Munnar Warnings Or Dangers

mist and fog in the nilgiri ranges is treacherous, and combine this with dangerous high altitude roads without embankments makes a perfect situation for a thriller.

it takes about 4 hours to reach munner from kochi do not waste your time taking too many coffee or tea breaks. after 4 in the evening thick fog starts to envelope the hills and you may end up driving in zero visibility and palpable tension and stress for your driver.

we experienced this situation in the postmonsoon period august end but luckily we got through.

munnar sometimes is above cloud cover and mists.

Some hotels may be 'dry', or not sell alcohol during the many festival days.

If you like a nightcap, either bring your favourite brands in duty free, (from Bahrain etc) or buy cheaply at the government run liquor store in Munnar - mainly local spirits and beers( please see my Munnar shopping tip- clandestine shopping!)

Well I don't know what the punishment was for straying off the path- but there were quite a few rangers around who looked 'pretty handy' if you were to attempt an independent stroll!

It's also prohibited to bring plastic water bottles into the park- however, as is usual throughout Kerala, I did spot a few strewn about. There were no checks on your bags though on entering the park, so looks like this isn't too strictly adhered to.

4 more images

After baking on the coast, and melting in the humidity of the towns, Munnar is a refreshingly cooler place.
However, come prepared- In January, although elsewhere it had been very warm at night, here the temperatures dropped considerably after sunset. As you can see from my photos early morning it is cool and misty.
A warm fleece jacket or woolen jumper are necessary.
Ensure your hotel has extra blankets too!

Walking off the beaten track, take the same precautions as you would normally- heavy clouds appeared quite suddenly over the mountains. Although we didn't experience any rainfall during our stay, I should imagine we were quite lucky.

Although Munnar is renowned for tea production, it is no longer possible to visit the tea factories. We were told this was due to the companies wishing to keep their production methods secret!!

Our tour group visited a tea factory near Kumily, While we were staying near there, which I found to be quite interesting, but probably not special enough to warrant the 70km trek from Munnar just for that purpose!

Please see my Periyar page for more info on tea factories/plantations.

Ingredients Quantity
Duck 1
Water 2 cups
Garlic Paste ¼ teaspoon
Ginger Paste ¼ teaspoon
Turmeric Paste ¼ teaspoon
Black Pepper Powder 3 spoons
Onion slices 1
Salt :to taste
Oil:for deep-frying

Method of preparation
Clean one full duck; mix all ingredients in the section.
Boil the duck along with the above mentioned ingredients.
When ¾ th of boiling is done, remove the duck and deep fry it, till the duck becomes golden brown.
Take out the thick stock and rub it all over the duck.
Garnish with French fries and fried onion

Try this when you are in Kerala