Munnar's tea country: a planning guide

Tea bushes are kept at waist height by pruning so that pickers can reach the tender shoots. Pickers, mostly women, pluck the top two leaves and a bud by hand or with shears, moving along the rows every 7 to 14 days. Growth is fastest in and after the monsoon, while the cooler, drier months from December to March yield less leaf but often finer flavour.

In the factory, the leaf is withered in long troughs with air blown through it to reduce moisture, then rolled to break the cells and release the juices. It oxidises, often called fermenting, which turns it from green to coppery brown, before being dried in hot-air dryers and sorted into grades by size. Munnar produces both orthodox teas, rolled in the traditional way, and CTC teas, cut, torn and curled for strong, quick-brewing tea. Green and white teas are made in smaller quantities.

The best place to buy is the factory outlet near the Tata Tea Museum or the shop at an estate you visit, where you find fresh orthodox, CTC and green teas at fair prices. Ask about the grade and the date of manufacture. Roadside shops in town often sell mixed or older stock at higher prices. Tea travels well if kept sealed; most countries allow it in luggage for personal use.

The best experiences in Munnar are simple and outdoors. Most can be done in two or three days without rushing.

• A guided morning walk through the estates on pickers' paths, 4–10 km
• The Tata Tea Museum at Nallathanni, with a demonstration of processing
• A working factory visit, where permitted, with a tasting of grades
• Eravikulam National Park for the Nilgiri tahr, outside the calving closure
• The drive to Top Station via Mattupetty and Kundala lakes
• A pre-dawn jeep to Kolukkumalai for sunrise above the clouds
• A picnic on the estates and a quiet evening by the fire

Munnar's roads run out from the town in several directions, each with its own character. The table compares the main outings.

Eravikulam National Park protects about 97 km² of high grassland and shola forest north of Munnar. It is home to the largest surviving population of the Nilgiri tahr, a wild mountain goat found only in the Western Ghats, and to Anamudi, at 2,695 m the highest peak in India south of the Himalayas. Visitors are allowed only in the Rajamala tourist zone, reached by forest department bus.

The tahr here are habituated and graze close to the path, which makes for easy viewing and photography. The park usually closes each year for the calving season, from about February to March or April, and tickets are sold online in limited numbers. Check current status before you travel. Arrive at opening time to avoid queues and the mist that often rolls in later in the day.

Bring binoculars and a warm layer, as the grassland at this height is often windy and cool even when the valleys are warm.

Munnar town is crowded and noisy, and the best stays are a short drive outside it, on or near the estates. Windermere Estate, a working spice plantation at Pothamedu about 3 km from town, has cottages and a planter's bungalow with long views, quiet nights and estate walks. Blanket Hotel & Spa, beside the Attukad waterfall about 8 km away, is a modern alternative with views over the falls and the tea.

Plan two nights at minimum, as the drive from Kochi takes 3.5 to 4.5 hours. Three nights allows a slower pace with a sunrise excursion and a free afternoon. Many guests continue south to Thekkady, about three hours away through the Cardamom Hills.

September to March is the best time. December to February brings the clearest skies and the coldest nights, about 8–12 °C in town and lower on the high estates. September to November is greener, with full waterfalls and some afternoon rain. April and May are pleasant when the plains are hot but often hazy and busy with Indian school holidays. June to August is the heavy monsoon, when cloud often hides the views and hill roads can be affected by landslides.

Pack walking shoes with good grip, a warm layer and a light jacket, a rain jacket from June to November, a hat and sunscreen for the strong mountain sun, and motion-sickness tablets for the winding roads. Binoculars are useful at Eravikulam and on estate walks.

The Neelakurinji shrub, which turns the hills blue, flowers en masse every 12 years. The last great bloom around Munnar was in 2018, so the next is expected around 2030, usually between August and October.

There is no railway or airport in Munnar. Most guests fly into Cochin International Airport and drive about 110 km, 3.5 hours, via Kothamangalam and Adimali, with stops at the Cheeyappara and Valara waterfalls and a spice garden. From Fort Kochi the drive is about 130 km and 4 to 4.5 hours. Thekkady is about 90 km and 3 hours to the south, and Madurai airport in Tamil Nadu about 4.5 hours to the east. We avoid driving the hill roads after dark.

With two full days, we suggest the following. On the first morning, walk the tea with a guide from 7 am, then visit the Tata Tea Museum and taste the grades. In the afternoon, drive to Eravikulam, or to Top Station when the park is closed. On the second day, rise at 4.30 am for the Kolukkumalai sunrise, return for a late breakfast and spend the afternoon resting on your estate, perhaps with a short walk in its gardens before a fire in the evening.

With a third day, add a picnic on the estates, a longer walk through shola forest, or a day trip to the dry forests of Chinnar on the Tamil Nadu side, where the grizzled giant squirrel lives.