Two days is the right length for Munnar. Day one goes up the Top Station road early and stops at Kundala Lake, Echo Point and Mattupetty Dam on the way back. Day two is Eravikulam National Park at opening time, the Tea Museum, the Rose Garden, Blossom Park, Attukad Waterfalls and Pothamedu. If one day is a Monday, make it the Top Station day.
Straight up to Top Station first, before the cloud fills the valley, then Kundala Lake, Echo Point and Mattupetty Dam on the way back, lunch, and Photo Point. A shorter day, back in town by early afternoon.
At about 1,700 m, the highest point on the Munnar to Kodaikanal road, on the Kerala and Tamil Nadu border, about 33 km from town. From the watch tower and the steps down the slope you look straight over the edge into the plains of Tamil Nadu.
Tip: The road is narrow and winding, so go there first and see the lakes on the way back.
A quiet lake behind an old arch dam about 20 km from town by road, ringed by eucalyptus and tea. You can take a pedal boat or a shikara, a canopied rowing boat, out on the water.
Tip: It is on the way to Top Station, so stop on the way back down.
A lakeside spot at the end of the Mattupetty reservoir, about 11 km from town, where a shout comes back off the hills across the water. There are pedal boats and a row of snack stalls.
Tip: It is busy and short on space. Twenty to thirty minutes is enough.
A concrete dam about 7 km from town on the Top Station road, holding back a long lake between tea-covered hills. Speed boats and pedal boats run from the jetty, and wild elephants sometimes come down to the far shore.
Tip: Boat queues are long at weekends and in season. Go early or on a weekday.
A bend on the Top Station road where the tea gardens run down to a small stream, with neat rows of bushes on every slope. It is the classic Munnar photograph.
Tip: Stop for a few minutes only; the road is narrow and the cab has to pull in.
Eravikulam National Park when it opens, then the Tea Museum and the Rose Garden, lunch, Blossom Park by the river, Attukad Waterfalls and the Pothamedu viewpoint. Back in town by about 16:00. Not on a Monday, when the Tea Museum is closed.
Grassy hills and shola forest north of town (the gate is about 10 km by road), home to the Nilgiri tahr, a mountain goat found only in the Western Ghats. Forest department buses take you from the gate up to Rajamala, where a paved path runs along the slope and the tahr often graze a few metres away. The Neelakurinji, which flowers once every twelve years, last bloomed here in 2018.
Tip: Private cars stop at the gate (Fifth Mile); the ticket includes the bus up. Book online for a time slot in season, because the daily number of visitors is capped.
A museum in the Nallathanni tea estate, just north of town, run by Kannan Devan Hills Plantations, the company that grows most of Munnar's tea. Old photographs and machines tell the story of the estates since the 1880s, and a working section shows green leaf turning into black tea, with a tasting at the end.
Tip: Closed on Mondays. The short film runs at set times, so ask at the counter when the next show starts.
A terraced garden run by the district tourism council on the Devikulam road, with roses, orchids and other flowers, and a nursery selling plants and seeds.
Tip: It is small. Forty minutes is enough unless you are buying plants.
A large park beside the Muthirapuzha river about 2 km south of town, with lawns, flower beds, a pond with pedal boats, and a zip line and other rides for children.
Tip: It is popular with families at weekends, so weekdays are quieter.
A waterfall dropping through tea estates and forest about 4 km south of town, on the Pallivasal road. A short path leads down to a view of the falls and a footbridge.
Tip: The rocks near the water are slippery all year. Stay on the path; people have drowned here.
A roadside viewpoint about 4 km south of town looking over tea, coffee and cardamom plantations and the Pallivasal valley.
Tip: It pairs with Attukad Waterfalls, a short drive along the same road.
Drive times come from road routing without traffic. Munnar's hill roads are narrow and slow, and the town jams at weekends and in the holiday season, so allow extra, above all on the Top Station road. Opening hours marked ? are not yet confirmed, so check them before you go.
Call or message a local Munnar operator with this plan. Tell them your hotel and dates, and they send a price for the car and driver.
Pickup from Kochi, Alleppey, Munnar, Thekkady, Kumarakom, Kovalam, Varkala, Kollam, Trivandrum, Thiruvananthapuram, Guruvayur, Triprayar, Cherai
The hours we planned around. Check before you go on a public holiday.
| Place | Open | Best time | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top Station | Open in daylight; small ticket at the top? | Morning. Cloud often fills the valley by early afternoon. | 1 h |
| Kundala Lake | Boating about 09:00 to 17:00? | Morning, on the way back down from Top Station. | 45 min |
| Echo Point | About 09:00 to 17:00? | Morning or afternoon, between Mattupetty and Kundala. | 30 min |
| Mattupetty Dam | Boating about 09:00 to 17:30? | Morning or afternoon, for a boat on the lake. | 45 min |
| Photo Point | Open in daylight; no ticket? | Any time, on the way to Mattupetty. | 15 min |
| Eravikulam National Park (Rajamala) | About 07:00 to 16:00; closed for about two months each year, usually February and March, for the Nilgiri tahr calving season | First thing in the morning, before the queues and the mist. | 2 h 30 min |
| Tea Museum (KDHP) | 09:00 to 17:00; closed on Mondays | Late morning, on the way back from Eravikulam. | 1 h |
| Rose Garden (DTPC Botanical Garden) | About 09:00 to 18:00? | Any time; it is on the edge of town. | 40 min |
| Blossom Park (Hydel Park) | About 09:00 to 19:30? | Afternoon, for a slow walk by the river. | 45 min |
| Attukad Waterfalls | Daylight hours; no ticket? | In or just after the monsoon (June to December), when the falls are full. | 30 min |
| Pothamedu Viewpoint | Open in daylight; no ticket? | Afternoon, when the light slants across the valleys. | 20 min |
Yes. Two days covers Top Station, Kundala, Mattupetty, Echo Point, Eravikulam, the Tea Museum, the gardens and Attukad Waterfalls without rushing.
About 33 km east on a narrow, winding road. Go early: cloud often fills the valley below it by early afternoon.
Make Monday the Top Station day. The Tea Museum, on the Eravikulam day, is closed on Mondays.