Located in western Kerala, Munnar, a post-colonial British tea hub, sees thousands of domestic and foreign tourists flock to its greenery charm.
Having visited both Cochin and Alleppey before heading inland, Munnar struck us as a destination more similar to North Wales than India. North Wales is lovely, but Munnar has a few more strings to its bow, with the weather being the obvious one.
Whether you plan to drown yourself in tea, try the town’s home-grown chocolate, or get lost in the many rolling hills Munnar has to offer, it is a must-visit for anyone visiting the Kerala region.
Chocolate
After trying chocolate throughout India before Kerala, we were quick to write off the country’s ability to make chocolate to rival Europe.
With Georgina checking smog levels daily, calculating the equivalent amount of cigarettes we have smoked (18 a day for Delhi), it’s been hard to imagine the country having the right conditions to home-grow chocolate. Thankfully, Munnar has been churning out chocolate throughout its history, with many European countries sourcing its soil for some of the finest cocoa in the world.
Is it hard to find? In short, no.
Every chocolate shack, store, or bus seller will gladly offer you taste tests, which are hard not to take advantage of. Offering your standard milk, white, and dark, as well as more adventurous flavourings: mango, pistachio, dark butterscotch, pineapple, and our favourite, dark crunch.
We got most of our cocoa from Jes’ homemade chocolate shop, next to KSRTC bus station. If you’re lucky, the local cricket league will be showing numerous matches across the road. The games coupled well with two buckets of chocolate and six samosas.
These chocolate shops can be found at almost every tourist attraction in Munnar, normally on the side of the road.
Having gone to Cadbury’s World and being bored to death back in the UK, I wasn’t too keen on repeating the same feeling in Munnar. However, if you are fascinated by the making of Munnar chocolate, the town’s chocolate factory is open for tours, with tasting sessions included.
Overall, chocolate in Munnar tastes very different from Europe’s (dark chocolates especially, don’t expect the same bitterness). They are not as sickly, hence why we were consuming them in buckets, and for some reason felt healthier, or so we kept telling ourselves.
Costing about 2 dollars per 100 grams, with the addition of all the free tastings, they are very much a traveller’s sweet dream.
Tea
A trip to Munnar would be incomplete without visiting its many tea factories and farms. Being budget-friendly, and naïve, we sought to explore a tea plantation without a guide.
Following directions to Letchmi Estate here, we stumbled across a secret pathway up its hilly complexion.
Gina enjoyed sending me out amongst the tea fields for her to take one of many photos.
When the novelty wore off, we headed back down the hills to the road, only to find barbed wire with a big sign saying ‘No trespassing without a guide’. So, if you plan to break the law, wear green to blend in.
Aside from our criminal behaviour, we also visited the Madupatty Tea Factory, where you can get an insight into how they farm and produce their tea. Annoyingly, Monday is the only day when all tea factories are closed due to it being a working day on the farm, so we actually didn’t get to go on a tour. It didn’t stop us trying the tea, though.
Tea tasting is very easy to find in Munnar’s many cafés and restaurants. We went to Taste The Brews and Grills to try their five-tea tasting option. Bizarrely, the establishment didn’t have a toilet, making it difficult to finish all the teas.
How many days for Munnar?
We did four nights, staying at Money Tribe Hostel. Despite its terrible pool table, this was the best place we stayed in India to date.
Munnar shouldn’t be a drop-and-dash destination. The town encourages slow travel and has many touristy attractions to keep you busy.
We arranged a tuk-tuk tour towards the Top Station (the Madupetty region), stopping off at various attractions along the way:
How to get to Munnar?
Munnar was easy to get to for us. Coming from Alleppey, our desk research suggested booking a tourist bus at very inconvenient times and at an expensive rate. Instead, we took the government bus from Alleppey bus station. These leave at 6:30 am, 8:30 am, and 2 pm, with the journey taking five to six hours.
Online information is ropey, so I’d recommend going directly to the KSRTC bus station, or speaking to a local where you’re staying.
