Munnar

Of the many wonders Kerala is known for,  Munnar literally tops the lists. A few hours drive from the busy port city of Kochi (Cochin as it was known earlier) totally captivates you with its magnificent natural beauty.

Clouds that float at arm’s length, verdant tea plantations, picture postcard meadows, winding lanes, trekking  trails, wildlife in abundance, a river known for trout fishing,  facilities make Munnar a unique experience. Steeped in British traditions, this erstwhile summer capital of the colonial British government still lives in a bygone era, adding to its charms and making it an idyllic honeymoon paradise. What strikes you first as you approach Mnnar, are the many hues of green. It’s the all-pervasive and ever-present tea plantations that contribute much to this green carpret. The vast tracts of tea plantations here look like manicured landscaped gardens, sprawling endlessly over hills and valleys. The Cardamom Hills, rising to heights of over 8,000 ft above sea-level, are in themselves very beautiful but the tea plantations make them breathtakingly scenic. From a height, the tea bushes, pruned to a uniform height, seem like a well-maintained, elaborately designed lawn with criss-crossing lines.

It’s easy to forget for a moment that the many hues of green in the tea country are creations of man. As if in appreciation for the well-tended greenery, Nature displays its brilliance by turning the hillsides with a vivid blue once every twelve year. Neelakkurinji is the most awaited for visitor in Munnar. The magical blue flower will make its next appearance in 2018.

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