Author – Cindu Chandrasekharan
Munnar is a truly lush green art of nature. This hillstation in Kerala is a tea town with breathtaking views, unpolluted air and a freshness that makes you want to never leave this place. The food, the water, the air… just about everything has a crispy freshness to it. If you intend to drive up (highly recommended) to this place, you can drive from either Kochi in Kerala or Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, whichever is convenient. It’s a slow, long but easy drive up the hills. Whether you are an offbeat traveller or a package tourist, Munnar is a definitely a pleasant after taste that you can carry back with you : )
Munnar gets its name from ‘Moonu’ (3 in Tamil and Malayalam) ‘aaru’ (meaning river in Tamil) to indicate the location of this town, which is at the confluence of the three rivers Muthirapuzha, Nallathani and Kundali. And much like its name which has a Tamil influence.. this town has a huge Tamil influence even though it is located in Kerala’s Idukki district. People generally tend to speak both the languages.
The evergreen silver oak trees provide shade to tea shrubs
Breathtaking waterfalls intersperse the lush green landscape
Beautiful backwaters of Mattupetty Dam
The renowned Kannan Devan Hills tea plantations in Munnar
Hard to find any traffic on these winding roads
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