Tea Plantations of Munnar

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
7
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
6
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
6
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
6
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
3
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
6
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
62 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
260th/454
Top 60%
continent
Asia
country
India
Length of time
1-2 days
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$90 ($75-$250 in 2025 prices)
Time of year visited
December
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Forests Mountains Rice terraces / terraces
All Tags
Gardens Hilltop towns
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐

Summary

If down in Kerala, most likely you’re there for the backwaters – see the entry Kerala’s Backwaters for tips.  But it’s also worth considering a trip inland to see the tea plantations of Munnar – South India’s largest tea-growing region.

Learning about the tea is fun and the scenery (when the mist passes) is nice, but it’s the peace and quiet, clean air and cooler temperatures that are just as much the draw.  We found ourselves going on walks through the tea rows only hearing the birds, seeing a hundred shades of green and generally feeling relaxed.  Definitely worth adding to a Kerala itinerary.

 

Tea plantations of Munnar - views across the rows of tea and Western Ghats when the mist clears

 

 

#1 Tip – where to stay

Even more so than most places in India, take some time to find the right place to stay.  You’ll most likely be spending the majority of your time there,  including learning about the nearby tea plantation and going for walks through it. 

Don’t stay in the town of Munnar, it’s a bit rank and doesn’t have the vibe-amongst-the-tea-plantations you’re looking for.  Instead, the area to the south is nice. 

We stayed at Tall Trees and would recommend – mainly for the grounds and the nearby walk they can arrange for you.  Slightly towards the pricey end, but worth it for all the time you will be staying there.

 

The view from the tea plantations just outside of Tall Trees, Munnar India

The view from the tea plantations just outside of Tall Trees

 

Highlights

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#1 Walking through the tea plantations themselves. Typically with nice views and simple trails

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#2 The hundreds of shades of green and generally clean air of the hills

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#3 When the mist opens up and you see the view stretching off through the valleys

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#4 The tea itself - typically your accommodation will put some tea tasting on, and you’ll get a chance to sample all the different varieties

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#5 Wandering through some of the super small villages dotted all around the Munnar area

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#6 Learning how the tea is made at the Munnar Tea Museum. Maybe not the sophistication of museums you may be used to, but interesting nonetheless

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#7 Lunch at The Valle Munnar for stunning views across the valley

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#8 The super misty, but clean air. A rarity for India!

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#9 Staying in one of the peaceful retreats, hidden away in the trees , in this case Tall Trees

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#10 The mist typically cleared in the evenings for some stunning sunsets

Orientation

The map below shows the key places I’m mentioning and for you to have a zoom out to see where Munnar sits relative to the rest of Kerala and India.

 

5 Extra Tips for the Tea Plantations of Munnar

 

#1 It takes a long time to get around.  Forget the distance on the map – the roads are super windy and the area you’ll cover will be a lot smaller than you expect.

 

#2 It takes 3.5hours to get there from Kochi, on pretty windy roads the whole way, so be aware.

 

#3 Plan for 2-3 days.  We spent 3 nights there because we wanted to chill out and make the 7hr round trip worth it, but this can easily be done in 2 days.

 

#4 The Munnar Tea Museum is worth visiting briefly as it shows you the detailed tea process, but don’t have high expectations.

 

#5 For a stunning view for lunch / dinner, try The Valle Munnar.  Gorgeous spot.

 

Munnar India, green green everywhere in the tea plantations of Munnar

Get ready to enjoy green green everywhere and beautifully clean air

 

Experiences Nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

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Hiking the Dolomites in summer
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10 days campervanning around the South Island of New Zealand
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Hiking around Interlaken
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The Northumberland Coast (in summer!)
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Chiang Rai overnight trek into the nearby hills
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Train ride through Sri Lanka’s tea country
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Bali – in and around Ubud
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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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