Munnar

Munnar synonym for tea plantation - tourists flock to Munnar to enjoy the verdurous tea plantations in and around this pristine empyreal locality. Munnar is not just tea gardens alone- the wild life sanctuaries, the trekking paths, lakes, bird sanctuary, natural rain fed waterfalls, meadows, panoramic views of the luxuriant Western Ghats with its lush and abundant flora and fauna are a few of the luxuries thrown in for your memorable stay in this hill station in God’s Own Country.

“Munnar” (pronounced Moon-aar i.e. moon-three and aar-stream)the name in itself is all about meeting together - in the local parlance the name denote three rivers and it is factually so- the rivers Kundala, Nallathanni and Mudrapuzha meet in Munnar and flow as one and hence the name.

This hill station, at an altitude of 1600 mts. to 1800 mts. asl., with its invigorating, refreshingly delightful and laidback colonial atmosphere makes it one of the most sought after hill station in South India. Located in the Kannandevan hills in the Annamalai range of Idukki district of God’s Own Country (Kerala) was a sleepy pristine town on the old spice route that connected the Temple town of Madurai with the old Port town of Musaris (Kodungalloor) until the English made it a summer retreat to beat the heat of the plains. This later became the home of Tata tea and presently a number of Tea-estates have mushroomed in and around Munnar.

The past two decades saw a considerable boom in the number of tourist visiting Munnar and this did have a negative impact on its pristine natural beauty. The environmental impact due to this boom was such that unscrupulous developers ravaged the landscape of the once untouched hill station. Eco tourism should be the watchword and promoters guided by the principles of sustainable development should take up the mantel for the development of this once serene hill station.