Kerala’s high ranges, from tea to tigers

Kochi to Munnar: Eravikulam, Lockhart Tea Factory & Waterfalls Day Tour

The most complete way to see Munnar in a day from Kochi. A private car climbs the ghat road to Eravikulam National Park, the Lockhart Tea Factory and its estate, Attukal Waterfalls and the valley viewpoints, with a traditional Kerala lunch included. It is a long day — an overnight option is also listed.

• Eravikulam National Park, home of the Nilgiri tahr
• Lockhart Tea Factory visit and a walk in the tea estate
• Attukal Waterfalls, viewpoints and a Kerala lunch

Munnar: Tea Trail, Tea Factory and Tea Tasting Tour

A short, inexpensive and very well-reviewed introduction to what Munnar is all about. A local guide walks you through the tea bushes, explains how the leaf is plucked and processed, then takes you into the Lockhart Tea Factory for a tasting.

• Guided walk through a working tea plantation
• Lockhart Tea Factory visit
• Tea tasting and the story of tea in Munnar

Munnar: Half-Day Guided Trek

A morning on foot through tea estates and up into the Lekshmi (Lakshmi) Hills west of town, with a local guide who knows the paths, the birds and the plantation villages. A good-value way to get out of the car and into the landscape.

• Tea plantations and the Lekshmi Hills on foot
• Panoramic views over the Munnar valleys
• A local guide in a small group

Munnar Mountain Hiking (Full Day)

The serious option: a hard seven-to-eight-hour day in the hills around Munnar with a guide. The operator describes it as a tough trek, so come fit, with proper shoes and rain protection.

• A demanding 7–8 hour trek through the Munnar mountains
• Tea estates, forest and open hill country
• Meal included

Cochin: Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary Safari with Boat Ride

A same-day trip from Kochi to Thekkady for travellers who cannot stay overnight: the drive up into the Cardamom Hills, a spice plantation visit and the boat ride on Periyar Lake, where elephants, gaur and deer come down to the water. Expect a lot of time on the road.

• Boat ride on Periyar Lake inside the tiger reserve
• Guided walk through a spice plantation
• Private car from Kochi with a meal included

Wilderness & Culture: One-Day Tour of Thekkady with Jeep

A full Thekkady day put together for you: a jeep trip into the hill country, a spice plantation, the boat on Periyar Lake and a Kathakali performance in the evening. It saves arranging each piece yourself.

• Jeep ride through the hills around Thekkady
• Spice plantation visit and Periyar Lake boat ride
• Evening Kathakali dance performance

Munnar: Anakulam Jeep Safari with Waterfalls and Elephants

A jeep day out from Munnar through the Letchmi tea estate and a local village to Anakulam, where wild elephants often come to the river, with waterfall stops on the way. The price is per jeep for up to four people. Elephant sightings depend on the day and season.

• Jeep safari to Anakulam, known for its wild elephants
• Letchmi tea estate and a local village
• Time to swim at the waterfalls

Munnar: Kolukkumalai Tea Plantation Jeep Tour

Kolukkumalai sits on a ridge above 2,000 m and can only be reached by four-wheel-drive up a rocky estate road from Suryanelli. This private tour handles the transport and the jeep, and gives you time among the tea and at the viewpoints.

• Jeep ride up the rough estate track to Kolukkumalai
• One of the highest tea plantations in the world
• Huge views over the plains of Tamil Nadu

Munnar

South India’s tea capital

A small market town at around 1,500 m where three mountain streams meet, surrounded on every side by tea estates planted from the 1880s onward. Munnar is the natural base for the high ranges: the tea museum, estate walks, viewpoints, waterfalls and Eravikulam National Park are all within an hour.

Eravikulam National Park

Nilgiri tahr and the kurinji hills

A high plateau of rolling grassland and shola forest north of Munnar, protected for the endangered Nilgiri tahr, which graze within a few metres of visitors in the Rajamalai tourist zone. It is also the most famous place to see the Neelakurinji, the shrub that turns the slopes blue roughly once every twelve years.

Periyar Tiger Reserve

A lake safari in the Cardamom Hills

Kerala’s best-known wildlife reserve: more than 900 km² of forest wrapped around a lake created by the Mullaperiyar Dam in 1895. Boat trips from Thekkady look for elephants, gaur, sambar and otters on the shore, and the forest department’s bamboo rafting and guided walks take you deeper in.

Thekkady Spice Plantations

Cardamom, pepper and Kathakali in Kumily

The hills around Kumily, the town at the gate of Periyar, are the heart of Kerala’s cardamom country. Guided plantation walks show how cardamom, pepper, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla and coffee actually grow, and the town’s evenings fill with Kathakali and Kalaripayattu shows.

Vagamon

Meadows, pines and a quieter pace

A small hill station at about 1,100 m on the Idukki–Kottayam border, known for its bare green meadows, a planted pine forest and tea gardens. It is closer to Kochi than Munnar, far less developed, and a favourite for paragliding and slow weekends.

Idukki Arch Dam

A concrete arch between two granite hills

One of the highest arch dams in Asia, spanning the Periyar gorge between the hills of Kuravan and Kurathi. With the neighbouring Cheruthoni and Kulamavu dams it holds back the vast Idukki reservoir. The dam top opens to visitors only at certain times, but the viewpoints are open all year.