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Getting in Munnar
With the lush greenness of flourishing foliage, rambling with tea plantations enshrouded in cool mist is the picturesque Munnar, which is just approximately 4.5 hours (135 km) drive from the hot and humid coastal seashore of Kochi. The roads leading to Munnar are less cluttered and enjoyable compared to the ones leading to other hill stations.The Kochi - Munnar route is the easiest way of reaching Munnar for foreign and native tourists, with the nearest Airport, the Nedumbassery Airport and Aluva Railway station, both situated near Kochi. The route extends through Thripunithra, Muvattupuzha, Kothamangalam, Neriamangalam, Adimali and Pallivasal.After you cover the city of Kochi, through which the going is slow due to traffic, the ride is smooth and fast while enjoying the countryside view along Muvattupuzha and Kothamangalam. From Kothamangalam (which is 80 km from Munnar), to Adimali you can experience the natural forest with some brisk waterfalls in between. Though Adimali is only around 30 km from Munnar, it takes an hour to reach there because of the many curves and turns in the road. You will start seeing tea plantations and the breath taking view of the western ghats, at about 8 kilometers from Munnar.Munnar itself is so small that it is easily manageable by foot. The town has some local transport, including auto-rickshaws, should one get bit tired of moving around on foot. For sights further out of town, like Top Station and Thattekad, a rented bike or taxi is the best option. There are some tour operators in town that will arrange excursions to more out laying places. The area surroundings Munnar can also be accessed using the regular buses that leave for Theni, Top Station, Marayoor and Chinnar, among others.Apart from the Kochi road there are three other major roads leading to Munnar – Thekkady road, Top Station road and Marayoor road. Munnar is located 70 km from Idukki. The drive to Munnar involves about 2 hours through the ghat section. There are 17 hairpin bends on the way

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Munnar - breathtakingly beautiful - a haven of peace and tranquility - the idyllic tourist destination in God's own country.Set at an altitude of 6000 ft in Idukki district, Munnar was the favored summer resort of the erstwhile British rulers in the colonial days. Unending expanse of tea plantations - pristine valleys and mountains- exotic species of flora and fauna in its wild sanctuaries and forests - aroma of spice scented cool air - yes! Munnar has all these and more. It's the place you would love to visit - it's the place you would wish never to leave-

Until the early 1990s, Munnar, despite its enchanting natural beauty and salubrious climate, continued to remain a sleepy plantation town. Its tourism potential was realised only by the Sterling Group and Mahindra Holidays. However, the promotion of Kerala globally as God's Own Country and the rapidly increasing spending capacity of middle class Indians has resulted in a virtual explosion of tourism activities in Munnar. Resorts, big and small,have started springing up all around the town and overnight the once sleepy town has became a bustling tourist destination. Many of the developments done by unscrupulous investors have had a significant detrimental impact on the environment in Munnar and the once romantic beauty of the "sleepy town of Munnar" has significantly eroded over the years . Moreover the huge throng of domestic and foreign tourists in their buses and cars have added to pollution in Munnar and stretched the town's infrastructure and service delivery systems to their limits.
Earlier most of the land around Munnar was leased out to planters and the only activity permitted on such leased land was plantation of cardamom. Ownership continued to remain with the Government and even cutting of trees on such leased land was prohibited. However, the recent development of resorts has resulted in large scale deforestation and violation of government regulations governing land use, forests and plantation cultivation. It ultimately came to a pass in 2007 when the Government sprung into action to demolish illegal resort constructions to restore the beauty of the town.
Irrespective of all this, tourism has flourished over the years in Munnar and important tourist activities include boating (in the reservoirs of the many dams), trekking, parasailing, hot air balooning and camping and wild life safaris in the jungles and sanctuary.
The presence of all these activities and more has ultimately led to Munnar becoming a choice destination for foreign as well as domestic tourists. One can also see people from nearby districts in Kerala and Tamil Nadu thronging the town during weekends
The region in and around Munnar varies in height from 1,600 meters (5,249 ft) to 1,800 meters (5,906 ft) above mean sea level. Munnar enjoys a salubrious climate. The temperature ranges between −5 °C (23 °F) and 10 °C (50 °F) in winter and 15 °C (59 °F) and 25 °C (77 °F) in summer. The tourist season in Munnar is from August to May. However, even the monsoons are lovely with many streams and rivulets in the area and post drizzle the dew drenched tea gardens looking majestic and heavenly enshrouded in light mist