--- title: "Top 10 Things To Do in Munnar, India | Wimup" description: "The 10 best things to do in Munnar, ranked: Eravikulam and its Nilgiri tahr, the Tea Museum, Top Station, the Meesapulimala trek, Mattupetty and Marayoor." url: https://wimup.com/city/munnar type: City guide updated: 2026-10-13 publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com) --- # Top 10 Things To Do in Munnar Munnar, India · Asia · By Wimup Editorial, 12 min read Munnar sits at about 1,600 metres where three mountain rivers meet, and the first tea estates were planted here in 1878. Tea still runs from the valley floors to the ridge lines. Come for the cool air, the Nilgiri tahr of Eravikulam and walks above the cloud. ## Quick answer Munnar is a tea town high in the Western Ghats of Kerala, and two or three days covers it. Give one day to Eravikulam for the Nilgiri tahr and to the Tea Museum, one to the Top Station road past Mattupetty, Echo Point and Kundala. Spend the third on Marayoor and Chinnar, or on a KFDC trek up Meesapulimala. ## Quick facts - **Best months:** Oct · Dec · Jan - **Ideal length:** 2 to 3 days - **Budget per day:** $25–90 - **Language:** Malayalam and Tamil, with English used across tourism - **Getting around:** Autos around town, a hired taxi for the Top Station road, jeeps for Kolukkumalai and the trek base camps - **Tourism board:** [Official site](https://www.keralatourism.org/destination/munnar/202?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## The 10 best things to do in Munnar ### 1. Meet the Nilgiri tahr in Eravikulam National Park National park · Rajamala, Eravikulam National Park, Munnar, Kerala, India Kerala's first national park, declared in 1978, and the stronghold of the Nilgiri tahr, which grazes close to the road at Rajamala. Anamudi, the highest peak in South India at 2,695 m, rises inside it. Forest department buses run from the gate. - **Time:** 2 to 3 hours - **Cost:** Ticketed, with online booking - **Best at:** Opening time, before the queue for the buses - **Tip:** The park closes in February and March for tahr calving and usually reopens on 1 April. Plan around it. Links: [Website](https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/kerala/munnar/eravikulam-national-park?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 2. Learn the tea story at the KDHP Tea Museum Museum · KDHP Tea Museum, Nallathanni Estate, Munnar, Kerala, India The Kannan Devan Hills company's museum on the Nallathanni estate, with old processing machinery and photographs from the plantation era. It explains the town better than any viewpoint. - **Time:** 1 to 1.5 hours - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Late morning, after Eravikulam - **Tip:** Check the opening days before you go: the museum keeps a weekly closing day and shuts on some holidays. Links: [Website](https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/kerala/munnar/kannan-devan-tea-museum?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 3. Look down on Tamil Nadu from Top Station Viewpoint · Top Station, Munnar–Kodaikanal Road, Idukki, Kerala, India The last viewpoint on the road east of Munnar, at about 1,700 m on the Kerala and Tamil Nadu border, with the plains of Tamil Nadu far below. It was named for the top station of the old ropeway that carried tea down the escarpment. - **Time:** Half a day with the stops on the way - **Cost:** Free; small parking charges - **Best at:** Early morning, before the cloud rises - **Tip:** Leave by 7am and stop at Mattupetty, Echo Point and Kundala on the way back, when the valley mist has cleared. ### 4. Trek Meesapulimala through Rhodo Valley Trek · Meesapulimala, via the KFDC base camp, Munnar, Kerala, India One of the highest peaks of the Western Ghats, reached only on a permit from the Kerala Forest Development Corporation. The trail climbs from the base camp through Rhodo Valley to grassland and a long view over the range. - **Time:** A full day, or overnight - **Cost:** KFDC packages, booked online - **Best at:** A clear morning between October and May - **Tip:** Book online, then collect the printed permit at the KFDC office in Munnar, which also assigns the jeep to the base. Links: [Website](https://www.keralatourism.org/ecotourism/trekking-programs/trekking-munnar/36?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 5. Walk the shore of Mattupetty Dam Lake · Mattupetty Dam, Mattupetty, Munnar, Kerala, India A hydel reservoir from the hydro-electric era of the 1940s and 1950s, ringed by tea and grassland, and the first stop on the Top Station road. Boating runs on the lake, and the Indo-Swiss dairy farm sits just beyond. - **Time:** 1 hour - **Cost:** Free to walk; boats by the ride - **Best at:** Mid-morning on a weekday - **Tip:** Weekend afternoons bring every tour bus in Munnar. Come on the way up, not the way down. Links: [Website](https://www.keralatourism.org/destination/mattupetty-munnar/359?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 6. Find the grizzled giant squirrel in Chinnar Wildlife · Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Marayoor–Udumalpet Road, Idukki, Kerala, India Dry scrub forest in the rain shadow east of Marayoor, nothing like the green around Munnar, and one of the best homes of the endangered grizzled giant squirrel. The forest department runs a guided 4 km trail to Thoovanam falls. - **Time:** Half a day - **Cost:** Guided treks priced by the forest department - **Best at:** Early morning - **Tip:** Book the Thoovanam trek at the Alampetty checkpost, and watch the trees near the Chinnar checkpost for the squirrels. Links: [Website](https://www.keralatourism.org/destination/chinnar-wildlife-sanctuary-idukki/218/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 7. See Marayoor's sandalwood and dolmens Heritage · Marayoor, Idukki, Kerala, India The only place in Kerala where sandalwood grows wild, about 40 km north on the Udumalpet road. Muniyaras, stone burial chambers of slabs and a capstone, stand on the hillsides, and the town's jaggery carries a GI tag. - **Time:** Half a day - **Cost:** Free to drive around - **Best at:** Morning, when the light is soft on the dolmens - **Tip:** Buy the jaggery from the cane boilers of Marayoor and Kanthalloor themselves, and pair the trip with Chinnar. Links: [Website](https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/kerala/munnar/marayoor?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 8. Drive the Gap Road to Lockhart Gap Scenic drive · Lockhart Gap, Gap Road, Munnar, Kerala, India The stretch of the Kochi to Dhanushkodi highway east of Munnar, cut along a cliff above the tea, with the pass at Lockhart Gap looking down over Bison Valley. The Chokramudi trail starts beside it. - **Time:** 1 to 2 hours - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Late afternoon, with the sun behind you - **Tip:** Stop only in the marked lay-bys. The road is narrow and the drop is real. ### 9. Picnic at Attukad Waterfalls Waterfall · Attukad Waterfalls, Pallivasal, Munnar, Kerala, India A fall dropping through forest and tea about 10 km from town toward Pallivasal, the closest big cascade to Munnar. It is at its fullest in the monsoon and the weeks after it. - **Time:** 1 to 2 hours - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** September and October, after the rains - **Tip:** Wear shoes with grip: the rocks by the water stay slick all year, and the trail down can be muddy. ### 10. Visit CSI Christ Church and its older graveyard Church · CSI Christ Church, Munnar, Kerala, India A Gothic stone church on the hill above town, begun in 1910. Behind it lies the grave of Eleanor Knight, a planter's wife who died in 1894, making the cemetery older than the church it belongs to. - **Time:** 30 minutes - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Late afternoon - **Tip:** Walk up from the bazaar and dress for a church: shoulders covered and voices low during services. Links: [Website](https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/kerala/munnar/csi-church?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## Best treks in Munnar Three more climbs, after Meesapulimala. All need a guide or a permit. 1. **Kolukkumalai sunrise** (Sunrise · Suryanelli): Jeeps from Suryanelli climb before dawn to a tea estate in Tamil Nadu reached only from Kerala. 2. **Chokramudi** (Peak · Gap Road): A peak of about 7,200 feet above Bison Valley, climbed from the Gap Road with the forest department. 3. **Lakshmi Hills** (Day trek · Munnar): Guided day treks through tea and grassland above town, often paired with Pothamedu. ## Best lakes & viewpoints in Munnar Reservoirs and lookouts on the roads out of town. 1. **Echo Point** (Lake · Top Station road): A lakeshore between Mattupetty and Kundala, named for what happens when you shout across the water. 2. **Kundala Lake** (Lake · Kundala): A reservoir ringed by tea on the Top Station road. Stop on the way up. 3. **Anayirangal Dam** (Reservoir · Chinnakanal): A reservoir wrapped in tea plantations near Chinnakanal, quieter than Mattupetty. [Website](https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/kerala/munnar/anayirankal?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 4. **Pothamedu** (Viewpoint · Pothamedu): A lookout over tea, coffee and cardamom estates close to town. ## Best waterfalls in Munnar Three falls beside the main roads, fullest from July to October. 1. **Lakkam Waterfalls** (Waterfall · Marayoor road): A forest fall on the road to Marayoor. Stop on the way to the sandalwood. 2. **Cheeyappara Waterfalls** (Waterfall · Kochi road): A tiered fall right beside the Kochi road between Neriamangalam and Adimali. 3. **Valara Waterfalls** (Waterfall · Kochi road): Close to Cheeyappara on the same road. See both on the drive up from Kochi. ## Best national parks near Munnar The smaller protected forests of the Munnar wildlife division, beyond Eravikulam. 1. **Anamudi Shola National Park** (Forest · Marayoor): About 7.5 sq km of montane shola forest near Marayoor, a national park since 2003. 2. **Pampadum Shola National Park** (Forest · Vattavada road): Kerala's smallest national park, about 1.3 sq km, on the Vattavada road. [Website](https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/kerala/munnar/pampadum-shola-national-park?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 3. **Mathikettan Shola National Park** (Forest · Cardamom Hills): The last natural forest of the old Cardamom Hill Reserve. 4. **Kurinjimala Sanctuary** (Sanctuary · Kurinjimala): Set aside to protect the core habitat of the Neelakurinji, the 12-yearly blue bloom. ## Best heritage sites in Munnar Three more pieces of the town the tea estates built. 1. **Mount Carmel Church** (Church · Munnar): A Catholic parish whose story begins with the plantation workers of the 1880s. [Website](https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/kerala/munnar/mount-carmel-church?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 2. **Aluminium Bridge** (Railway relic · Munnar): Once a bridge of the Kundala Valley Railway, which the 1924 flood ended. 3. **Lockhart Tea Factory** (Tea factory · Gap Road): A working orthodox tea factory from 1936, with a guided tour and a tasting. ## Best restaurants in Munnar Kerala and South Indian plates in town, honest and cheap. 1. **Rapsy Restaurant** (Kerala · Main Bazaar): One of the town's oldest restaurants, in the Main Bazaar. Order parathas and biryani. 2. **Saravana Bhavan** (Vegetarian · MG Road): Vegetarian South Indian on MG Road: dosas at breakfast, a thali at lunch. 3. **Sree Mahaveer Bhojanalaya** (Indian · Munnar town): A town dining room for Indian plates, useful when Rapsy has a queue. ## Best day trips from Munnar Farm villages, a tiger reserve and a dam, all a long drive. Leave early. 1. **Vattavada** (Village · Vattavada): The farm village past Top Station, its slopes terraced with vegetable plots. 2. **Kanthalloor** (Village · Kanthalloor): The village beside Marayoor where much of the GI-tagged jaggery is boiled. 3. **Thekkady** (Wildlife · Kumily): Periyar Tiger Reserve and the spice gardens of the Cardamom Hills, about three hours south. 4. **Ramakkalmedu** (Viewpoint · Nedumkandam): A wind-farm ridge with the Kuravan and Kurathi statues, above the Tamil Nadu plains. 5. **Idukki Arch Dam** (Dam · Idukki): A double-curvature arch dam across the Periyar between two granite hills, commissioned in 1976. ## Festivals & annual events in Munnar (2026) - **Pongal** (14 or 15 Jan): The Tamil harvest festival, kept across a town where many families speak Tamil. - **Eravikulam calving closure** (Feb to Mar): The national park shuts for Nilgiri tahr calving, usually reopening on 1 April. - **Vishu** (Apr): Kerala's new year: the kani of fruit and gold at dawn, fireworks at night. - **Munnar Flower Show** (May): DTPC Idukki's show at the Government Botanical Garden, in the summer holidays. - **Southwest monsoon** (Jun to Sep): Heavy rain and full waterfalls. Landslides can close the ghat roads. - **Onam** (Aug or Sep): Kerala's harvest festival: flower carpets and a sadya on a banana leaf. - **Neelakurinji bloom** (Aug to Oct, 2030): The 12-yearly blue flowering. The last mass bloom was 2018; 2030 is predicted next. - **Christmas** (25 Dec): Services at CSI Christ Church and Mount Carmel, in the cool, clear season. ## Must-try dishes in Munnar, India - **Kerala parotta and beef fry**: Flaky layered flatbread with dry-roasted beef, Idukki's favourite meat. - **Puttu and kadala**: Steamed rice and coconut cylinders with black chickpea curry. - **Appam and stew**: Lacy rice pancakes with a mild coconut-milk stew. - **Kappa and meen curry**: Boiled tapioca with a sour, spicy fish curry. - **Ellum kappayum**: Tapioca cooked with beef on the bone, the Idukki classic. - **Sadya**: The vegetarian banquet on a banana leaf, served at Onam. - **Marayoor jaggery**: Dark cane jaggery from Marayoor, GI-tagged since 2019. - **Munnar tea**: High-grown black tea, poured sweet and milky at every stall. ## Munnar transport & airports - **Cochin International Airport** (COK): The nearest airport, about 110 km away and three to four hours by road. Taxis wait at arrivals; Madurai is the Tamil Nadu alternative. [Website](https://www.cial.aero/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **Aluva station** (Rail): The nearest railhead, about 110 km away, with Angamaly and Ernakulam close behind. Book trains well ahead in season. [Website](https://www.irctc.co.in/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **KSRTC buses** (Bus): State buses run up from Aluva, near the station, and from Ernakulam. Route boards are often in Malayalam only, so ask. [Website](https://online.keralartc.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **Taxis, autos and jeeps** (Local): Autos cover the town. Hire a taxi for a day on the Top Station road, and a jeep for Kolukkumalai or a trek base camp. ## Munnar at a glance - **Country:** India - **State:** Kerala - **District:** Idukki - **Elevation:** About 1,600 m, in the Western Ghats - **Population:** 32,029 in Munnar panchayat (2011 census) - **Name:** "Three rivers": the Muthirapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundali meet here - **Tea:** First plantations in 1878; the Kanan Devan Hills company followed in 1897 - **Highest peak:** Anamudi, 2,695 m, in Eravikulam National Park - **Language:** Malayalam and Tamil - **Currency:** Indian rupee (INR) - **Time zone:** IST (UTC+5:30) - **Best months:** October to May; June to September is monsoon ## Interesting facts - Munnar means "three rivers": the Muthirapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundali meet in town. - The 1924 flood destroyed the Kundala Valley Railway, and the line was never rebuilt. - Eleanor Knight was buried here in 1894, so the CSI cemetery is older than its 1910 church. - The Neelakurinji turns the hills blue about every 12 years: 2006, 2018, and next in 2030. - Marayoor is the only place in Kerala where sandalwood grows wild. ## Munnar travel FAQ ### How many days do you need in Munnar? Two or three. One for Eravikulam and the Tea Museum, one for the Top Station road past Mattupetty, Echo Point and Kundala. Use a third for Marayoor and Chinnar, or for a Meesapulimala trek. ### When is the best time to visit Munnar? October to May for clear views, with December to February the coolest. June to September is monsoon: green, wet and prone to landslides. Eravikulam closes in February and March for tahr calving. ### When will the Neelakurinji bloom next? The mass flowering comes about every 12 years. The last was in 2018 and the next is predicted for 2030. Patches flower in other years, but the hillsides only turn blue in a bloom year. ### How do you get to Munnar from Kochi? By road, about four hours. Cochin airport and Aluva station are each about 110 km away. Hire a taxi, or take a KSRTC bus from Aluva or Ernakulam. The drive passes the Cheeyappara and Valara falls. ### Do you need a permit to trek around Munnar? For most trails, yes. Meesapulimala is booked through KFDC, with the permit collected at its Munnar office. Chokramudi and the Thoovanam trail at Chinnar run with the forest department. Go with the guide they assign. ## Nearby guides - [Mysore](https://wimup.com/city/mysore.md): India · 10 picks - [Jaffna](https://wimup.com/city/jaffna.md): Sri Lanka · 10 picks - [Anuradhapura](https://wimup.com/city/anuradhapura.md): Sri Lanka · 10 picks - [All of Asia →](https://wimup.com/asia): 87 cities Part of the [India guide](https://wimup.com/country/india.md) · [Asia](https://wimup.com/asia.md) ## Sources - [Munnar tourism board](https://www.keralatourism.org/destination/munnar/202?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Meet the Nilgiri tahr in Eravikulam National Park (official site)](https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/kerala/munnar/eravikulam-national-park?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Learn the tea story at the KDHP Tea Museum (official site)](https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/kerala/munnar/kannan-devan-tea-museum?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Trek Meesapulimala through Rhodo Valley (official site)](https://www.keralatourism.org/ecotourism/trekking-programs/trekking-munnar/36?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Walk the shore of Mattupetty Dam (official site)](https://www.keralatourism.org/destination/mattupetty-munnar/359?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Find the grizzled giant squirrel in Chinnar (official site)](https://www.keralatourism.org/destination/chinnar-wildlife-sanctuary-idukki/218/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [See Marayoor's sandalwood and dolmens (official site)](https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/kerala/munnar/marayoor?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Visit CSI Christ Church and its older graveyard (official site)](https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/kerala/munnar/csi-church?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Anayirangal Dam (official site)](https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/kerala/munnar/anayirankal?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Pampadum Shola National Park (official site)](https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/kerala/munnar/pampadum-shola-national-park?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Mount Carmel Church (official site)](https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/kerala/munnar/mount-carmel-church?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Cochin International Airport (official site)](https://www.cial.aero/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Aluva station (official site)](https://www.irctc.co.in/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [KSRTC buses (official site)](https://online.keralartc.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.