Skip to navigation

Mark Moxon's Travel Writing

India: Munnar

Munnar from Mount Carmel Church
Munnar from Mount Carmel Church

Ah, that's better. The oppression of India's mini-heatwave has been really grinding me down, and like the British before us, we've taken refuge in a hill station. Munnar, which the British Raj made their southern capital in summer, is 1500m above sea level, and like all India's hill stations, it lets you function. The novelty is palpable.

Tea pickers near Munnar
Tea pickers near Munnar
Tea plantations near Top Station
Tea plantations on the way to Top Station

Around Munnar

Tea plantations near Munnar
Tea plantations near Munnar

I forgot to mention that we hired a car and driver in Kochi to get us around for the next five days. After all, this is supposed to be a holiday, and spending hours and hours on bumpy Indian buses is a luxury only those with time on their hands can afford, so we've spent Rs6500 on a gleaming white Ambassador Classic, a very friendly driver called Sajeeve, and an itinerary from Kochi to Munnar, then on to Periyar and Kovalam. It's a great way to get around, even if it does reek slightly of decadence.

Tea plantations near Munnar
Tea plantations near Munnar
Madupatty Lake near Munnar
Madupatty Lake
Kundala Dam
Kundala Dam
Top Station, on the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu
Top Station, on the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu

Hill Spices

Tourists photographing the tea pickers near Munnar
Tourists photographing the tea pickers near Munnar

We'd been so uninspired by the location of our first hotel, that we tracked down a second one for our second night. Perched on top of a hill next to the Mount Carmel Church, bang in the centre of town, the Kaippallil Homestay was much more our kind of thing. Our room had a balcony overlooking Munnar, the homestay served ice-cold beer with no guilt attached, and the rooms were cheaper – you can't say fairer than that.

Kundala Dam
Kundala Dam

Customers from 43 countries... Amiably taken care... Moreover astoundingly pleased... Their ecstasy is... Just with quality, not with looks.

Luckily, Munnar excels on both quality and looks. What a delightful place to take a break from the Indian heat.