MUNNAR-The Prince of Hills

I could not prevent  myself  unconsciously uttering the words ‘Prince  of hills’ when I saw the queen in the early morning wrapped in milky  silken mist on the morning of late October, knowing well the Queen is  Mussourie .

The place beautified more by the tea plants spread a green blanket all over the hills. The place  is the middle of the Periyar hills of the Western ghats, around 126 Km from Cochin on the Cochin-Madurai National Highway No 49 at a hight of around 8200 feet from the mean sea level at the tallest peak and 4200 feet at the bottom of the hills.

Munnar hills receive both the rains adding to the moist climate most  of the year. During the rainy season there are plenty of water falls. The best season to visit is January to April when the climate is soothingly cool. There is Mavattipura  Dam & falls around six Kms from Munnar. If you go down south there is Thekkady with the elephants and  the spices. Munnar also has  its collection of Spices if you want to do shopping. If you want to play golf then there is a one golf course managed by the High Range Club guest house.

There are few resorts for a modest price around 3000 to 5000,  depending on the season and the locality, which has a booking for at least two months in advance. The common language is Malayalam & Tamil.  English Hindi is also Ok with the locals who  may understand and reply either in sign language or their language.  Munnar, the Prince of Hills   will remain the  favorite weekend joint for the cities nearby.