[Rachet]

Hello Everyone,

Famous for the tea estates, greenery, winding roads, blanket of mist, and viewpoints, Munnar is without a doubt one of the best and favourite touring destinations for most of us.







I have been to Munnar before , but this time it felt special taking my 630d there.As always I started from Palakkad and took the route via Batlagundu because I stayed for a day in Kodaikanal on my way.



When I reached Poopara I was greeted by one of the most beautiful roads through the valley and I was able to experience instant happiness not just by the scenic place alone but also by the experience delivered by the BMW in that super smooth road. The fun of driving on that road is something that needs to be experienced without a doubt. Any car for that matter on that road would give a flying carpet feel.





The road is called the Gap road . As per the locals, it used to be one of the worst roads causing accidents and road blocks. They also said it often took people hours to complete the whole stretch because of the condition of the road.But now after 5 years of work, the road is now easily one of the most beautiful and wide roads among all Ghat roads.It felt so hard to even stop driving through the road that I ended up taking my car two times in that stretch just to enjoy the drive.So happy to see such roads coming up in the ghats and making the trip to these destinations worthwhile .They have indeed planned the layout of the road really well by designing it in such a way that it adds to the beauty of the location and those who travel are able to enjoy nature the best way possible.I would any day recommend the Gap road to anyone. It's worth visiting Munnar just to drive through this road.





There was another place which I wanted to visit in Munnar and that is Kolukkumalai. This is the famous Sunrise point there. According to those who have been there, If you are lucky and the sky is clear you would be witnessing the most beautiful and memorable sunrise in your life. I had high hopes about witnessing one like that. Unfortunately it rained the night before and all we could see was mist and nothing else. But that did deliver a different vibe and a wonderful experience which each one of us enjoyed.





Private vehicles are not permitted to Kolukkumalai. The way to Kolukkumalai includes 15 kms of pure off-roading . Trust me when I say this. THERE IS NO ROAD. You need to book a Jeep safari and they charge Rs500/person .The drivers are experienced locals and they drive the vehicle through big boulders all the way to Kolukkumalai. People with back pain or ladies who are pregnant should stay away from signing up for this adventure.You will be thrown all around inside the vehicle on your way up and down the hill.But after going through all that and when you reach there, the view and experience will make you forget the pain you have gone through to reach there.All your way up and down, you will see the breathtaking view of the beautiful unending tea estates covered in mist.A must visit for anyone who plans to visit Munnar.






A trip is never complete without a nice stay. I wanted to stay close to the Kolukkumalai jeep safari starting point itself to avoid travelling long distances early in the morning to reach that place.So I chose a resort named Lakezone. Not a luxurious place of stay. But with a breathtaking view of the lake from the room , it feels like a complete stay. The resort had a restaurant , parking space and the service provided by the staff was excellent. They also managed to arrange a single seat for me in a jeep going to kolukkumalai along with a group of people which I really enjoyed.Get a room with the view of the lake and you wouldn't be disappointed.








Now that I came back with unfinished business at Munnar , I will be planning another trip soon to witness the Sunrise at Kolukkumalai and I will make sure to include Vattavada as well in my plan.

Share the video of the Munnar trip experience for those who would like to see the places

https://youtu.be/s8rBy5HAi6g

Thanks for reading everyone.
Drive safe .

[raptor_diwan]

Nice pictures!! Could you tell me which month they were taken in? it seems to be so good for the summer and how was the crowd?

[ramneek009]

Originally Posted by Rachet

There was another place which I wanted to visit in Munnar and that is Kolukkumalai. This is the famous Sunrise point there. According to those who have been there, If you are lucky and the sky is clear you would be witnessing the most beautiful and memorable sunrise in your life. I had high hopes about witnessing one like that. Unfortunately it rained the night before and all we could see was mist and nothing else. But that did deliver a different vibe and a wonderful experience which each one of us enjoyed.

Here you go. This is from my visit back in 2019. We were up there quite early. In fact our jeep driver was very adamant in us reaching there before anyone else. From what i remember, we reached around 4:30 am and were very furious as it was very dark and strong winds made it difficult to stand on top of the hill not knowing what comes next. But best decision ever. The sunrise is spectacular would be an understatement.

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[Rachet]

Originally Posted by raptor_diwan

Nice pictures!! Could you tell me which month they were taken in? it seems to be so good for the summer and how was the crowd?

December. I heard the climate is similar even now as Kerala has started getting the summer rains. And with the onset of monsoon in another months time, its better to visit now. Weekdays should be fine with considerably less crowd, weekends and vacation time is always crowded.

[Jangra]

Originally Posted by raptor_diwan

Nice pictures!! Could you tell me which month they were taken in? it seems to be so good for the summer and how was the crowd?

I’m in Munnar right now and the morning and afternoon was like this with temperatures between 15 and 23

[raptor_diwan]

Originally Posted by Jangra

I’m in Munnar right now and the morning and afternoon was like this with temperatures between 15 and 23

I have planned to visit Kodaikanal on the 19th and Munnar on the 22nd May, but I was hesitant to go munnar due to the summer heat. However, it seems to be perfect now. I am definitely going to visit Munnar again in a couple of weeks. Thank you!

[Fiatfan]

Beautiful taken pictures, I had been to Munnar a long time ago, say around 15 years in my Bolero GLC with family from Bangalore with another friend of ours in his Verna.

I was eager to see more of your car in the photos, especially the bang opposite side profile of your car would've looked superb.

Thanks for the info about the route and the beautiful Gap road. I will surely drive through them next time in my Fiat Patio multijet.

Wish you safe and many more adventurous drives.

Keep munching the miles.

[germin]

Originally Posted by Rachet

Attachment 2446325

Great travelogue with brilliant pictures. Must have been fun driving around the winding roads surrounded by the beautiful tea gardens in the BMW.

This particular picture reminded me of a similar spot we crossed in Munnar, sharing a picture of the same from our trip 4 years back.

[TN20CQ5187]

Excellent pictures. I agree with the locals, this was one of the worst roads to travel in. I even remember taking local transport just to avoid driving through this road. Now it looks beautiful and take a trip to Munnar again!

[Kochikaran]

What a good clarity on these pictures. Very sharp and crisp features. What camera is this?

[Rachet]

Originally Posted by Kochikaran

What a good clarity on these pictures. Very sharp and crisp features. What camera is this?

All these pics are taken in my phone . And trust me my phone is not even meant for photography and I am also very new to taking pics. So someone with a proper camera and photography skills can capture absolutely stunning pics in Munnar

[Rachet]

Originally Posted by germin

This particular picture reminded me of a similar spot we crossed in Munnar, sharing a picture of the same from our trip 4 years back.

Attachment 2446903

It is the exact spot but I have taken the pic from the other side