As they say, God's own country. I have to travel the place to experience the beauty of this beautiful state. I planned a 6 days trip with my wife from Hyderabad to Munnar and back. Overall it was a lovely and memorable experience.
Day 1: We started from Hyderabad to Cochin via flight and the SpiceJet flight was good and comfortable. We landed to Cochin in morning and booked a budget OYO Room near the main market.
It was a nice stay and the room was clean and spacious. Bed was really relaxing with spring mattress. We stayed for few hours and started towards the beach. Cochin beach is really peaceful and unlike other beaches in the country you'll not find much crowd or water sports. Luckily, when I visited the place, it was hardly 10 people around and it was like the beach was welcoming only me. It was a peaceful stay and time.
You can have a cup of coffee or tea and can visit nearby small market. Must try is the fish curry.
Day 2: Our plan was to visit Munnar, Tekari, Alleppey so we booked a car, it was Ford Aspire. The driver was really professional and the positive point of being local was we need not to hire a guide, he was the one who guided us beautifully.
On the way to Munnar, we stop to a nice restaurant for snacks and coffee break. The filter coffee is must while travel, in general we use to have Tea, so I avoided drinking it on the trip and was only loyal to coffee.
Cochin to Munnar it's 124kms and it took us 5 hours. Generally, it will take 3.5 hours but we were stopping at all the places we can and clicked multiple pics.
It was a pleasant trip as we enjoyed the clouds, fog and falls. It will be good if you reach Munnar by evening before sunset as the road is full of curves and being the state highway you can not drive fast and it will be a slow drive.
Day 3 and 4: Munnar morning was not any usual morning as by 9:30AM when I opened the balcony door, clouds welcomed me with a smile along with the fog. Within few minutes the room was full of fog and I was enjoying it.
We enjoyed the market trip, spice garden trip, tea gardens and elephant ride while being in Munnar. If you want to relax you can stay for 2 days, else you can start the next day to other locations. We were in relaxed mode so we stayed for two days. Boating and photo session near the lake is a must.
You will enjoy the Munnar market as you'll see vegetable market, bus stand and home made chocolate shops nearby. You'll have lot of options to eat.
Day 5: Early morning we started for Tekari and in between we stopped for tea break and another round of spice garden trip (my wife wants to learn some tricks). We also did the elephant ride and it was really a fun. In between we encountered multiple waterfalls which added attraction to our trip.
You can stay at Tekari for 3-4 hours and can travel back to Munnar or forward to Alleppey. Everything is same in all the 3 locations, you will find waterfalls, tea gardens, fog and spice gardens. If you want to cut on budget and spend less time. I'll suggest you to plan only for Munnar and Alleppey.
In Alleppey, you will have the authentic Kerala style houseboat experience. You will never forget the time as it's really awesome.
You will get a boat ride in the back waters and welcome drink followed by a nice dinner and stay at houseboat. Make sure to get mosquito cream along with you as it's really hard to survive without it while you're in houseboat.
Day 6: Early Morning, we started back to Cochin as we've to get the flight back to Hyderabad. Our trip was about to end but we were full of memories and we enjoyed the fullest.
Must do Things: Boat Ride, House Boat Stay, Tea Garden walk, Photo Session during sunrise or sunset, Authentic Kerala Food, Fish Curry.
DO's: Try to keep the luggage less. Make sure to book the stays and taxis in advance. Keep the medicines and mosquito cream along.
DONT's: Avoid night journey, if going by own vehicle or taxi.
Best Tim to Visit: No matter the time of year, Kerala’s hill station manages to entice travelers to come taste the serenity! And, why not? Be it winter, summer or monsoon, Munnar is equally beautiful and as thrilling.
Peak Season – November to February
Shoulder Season – March to June
Low Season – July to September
Our Trip ends, but we created the memories and the journey continues....
