going to munnar advice needed

[karthik8741]

dear all ,
on 17 th of january i will be going to munnar from tirupur to spend my vocation with my wife and 4 year old daughter in my 2005 indica dls 16 k kms on odo.
i need expert advice on the following things ;
1. is the udumalpet - munnar road is in drivable condition for a non expert driver ? ( i never drive in hilly road ).

2. i never did long drive , what are the precautions to be taken ?

3. what are the places to be visited in munnar ?

4. is there any decent resorts available for nominal rent ? any recomendations ?
5. any body knows the claimate and road condition ?

any advice will be accepted with thanks.

( to mods : i don't know whether this is the right place , if not kindly move to respected place )

[GSMINC]

1. Udumalpet-munnar road was closed for some time. but it is now open since a few years.
2. Tiruppur-munnar can be covered in half a day.
So start early, drive carefully & reach safely.
3. Places to visit in munnar- Topslip view point, kundala dam, mattupetty dam, Indo-Swiss Cow project, Anaimudi (south India's Highest peak), Tata Tea factory, Strawberry jam Factory (tata tea's non-profit social initative) etc.
4.Stay- Munnar offers you everything- Star resorts to budget rooms. If you want budget then try Srivari Resorts, opp Hotel Tea County. neat & clean rooms with 24hr hot water (rs-500-1250) bargain hard. now it is off-season. For food-the best place for veg-Hotel Sri saravana bhavan, nr Munnar bus stand. For non-veg-Hotel hannefa nr bus stand.
5. Climate will br really cold. My point is one should eat ice cream or visit hill stations always in the winter.that is the real thrill.
6. if drink carry your own booze. kerala is horribly expensive & not much brands available.
put up acampfire in your hotel garden, mix yourself a drink & just chill out....,

[hvkumar]

The Udumalaipet-Munnar road is narrow and steep in some places but for most part a very good road. Please watch out for wild life after dark between Chinnar and Maraiyoor.

Keep all your vehicle documents in order in case you are stopped at any of the check posts. Carry enough woollens. Ensure that your stepney tyere is fully inflated and your jack/spanner is in the car. Carry a small hand torch in case you have to attend to something in the car after dark. Have the car thoroughly checked before you set off, and en route please check vital signs such as coolant, engine oil, leakages, etc.

I don't know how many days you propose to spend in Munnar, but GSMINC has already mentioned the hot spots in Munnar. To take it in the sequence from Munnar town, it is: Munnar-Mattupetty Dam-Kundale Dam-Top Station, and back the same way to Munnar. You have boating in both Mattupetty and Kundale Dams. This is ideally a day's outing from Munnar. You have some restaurants/tea shops at these places.

Another day, you could drive across to Chinnakanal (Devikulam-Thekkady road) to see the Panniar Dam View. This can be a 2-hour trip to and fro.

On the same day, you can drive to Eravikulam National Park (on the Munnar-Maraiyoor road, the same way you came from Udumalaipet), but I think at this time of the year you cannot see the Tahr (mountain goat). Nonetheless, the drive and views are fantastic from Eravikulam. Anaimudi Peak is in the same area but that requires permissions and is an arduous trek. Hence not meant for families.

Please check out - in case you have a club membership in your city - whether there is any reciprocal arangement with Highland Club in Munnar, which is one of the best places to stay in Munnar town. Sterling and Club Mahindra have resorts at Chinnakanal 13 kms out of Munnar town. Several resorts have been torn down in recent minths thanks to their being illegal constructions, hence recheck on phone what you find on internet. For budget accomodation, I find the S N Tourist Home in Munnar town (2 properties, S N Tourist Home & S N Annexe) good places to stay in. Hotel Green Valley View is also good, situated near the bus stand on the Kochi road.

Road conditions are good.

[deepakhon]

Ha, pretty useful information here. I will be in Munnar starting from 20th to 23rd. I am booked at Tea County.

Right now, I am just contemplating the route I need to take from Bangalore to Munnar. I am driving with my wife and my 2.5 year old Angel. I did put up a query in another thread where members like akroy have advised me to take the Hosur-Dharmapuri-Salem-Bhavani-Sathy-Coimbatore-Munnar route (if I remember correctly. I need to revisit that thread).

I will be proceeding to Thekkady on 23rd and will proceed to Alleppey on 24th. I am there at Cochin on 25th and will be back to Bangalore on 26th (hopefully). I have kept a buffer of one day more at Cochin if we think it worthwhile to stay there for another day.

In the meanwhile, it will be great if I can meet up with some team-bhpians during my stay here. Let me know if we can meet up.

[karthik8741]

sorry for the delayed reply ,
thanks a lot for your comprehencive advice GSMINC & HVKUMAR.
i will be staying thre for 2 days
ANOTHER QUERY,
is indica climbable in that hill ? any special advice regarding this;
thanks & regards
karthik

[hvkumar]

No problem with climbing the roads to Munnar, they are not very steep.

[karthik8741]

thank you hvkumar.
after completion of my trip i will put my travelogue.

regards
karthik.

[HappyWheels]

take a lot of warm clothing and also carry some basic medicine (just for safe measure).

have a safe and enjoyable trip, karthik

[karthik8741]

thank you happy wheels !
advance pongal wishes for every body !
regards
karthik

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by deepakhon

I will be proceeding to Thekkady on 23rd and will proceed to Alleppey on 24th. I am there at Cochin on 25th and will be back to Bangalore on 26th (hopefully). I have kept a buffer of one day more at Cochin if we think it worthwhile to stay there for another day.

In the meanwhile, it will be great if I can meet up with some team-bhpians during my stay here. Let know if we can meet up.

26th or 27th I should be there at Cochin as another TBHPian is coming down from Yemen.

Will confirm later.

edit: I should be at Chertalla that weekend if I am not coming to Cochin. Chertalla is only 15min drive from Alleppey. How about some Kallu?

[hydrashok]

Originally Posted by deepakhon

... I am there at Cochin on 25th and will be back to Bangalore on 26th (hopefully). I have kept a buffer of one day more at Cochin if we think it worthwhile to stay there for another day.

In the meanwhile, it will be great if I can meet up with some team-bhpians during my stay here. Let me know if we can meet up.

We'll definitely meet-up. We'll all make the stay worth it, heh, heh

[deepakhon]

Guys, I am loving it already See you there. I will PM you my number.

[speedzak]

We will sure have a meet in honour of our guest, Honnali. Requires a separate thread and it will come after 12th this month, I guess!

[ram_hyundai]

i am in speedzak,ages since we met and lets make this memorable.
ram

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by ram_hyundai

i am in speedzak,ages since we met and lets make this memorable.

I think this one qualifies for Prof Yeti's english thread. Or Zakkie is