Travel Guide
Munnar travel guide
Kerala's hill station paradise where endless tea plantations carpet rolling hills in emerald green, offering cool respite and stunning South Indian highland scenery.
Language
Malayalam, Tamil, English
Currency
INR
Timezone
IST (UTC+5:30)
Best time
Sep-May
Budget/day
$30-60
When to visit
Jan
10 to 22°C
Feb
11 to 24°C
Mar
13 to 26°C
Apr
15 to 27°C
May
15 to 25°C
Jun
14 to 22°C
Jul
13 to 20°C
Aug
13 to 20°C
Sep
13 to 22°C
Oct
13 to 23°C
Nov
12 to 22°C
Dec
10 to 21°C
Safety
Very Low RiskVery safe hill station. Mountain roads can be winding.
Women travellers
Very safe tea plantation town. Quiet and natural. Family-friendly.
Culture & etiquette
- + Tea tasting at KDHP Tea Museum is educational
- + Eravikulam has endangered Nilgiri Tahr
- + Top Station offers views into Tamil Nadu
- + Hire jeep for plantation tours
- - Don't drive the hairpin mountain roads from Kochi in the dark — very dangerous even in good conditions
- - Don't buy Eravikulam Park tickets from touts outside — buy only at official counter
- - Don't trek into plantation areas without the estate's permission
- - Don't touch anyone's head
Food to try
Kerala fish curry
Kerala's most celebrated dish—fresh fish (typically kavuni or sardines) simmered in a sauce of coconut milk, kodampuli (gamboge) and a blend of Kerala spices; the gamboge gives it an incomparable deep tangy flavor absent from any other Indian fish curry
Appam with stew
Kerala's delicate combination—thin, lacy rice pancakes with crispy edges and soft centers, served with a Christmastime stew of coconut milk, chicken or vegetables and pearl onions; the contrasting textures and temperatures is a Kerala breakfast masterpiece
Puttu kadala
Kerala's beloved breakfast combination—cylindrical steamed rice cakes layered with coconut inside a bamboo tube, served alongside black chickpea curry cooked in Kerala spices; the puttu crumbles at the touch of a finger and soaks up the curry perfectly
Munnar tea
Tea picked at 2,000m elevation in Munnar's High Range plantations—the Nilgiri and Munnar varieties produce a brighter, more astringent cup than Darjeeling; buy directly from the KDHP cooperative store in Munnar town; freshness at source is incomparable
Kerala parotta
Kerala's extraordinary layered flatbread—wheat dough stretched and folded in a signature circular technique until hundreds of flaky layers form; cooked in oil on a griddle until golden; eaten with chicken curry or beef curry for Sunday lunch across Kerala
Hidden gems
Details are indicative and may change. Verify visa, safety, and entry requirements before travel.