Munnar can be differentiated into Munnar the city which is grotty like most such popular hill stations, and Munnar the region which is truly fantastic.
Most tourists do not stay in Munnar city, but prefer hotels and resorts in the two main areas being Pothamedu on the Cochin road and Chinnakanal on the Thekkady road. We stayed in Hotel Siena Village at Chinnakanal in the last week of May this year.
The famous Mahendra and Sterling resorts are also located here. Chinnakanal is about 18km away from Munnar at an elevation of about 1700m AMSL. It is surrounded by vast tea estates and overlooks the scenic Lake Anaiyerankal in the valley below.
The high elevation Kolukumalai tea estate is just beyond Chinakanal. Almost every day of the year, there is a wonderful mountain mist in the early morning and evenings here which give a wonderful surreal effect. There is a proper walkable path going up the mountain side at Chinakanal which brings you to about 2000+m AMSL. It is also possible to go on an outing to the Anaierankal lake which your hotel can organise for you. From Chinakanal to reach Munnar town, you have to traverse the famous Lockhart Gap which is mostly mist bound. When the mist clears momentarily you can get a great view of the Bison Valley below.
When it rains, there are seasonal waterfalls on the huge rock face of Lockharg Gap road. After this section comes a scenic drive through tea gardens and then you reach Devikulam. Devikulam is a pretty place with its own lake, one big and one small.
There are some hotels here as well which are good for those wanting a peaceful, quiet stay. From Devikulam you will pass the famous Chokkanadu tea estate whose photos adorn Munnar Tourism posters. You can take a short walk at any of the unfenced portions of the tea estates, it is quite a good experience. Soon you will reach Munnar town where you can purchase the famous leaf teas, spices and strawberry jam.
From the town, you can take the road to the pretty Madupetty and Kundala lakes - both have boating, and then up to Top Slip. From here the adventurous can go on a guided half day trek through the Pambadum Shola reserve forest. You can book this through the Forest Dept here or at Munnar. Another excursion from Munnar town is to the Eravikulam National Park at Rajamalai to sight the Nilgiri Tahr.
The highest peak in peninsular India - the Anaimudi mountain - is located here but requires permission to trek up to the summit. A better excursion is to skip Rajamalai but proceed on the same route to Marayoor and Chinnar sanctuary.
This route passes the deep valleys of Nayamakad, Talaiyar and Gundamalai, all carpeted in tea estates and patches of shola forests, ringed by very high mountains on all sides. At Marayoor you can see original sandalwood forests but these are fenced off due to vandalism. A lone tree on the roadside has been scraped for visitors to smell the sandal scent. Do visit the prehistoric ancient Muniyara dolmens at Kovilkadavu village near Marayoor.
After this drive through the deciduous Chinnar sanctuary where you will descend to 500m at the Tamil Nadu border! You can also do a guided forest trek to the waterfalls or to some more dolmen sites, you can engage a forest guide at Alampetty en route. The Munnar Chinnar route is the most scenic in India. Yet another scenic drive is from Munnar to Pothamedu for a valley view and on the Cochin route for the beautiful Athukkad waterfalls, followed by the Vallara and Cheeyapara waterfalls. Those who love nature can trek in the Neriamangalam forests on this route.
A day trip to the Periyar sanctuary at Thekkady is also possible if you leave early enough in the morning. All in all, the Munnar region is an excellent holiday destination. Even in peak summer season, there are plenty of places which are uncrowded, and if you go just slightly off the beaten track, you will discover plenty of scenic locations all to yourself. Hotels are at all budget ranges from shoestring to home stay to luxury. Best to hire a car with driver for convenience. Great for couples to groups to families.