Munnar (IPA: [muːn̪ːɐːr]) is a town and hill station located in the Idukki district of the southwestern Indian state of Kerala. Munnar is situated at around 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) above mean sea level, in the Western Ghats mountain range. Munnar is also called the "Kashmir of South India" and is a popular honeymoon destination.
Some of these sites are more popular for Indian tourists than Western tourists.
Kerala is famous for Fish Curry. For snacks, one should try local spicy cashew nut, chilly bhaji with hot tea as they are a traditional snack and makes good combination in cold weather.
*Bamboo Hut, G.H. Road. Wide range of food for reasonable prices, although service can be a bit slow. Also, the place usually has Western music (from Bob Dylan to electronic chill-out sound). *Saravana Bhavan, Right at the heart of town and one of the most inexpensive places to eat. The service here is quick and the food is absolutely delicious. You might have to share your table with others. This place provides South Indian dishes, served on a banana leaf.
Fresh tea, coffee and milk is available at most places. Hard and soft drink are also available at fair number of shops.
Packed grapes and mixed fruit juice is also available at few places.
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The best things to buy are tea, coffee, spices like cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and pepper and definitely home made chocolates.
Renting an auto-rickshaw to roam around the city costs ₹50 per hour. You can also rent a manual or automatic motorbike on a daily basis for ₹350/day.
Munnar is a beautiful hill station, and was a summer resort for the British during the British Raj.
The town is divided into two parts: Old Munnar, where the tourist information office is, and Munnar, where the bus station and most guest houses are located.
The region in and around Munnar varies in height from to 2,695 m (8,842 ft) above mean sea level. It is pronounced "Moon-aar" short for "moonu aar" meaning 3 rivers. Three rivers - Madupetti, Nallathanni and Periavaru — flow through this town, but join some distance away from Munnar.
Munnar is famous for its tea plantations, many of them started by the British. The "Kannan Devan" brand of tea from the Tata is cultivated and processed here.
The strobilanthus ("neelakurinji" in Malayalam, the local language), a blue flower which blooms only every 12 years, is found in this region. It last bloomed from August to October 2018. The Eravikulam National Park is the main Neelakurinji flowering area and the number of tourists allowed in the park during the blooming period was limited to 2,750 a day. Munnar also has the highest peak in South India, Anamudi, at 2,695 m.
Eravikulam National Park is one of the main tourist attractions, where you can find the endangered species of Nilgiri Tahr (mountain goat called "varayadu" in Malayalam). A trek to Rajamala ("King of hills" in Malayalam), in the morning is sure to spot a few friendly mountain goats. You can also find gaur, langur, lion-tailed macaque, and elephants depending on the season and time of travel. The altitude is 1,600 m- 2,000 m above sea level.