Munnar – Bucket of Surprises

The route that we took was NH7 & AH43. On our way we crossed Bangalore, Hosur, Salem, Dindigul, Theni and reached our final destination Munnar.

The road was tolled and we had to pay toll tax at five points. Since most of the road is NH7, so driving was comfortable. At some points, the roads were little narrow but smooth and motorable.

Munnar city center was a little crowded. With car at our convenience never made travelling and commuting from one place to another, a problem during the trip. The best time to visit Kerala is between November to January. We visited Munnar in the month of January, the services and hotel pricing was a little higher than other time of the year. After checking in at hotel, we were overwhelmed by the kind of warm and friendly approach the staff had. They had well ventilated rooms and big rooms, with huge bathrooms – perfect for a leisure trip! There was an office opposite to the hotel, where we got tickets for Kathakali and Kalarippayattu (traditional martial art practices) at a nominal cost of 200 INR per person. Thus, our evening routine was booked after relaxing a bit at the hotel.

We had the entire afternoon vacant, thus, we planned to visit Attukal Falls. Attukal Falls were just 1.5 kms away from the hotel. The winters didn't witness much of water flow in the falls. Though, it was truly a divine experience. It felt like God is pouring milk on Earth from heavens – I was amazed at the height of the falls and clean water falling down. Luckily enough, we found a small tea shop near the falls and got in a conversation with its owner. He was such a gentleman who insisted us to visit his spice garden, adjacent to the shop. After visiting his spice garden, I could understand analyze the reason behind such amazing masala tea that was served to us earlier. There were cardamom, black pepper, nutmeg, and many more spices in this garden.

After reaching back to the hotel, we grabbed some snacks and went to watch the traditional martial arts practices of Kerala. I never had witnesses such great talent in my life – the amazing stunts left me dumbstruck. Even during the dinner, I was still recalling back the day – the delicious biryani, friendly attendees at the hotel, spice garden at Attukal Falls and the martial arts – Munnar had innumerable surprises to be unfolded!

There was an unending list of places to be visited. Thus the next day, comprised of Mattupetty Dam and Lake, Echo point, and Eravikulam National Park. Thus, we started early to cover most of these. On our way to Mattupetty Lake and Echo Pint, we came to know about a place called Cattle Point. It wasn't much of a tourist spot, but the serenity, tranquility and peaceful lush green landscape made my eyes feel relaxed.

Mattupetty Lake was our first destination for the day. We were lucky enough to be the first ones to reach the lake. I was able to relax and enjoy myself in the calm and peaceful environment of the huge lake, which was formed by the waters of the Mattupetty Dam. There were boating facilities available for tourists, so we got onto a boat and clicked a lot of pictures.

We crossed the dam to visit our next destination, the Echo Point. Echo Point is located very closer to Mattupetty Lake. Echo Point was such a lovely place. The water in the lake was so tranquil and the reflections falling in the water were completely clear. To my dismay, the place had a lot of litter around – tourists should value such beautiful places and make best efforts to keep these places clean and green.

Eravikulam National Park was the next destination on our priority list. The park is famous for an animal called Nilgiri Tahr. Previously, Nilgiri Tahr was found all across Nilgiri, but, Eravikulam National Park is their habitat now. The park is generally closed for tourists between February to April for calving of the animals. We were lucky enough to visit it on the last day before closing – yes; it was getting closed for tourist entry from the next day!

We reached the park at around 1 PM. The ticket counter was closed due to lunch hours. Thus, we got tickets and waited for the shuttle service of the park. No private vehicles are allowed in this park. The view of the entire park seemed ecstatic from the bus. We were awestruck by the tea plantations, green hills and the dense forests.

We alighted the bus at the base of the park, which was around 4 kms away from the boarding. Now, we were free to wander the National Park. Thus, we began climbing the hills and started our search for the famous Nilgiri Tahr. We were lucky enough to spot a herd of these animals, lazing around in the Sun. Being very shy, these beautiful creatures managed to run away upon spotting humans. I felt accomplished after clicking a few pictures of Nilgiri Tahrs – it's something to cherish for lifetime!