Munnar - My 1st tryst with mountains from south

Being from Delhi, mountains for me always meant snow-capped peaks. Every long weekend and vacation from work were spent trekking in the Himalayan ranges.

So, when I moved to Bangalore in South it was difficult for me to comprehend that mountains could be all green too without a tinge of snow and still could look beautiful. One long weekend I finally decided to explore the western ghats of the south and headed to Munnar.

Munnar is a 9-10 hrs drive from Bangalore, the roads are smooth if one follows the route via Chennai. Munnar is known for its tea plantations, it is a small town situated within tea estates and one could easily spot gushing waterfalls and lakes while exploring the town.

Every drive passes through tea plantations and unlike Himalayan peaks the mountains here seemed reachable which got me more curious about this place.

There are some touristy places to see but i would not recommend that since it is over-crowded so the best way to explore Munnar is to take any road and just keep going or if you do not want to get lost then take the touristy roads but stop some 200 metres before the tourist spots or after it so that you can enjoy the place in all its beauty and peacefulness.

There are a lot of jeep guys and auto guys to take you around the place but the auto is cheaper and lets you feel the wind on your face, so when in Munnar hop on auto and take the ride through the beautiful tea estates.

There are a lot of budget options to stay in the city center and it's also easy to get a nice hotel as well at the budget price if one is good at negotiation.

My 3 days in Munnar taught me that one needs to be open to new experiences for you never know what's in store for you and how there are places to surprise you with their own different kind of beauty.

Even though my first love is and will always be Himalayan mountains, I am glad to have explored this other non-snowy green peaks of Munnar.