TOURIST PLACES.

Munnar is one of the most popular hill stations in South India.  It is nestled in Western Ghats at an altitude of 6000 ft and is located in Idukki district of Kerala.  This picturesque hill station beckons nature lovers from far and near.

1) Mattupetty Dam,

 Mattupetty Damnear Munnar in Idukki District, is a storage Concrete Gravity dam built in the mountains of Kerala, India to conserve water for hydroelectricity. It has been a vital source of power, yielding along with other such dams, huge revenue to the states. The large amount of perennially available water allows wild animals and birds to flourish. However salinity caused by irrigation and water-logging are of concern to environmentalists.
Munnar is located near the confluence of the mountain streams of Muthirappuzha River, Chanduvarai River and Kundale River.
The reservoir is also known to be one of the visiting grounds of elephants in the region.

 

2) Mattupedi Dairy Farm

Indo Swiss Dairy Farm, munnar

Mattupetti is notable for its Indo Swiss live farms, where many superior ranges of cattle are taken care and nurtured. Mattupetti Indo Swiss farm is open from morning to evening for the tourists to visit it. This farm is well looked after, as it is abundantly rich in nature. In fact, it is believed to be the nature’s paradise with Mattupetti Lake being snuggled close on the Idukki hills, which is extraordinarily a nature opulent district of Kerala. Cochin international airport is the nearest airport at a distance of 130 km, the Kottayam railway station is 142 km from Munnar and Mattuppetti is 13 km from Munnar by road. It is better known as the cattle village encompassing the cattle farm and its peaceful inhabitants. The cool climate of the area and the abundance of fodder had made it the perfect place for the establishing the Indo- Swiss dairy farm. Tamil migrant laborers had reared cattle in this place long ago.

The Indo- Swiss dairy farm is a highly specialized project where more than hundred varieties of high yielding cattle is being reared spreading across eleven cattle shed. Visitors are allowed here at only at fixed times. Cattle grazing freely on the rolling hills in the vast farm campus would be an offbeat tourist experience. The Indo-Swiss dairy farm was established in 1961. The project actually came into being during the middle of 1963 as a result of a bilateral agreement formed between the Swiss Confederation and the  Government of India. The Indo-Swiss project has remarkably helped in the
development of economic dairy farming in Idukki district. The Indo-Swiss project is now managed in co-operation with the Kerala Livestock Development and Milk Marketing Board. The headquarters of the project is at Mattupetti in Devikulam Taluk. This project has an extension at Kolahalamedu near Elappara in Peermade Taluk in the same district. Here a supporting bull farm is operated. As a result of the execution of  the Indo-Swiss project, a new revolutionary wave has been created in the field of livestock farming in the state. A great milestone was the evolution of the Swiss Brown  cross breed of cattle that is perfectly suited to the conditions of Kerala.

The Indo-Swiss project has introduced innovative programs to improve the breed of the local cattle. The breed improvement program is carried out through the eighty-six artificial insemination centers in Idukki district. The Indo –Swiss diary farm is actually a landmark in the field of cattle rearing in Kerala.

3) Kundala Lake

 

Kundala is a picturesque town on the way to Top Station in Munnar. The sprawling Kundala Tea Plantations and the Kundala Lake are the main attractions here. A golf course which belongs to Tata Tea Ltd is located here. The Kundala Artificial Dam is another attraction and is also known as Sethuparvathipuram Dam. Aruvikkad Waterfall is also near Kundala.
The District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC), Idukki conducts Tea Valley Tour,. The Tea Vallery Tour covers Mattupetty dam, Echo Point, Kundala, Top Station and Rajamala (Eravikulam National Park).
Nearest railway station: Nearest railway stations are Aluva, via Aluva -Munnar Rd, about 133 km; Kottayam, via Main Central Rd, about 154 km
Nearest airport: Nearest airport is Cochin International Airport, via Aluva - Munnar Rd, about 132 km

 4. Top Station

It is about 40 km from Munnar and it is 1,880 meters above sea level. The panoramic view of the Western Ghats and the valley of Theni from Top station is simply breathtaking. Top station got this name from it’s being the uppermost located railway station on the Kundala Valley Railway.

5. Echo point

 

 

Echo Point  is about 15 km from Munnar. Go there and scream as loud as you can..and wait for a minute. You can hear your echo back! Its quite interesting. If you have kids with you..they will love it. They can experience this natural phenomenon firsthand.

6. Eravikulam National Park

 

It is an ideal place for seeing the biodiversity of high elevation shola-grassland ecosystem. Visitors are taken to Rajamalai in forest dept vehicles and given an opportunity to see all this. Private vehicles are not allowed here. The National Park is usually closed at the time of calving of Nilgiri Tahr which is usually during the early months of every year.

A sanctuary for the endangered mountain goat of South India, the Nilgiri Tahr (Hemitragus hylocrious), the Eravikulam National Park stands out for the stark beauty of its rolling grasslands and sholas, spread over 97 sq km in the Kannan devan hills.

Anamudi, the highest peak (2695 m) south of Himalayas, stands majestically in the core area of the national park. The slopes of the hills abound in many kinds of rare flora which include rare terrestrial and epiphytic orchids, and beautiful wild balsams. Important fauna here are the Nilgiri Tahr, Nilgiri Langur, leopard, tiger, Indian bison, etc.

Rajamalai is the tourism zone of the National Park, where the visitors are taken in forest dept vehicles and introduced to the shola - grassland eco system unique to this region. There is a very informative interpretation centre at Rajamalai.

A protected area, the sanctuary is divided into three regions - the core area, the buffer area and the tourism area. Visitors are allowed only to the tourism area - Rajamalai - the region lying beyond the road entry into Eravikulam. Here one can observe the Nilgiri Tahr at close quarters.

Don't make this your destination during the early months of the year, the park may be closed for visitors because it is calving time of the Tahr.

Visiting hours: 0700 to 1800 hrs

Getting there

Nearest railway station: Nearest railway stations are Alua, about 109 km from Munnar; Angamali, about 108 km from Munnar.  

Nearest airport: Nearest airports are Madurai (Tamilnadu) about 142 km; Cochin International Airport, about 150 km.

7 Tea museum  

 

This tea museum is first of its kind in India. It is located at KDHP’s Nullatanni estate in Munnar. The aim of this museum according to its founders is to showcase the growth of more-than-a-century-old tea plantations in this region. Anyone visiting this museum will get a clear  picture of how laborious this tea processing really is.

8 Marayoor Sandalwood Forests

 

This is located at around 42 kms north of Munnar through the Udumalppetta route. Marayoor is famous of the natural sandalwood forest. Not only that, this place is said to be part of the ancient stone age civilization dated back to 10,000 B.C. Stone age paintings, rock edicts and dolmens found there vouch for this rich heritage.

9 Attukad Waterfalls

 

Now this is a scenic waterfalls located between Munnar and Pallivasal. It is just 9 km away from Munnar. But this waterfalls will be in its full glory only after the monsoon (Rainy season). During other seasons, it is just a trickling mountain stream. 

10 Blossom Park

 

Blossom International Park is about 3 km away from Munnar town and it spreads over 16 acres. It is a peaceful location to enjoy a calm and relaxing nature walk admiring flowers and surrounding green hillside. The park offer many activities for tourists like boating, cycling, roller skating etc.

 11 Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary

 Chinnar wildlife sanctuary is about 60 kms from Munnar. It is situated on SH 17 in the Marayoor and Kanthalloor Panchayats of Idukki district. It is an ideal spot for trekking and enjoying wildlife closely. It is the habitat for endangered Grizzled giant squirrel in India. Almost 34 species of mammals including panthers, spotted deers, elephants, tigers can be found here. It is also a bird watchers paradise. 245 species of birds live here!

12 Tea Plantations

 

How can one resist a tea garden tour when you are in Munnar? Rolling hillsides covered with tea plantations is a sight to behold. The lush greenery and the soothing cold wind with a mild aroma of tea leaves totally rejuvenates you. 

13 Lakkom Water Falls

 

This waterfalls is about 25 kms from Munnar on the way to Udumalaipettai. Lakkom waterfalls is part of Eravikulam National Park. The cascading waterfalls and the scenic surroundings makes it tourists favorite hideout in Munnar.