At 5500ft, Munnar is the only hill station in south Kerala that lay snuggled in the high ranges of Western Ghats at the confluence of three mountain streams - Mudrapuzha, Nallathani and Kundala. The spectacular vista of cloud kissed rolling hills carpeted with tea plantations, rivulets dancing through green meadows and the colonial British settlements of the town make this place an ideal getaway from the rigorous strain of daily life.
No wonder then the prestigious Time magazine referred it as one of the very best destinations in India.
Munnar owes its existence to the numerous British planters who cleared large stretches of forests from these hills to cultivate tea on the manicured slopes. Tea still reigns supreme here and Munnar holds the honour of growing tea at the highest elevated land, over 7,200 ft. above sea level. Nearly eighty percent of these estates are owned by Tata Tea Ltd and its holdings. According to the book, Facets of a Hundred Years of Planting (published by Tata Finley Ltd.) the estates initially belonged to Scotsman James Finley some hundred years back. The Tatas purchased them in the 1960s and named it Tata Finley Ltd and finally Tata Tea Ltd.
This idyllic haven is only 130 Kms from the bustling port town of Kochi (Cochin) and 142 kms from the junction of Kottayam, an important town in Kerala. Either way, the drive up to Munnar is a wonderful experience.
