three mountain streams – Mudrapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundala. This place falls in the Kerala Tamil Nadu border.It is one of the most visited place in the Munnar hill station and tops the munnar sightseeing charts.

This place offers the best panoramic view of the Western Ghats. The best time to visit Top station is from April to May. That is why when we were there in August we could not see much of the valley or the beautiful sun rays filling the valley. Our visit was for a different kind of view, the thunderous rain making scary noises in the valley and creating a mist which made it enchanting and increased our curiosity.

There are wonderful places to eat making fresh local food and maggi. Maggi is a delicacy in India especially at any hill station. This hot soupy noodles is a must have. We enjoyed maggi and coffee in one of the food joints and walked around the view-point wearing our raincoat , but still getting wet. A highly recommended in the munnar places to see list.

With this we decided to go back to the hotel, as driving in the dark with this amount of rain would be very difficult and so we wanted to head back. The last stretch of the drive to our hotel after crossing the city junction  was scary but exciting. As before the visibility was zero and it was raining cats and dogs. Slowly we drove and reached our hotel.

Shirodhara Massage therapy. 

At our hotel there was wonderful spa availability. We decided to go for the famous Kerala Shirodhara massage therapy and believe me it was one of the most relaxing and therapeutic massages I ever had.It is a traditional Munnar massage.  I would have to recommend the spa at this hotel as everything was perfect. The massage itself, and the steam bath afterwords relaxes all the nerves in your body and is the remedy for a perfect sleep at night.

In shirodhara massage you have a steady stream of oil mixed with different medicinal components which pour from a bowl on to the centre of your head. The oil is a little warm and makes you forget everything and concentrate on the dripping oil. It is meditative and has a calming effect on your nerves.

Shirodhara can help relieve symptoms of anxiety, stress, fatigue and hypertension. It relieves tension, worry, fear and headache as well as depression. It regulates mood and gives feelings of pleasure and relaxation.

A perfect day at the magical lands of Munnar hill station. There is another day where we would visit the famous Kathakali dance and the Eravikulam national park, which is another experience in itself.Eravikulam is another top place to visit in Munnar especially during the bloom of the blue neelakurinji flowers. But this post has described the Munnar sightseeing and places to see in details.

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