Travel Guide Munnar

some 38,000 inhabitants. On arrival, visitors are greeted by miles of tea plantations. Very popular with honeymooners, the town has recently appeared on the international tourism map, thanks to the efforts made by Kerala Tourism to promote its lesser-known destinations. Its lush green environment, lakes, reservoirs, forests and tea plantations are much appreciated and attract the traveler to relax in the Nilgiri ("Blue Mountains") hills. This small town in the Idukki district is also known for some of the world's highest tea plantations. Munnar is also home to South India's highest peak - Anamudi - at over 2,695 m. The region's tea plantations have been taken over by the Tata Tea Company. Munnar lies at the confluence of three mountain streams: Mudrapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundala. Situated at an altitude of 1,530 m, it was once the British government's summer resort. Stretches of tea plantations, picture-book towns, winding lanes, trekking and a growing number of hotels and transport facilities make this town popular, especially with Indian honeymooners. A much-loved exotic plant grows in the local forests and meadows: the neelakurinji, a flower that bathes the hills in blue once every twelve years (last blooming: 2018). But, alas, Munnar is a victim of its tourist success: signs advertising this or that resort are springing up along the roadsides, and the town center is beginning to suffer seriously from pollution.