Mesmerizing Munnar : A photo itinerary #monsoonplace

Talk about hillstations in South India and one of the first names that springs up to your mind is Munnar. Situated in the Western Ghats near the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Munnar is a beautiful place surrounded by rolling hills dotted with tea plantations. The hill stations in South India in general are quite different to the ones in North India, with a more tropical feel about them and Munnar is perhaps the most beautiful among them. It is perhaps one of the best places to be during monsoons with all the greenery around. They call Kerala God's own country and Munnar definitely is the crown jewel.
Here's a photo itinerary for 4 days for anyone planning a trip there.

Day 1 started with landing in Kochi. Kochi is the nearest airport to Munnar and it takes about 3 hours by road to reach Munnar from Kochi. The nearest railway station is Ernakulam railway station, which is in Kochi as well. We had an early morning flight to Kochi and had booked a zoomcar from there for the rest of the trip. Alternately, you can take a bus from Kochi to Munnar which would reach you there in about 4-5 hrs.

We reached Munnar in the noon and decided to relax at the hotel.

The next day, we started early as we had to shift to another resort. After breakfast, we packed our stuff and left for the resort. One great thing about Munnar is, the moment you step outside your resort, you'll start seeing the lush green tea plantations around. It's everywhere! Driving on the roads winding through these beautiful plantations is an amazing experience.

After a wonderful drive, we reached our resort - The Siena Village. It is a beautiful resort very near to the Kolukkumulai Tea Estate. We dropped our luggage at the resort, had lunch and left for the tea estate. The Kolukkumulai Tea Estate is the largest tea estate in Munnar and stretches across the borders of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is also the highest organic tea estate in the world. In order to go to the tea estate, you need to park your vehicles at the gate from where they take you to the top in a jeep. The ride to the top is one of the most scenic rides I have ever been on. Though it can get really bumpy and its best if you don't eat much before the ride, especially if you are prone to motion sickness.

The visit to the tea estate was an amazing experience. We spent the entire afternoon there and then returned to the resort after another bumpy ride down and a lot of beautiful pictures!

Today we were planning to cover a couple of local tourist attractions before heading for our next resort. After breakfast, we left for the Mattupetty Dam. On the way, we stopped at a random tea estate to click some pictures. At this particular tea estate, you could also try your hand at plucking the tea leaves wearing the traditional tea basket.

After literally exhausting a few memory cards with pictures at the tea estate, we left for the dam. The Mattupetty Dam is a beautiful place with very serene vibes. You can come down here for a peaceful afternoon by the reservoir.

After the dam, we headed towards our last resort in Munnar - Blackberry resorts. We met a landslide just as we were about to reach the resort, which blocked our complete path. Finally we had to drive all the way round on a different road through the jungle and somehow reach the resort at night. But all that effort was totally worth it once we reached the resort.

The Blackberry resorts have an amazing location, just overlooking the valley. The view in the morning is especially really beautiful, with the fog covering up the entire valley. 

This was our last day in Munnar. After a nice breakfast, we left for Kochi. There are many herbal gardens on the way back from Munnar to Kochi. Make sure to stop at one and have a look around. You can also buy a variety of spices and handmade soaps at these gardens.

And that was the end to an amazing trip. Munnar is a really beautiful place, especially in the monsoons. Definitely looking forward to visiting soon again!