Places to Visit

Top Station

Munnar is a bustling town nestled amidst the hills of the Western Ghats mountain range. Situated beside the confluence of three rivers, English planters established the earliest tea plantations in the area and even today there are numerous churches and bungalows in and around Munnar where guests can see vestiges of the colonial period. The rolling hill slopes around Munnar town are carpeted by large stretches of tea plantations interspersed by dense forests.

Situated on the crest of a towering peak, Top Station was once, a trans-shipment point for cargoes of tea. A ropeway, delivered tea from the plantations in Munnar to Bodinayakkanur in the foothills below. Built in 1902, Top Station is a destination that is at once stunningly beautiful and rich in historical context, even though the remnants of the ropeway station have disappeared with the passage of time. It is a destination that is ideal for guest with a penchant for outdoor activities. The area is replete with trekking paths and mountain trails that one could explore.

Pampadum Shola National Park

Situated about 3 km from Top Station, the park is profuse with flora –trees, herbs, shrubs and climbers. Numerous species of animals and birds reside here with bison and bands of langurs being spotted often. The Nilgiri marten, the only species of marten found in South India, resides here as well.

Escape Road

The road was constructed in 1942 by the British as a conduit to evacuate the British population in the event of an imminent Japanese invasion of South India during World War II. Winding through the southern crest of the Palani Hills from Berijam Lake (Fort Hamilton) to Top Station, the road connected to roads from Munnar to the port in Cochin where evacuees would board waiting ships.

The Escape Road, once the highest road in South India prior to its closure in 1990, passes through areas of breathtaking beauty and is today popular with trekking enthusiasts. Drizzle Drops offers two trekking options - a guided trek that traverses 5km one way and another, a soft trek of two km one way.

Kolukkmalai

Situated at a height over 1700 meters above sea level, Kolukkumalai is a destination of immense scenic beauty and depending on the weather, sunrises over the craggy mountain tops are spectacular. Jeeps ferry guests through the distance, over a bone rattling track, between the base of the mountain and its peak.

Marayur

Marayur is situated 42 kilometers north of Munnar and is site of Kerala’s sole sandalwood forest. Archeologists believe that the Dolmens (above ground burial chambers), built with large stone slabs and rock paintings at Muniyara nearby, date back to the Neolithic Age.