Up the hills towards Munnar, the snake road makes you feel dizzy and you want your journey to get over as fast as possible. But as you go round and round and climb towards the hill station which is situated at a height of 6000 ft and you realise that this hill station is tremendously gifted and not for nothing that it adds to the tranquil beauty of nature in the state. The weather suddenly turns cooler, the fogs are travelling over the mountains and the first signs of women plucking tea from the green tea gardens, is an indication that you have arrived in Munnar.
Attractions:
Tea Gardens: Munnar is full of tea gardens and it looks as if there is a green carpet on the mountains.One can go and see the tea being prepared in the museums.over all it adds to beauty of the place. Beautiful tea gardens, tea factories, and photographers heaven. You can wonder around gardens take photos. You can also visit old tea factories and see how tea power is actually made. You can also buy tea power from factories at discounted rates.
Eravikulam National Park :The 97 sq. km. park is situated in the Devikulam Taluk and is home to the Nilgiri Tahr. The Anamudi peak (2695 Mts) is located in the Southern region of the park.
Originally established to protect the Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiri Ibex), the Eravikulam National Park is situated in the Devikulam Taluk of the Idukki District. It was declared as a sanctuary in 1975. Considering the ecological, faunal, floral, geo-morphological and zoological significance, it was declared as a National park in 1978. It covers an area of 97 sq kms of rolling grasslands and high level sholas (evergreen forests). The park is breathtakingly beautiful and is easily comparable to the best mountain ranges found anywhere in the world. .
Mattupetty: Situated at a height of 1700 Mts , Mattupetty is famous for its highly specialised dairy farm, the Indo-swiss live stock project. Over 100 varietes of high yielding cattle are reared here.Visitors are allowed into three of the eleven cattle sheds at the farm. The Mattupetty lake and dam , just a short distance from the farm, is a very beautiful picnic spot. The sprawling Kundala tea plantations and the Kundala lake are other attractions in the vicinity. DTPC Idukki provides boating facilities on the Mattupetty Dam. Speed Launch and slow speed motor boats are available on hire.
Pallivasal:This is the venue of the first Hydro Electric Project in Kerala and a place of immense scenic beauty.
Rajamala: The natural habitat of the Niligiri tahr , Rajamala is 2695 Mts above sea level. Half the world's population of the rare mountain goat or tahr which is fast becoming extinct, is now found here.The Niligiri tahr in Rajamala are now to be found in small herds found in Eravikulam-Rajamala region. The total number of Niligiri Tahrs in Rajamala is estimated to be over 1300.
Chinnar:A unique thorny scrub forest with xerophyte species, Chinnar is the habitat for the endangered Giant Grizzled Squirrel of India. Their total number here would be less than 200. Located in the rain shadow area of the Western Ghats, unlike other sanctuaries in Kerala, Chinnar gets only less than two months of rain every year. Rich in wildlife, the mixed deciduous forests here are ideal for trekking.An extensive Sandalwood forest nearby is an added attraction at Chinnar. This is also an ideal place for watching herds of gaur and elephants amble past. Dry deciduous forests, high sholas and some grasslands add to the diversity of the sanctuary. As one travels from Karimuthi to Chinnar, elephants, spotted deer, sambar, hanuman langur and even peacocks can be spotted on either side of the road.
