MUNNAR , 130km east of Kochi and four-and-a-half hours by bus north of Periyar, is the centre of Kerala's principal tea growing region. Although billed in tourist bumf as a "hill station", it is less a Raj-style resort than a scruffy, workaday settlement of corrugated iron-roofed cottages and factories, surrounded by vast swathes of rolling green
tea plantations . All the same, it's easy to see why the pioneering Scottish planters that first developed this hidden valley in the 1900s felt so at home here. At an altitude of around 1600m, the town enjoys a refreshing climate, with crisp winter mornings and relentlessly heavy rain during the monsoons. Hemmed in by soaring mountains - including peninsular India's highest peak,
Anamudi (2695m) - it also boasts a spectacular setting; when the river mist clears, the surrounding summits form a wild backdrop to the carefully manicured plantations carpeting the valley floor and sides.
Munnar's greenery and cool air draw mainly well-heeled honeymooners from Mumbai and Bangalore. However, more and more foreigners are stopping here for a few days, enticed by the spellbinding bus ride from Periyar, which runs across the high ridges and lush tropical forests of the Cardamom hills, or by the equally spectacular climb across the Ghats from Madurai. The town itself may be dull, but the hiking and cycling are excellent, with all gradients on offer, from gentle rambles through the tea fields to mountain climbing.
The Town and around
Raj-ophiles will enjoy the prospect of verandaed British bungalows clinging to the side of the shallow valleys, and the famous
High Range Club on the southeast edge of town, with its manicured lawns and golf course (open to nonresidents). Beyond the club sprawl some of the valley's 37 thousand-acre plantations, most of which are owned by the industrial giant, Tata. Their regional headquarters in the centre of town is the place to arrange visits to
tea factories in the area (tel 0486/530561).
Munnar has become popular with young travellers who head up here for the excellent off-road cycling . There are no official routes, just miles and miles of hills to climb up and speed down. You can rent gearless bicycles in the market for about Rs4 per hour; if you want proper mountain bikes, ask at the DTPC office (Rs50 per day) or at KTDC Tea County - their top-notch bikes are officially for residents but its worth enquiring if any are available.
Encompassing 100 square kilometres of moist evergreen forest and grassy hilltops in the Western Ghats, the Eravikulam National Park (daily 7am-6pm; foreigners Rs50, Indians Rs10; cars/taxis Rs10, auto-rickshaws Rs5), 13km northeast of Munnar (autos charge Rs150 return). It is the last stronghold of one of the world's rarest mountain goats, the Nilgiri tahr . Its innate friendliness made the tahr pathetically easy prey during the hunting frenzy of the colonial era. During a break in his campaign against Tipu Sultan in the late 1790s, the future Duke of Wellington reported that his soldiers were able to shoot the unsuspecting goats as they wandered through his camp. By Independence the tahr was virtually extinct; today, however, numbers are healthy, and the animals have regained their tameness, largely thanks to the efforts of the American biologist, Cifford Rice, who studied them here in the early 1980s. Unable to get close enough to properly observe the creatures, Rice followed the advice of locals and attracted them using salt. Soon, entire herds were congregating around his camp. The tahrs' salt addiction also explains why so many hang around the park gates at Vaguvarai , where visitors - despite advice from rangers - slip them salty snacks.
The park gates mark the start of an excellent hike up the most accessible of the Anamudi massif's three peaks, for which you'll need sturdy footwear, plenty of water, a fair amount of stamina and a head for heights. Due to past environmental erosion, you now need to purchase a permit before setting off, available from the Wildlife DFO in Munnar (tel 0486/530487). To start the trek, follow the road as it winds through the sanctuary, cutting across the switchbacks until you reach the pass forming the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border (auto-rickshaws and jeep taxis will drive you this far, although you can enter the park by paying the extra vehicle fee). Leave the road here and head up the ridge to your right; the path, which becomes very steep, peters out well before you reach the summit, and many hikers find the gradient too hair-raising to continue. But the panoramic views from the top are well worth the effort, and you may be rewarded with a glimpse of tahr grazing the high slopes.
Another popular excursion is the 34-kilometre uphill climb by bus through the subcontinent's highest tea estates to Top Station , a tiny hamlet on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border with superb views across the plains. It's renowned for the very rare Neelakurunji plant ( Strobilatanthes ), which grows in profusion on the mountainsides but only flowers once every twelve years, when crowds descend to admire the cascades of violet blossom spilling down the slopes. Top Station is accessible by bus from Munnar (8 daily starting at 5.30am; 1hr), and taxi-jeeps will do the round trip for Rs600.
