|
Munnar
A traveller's paradise
 Munnar,
the confluence of three mountain streams - Mudrapuzha,
Nallathanni and Kundala, a hill station 1600m above sea
level, is an ethereal experience for an enthusiastic traveller.
The hairpin curves, lush greenery, silver streams, panoramic
waterfalls, rolling hills, you name it… It is there,
if you are a nature lover craving for the wonderful moments
tangible with nature. Neelakurinji, the plant that flowers
once in twelve years which envelops the valley with blue colour
is a unique phenomenon here. The world's largest integrated
tea company; TATA Tea is also situated in this tranquil region.
 Elephants,
tigers, deer and gaur bisons are the major inhabitants
of the tropical forests here. The dense Shola forests are
also the habitat of magnificent and rare birds like jungle
fowl, myna, laughing thrush, black bulbul and peafowl.
Eravikulam National Park, 15 km away from Munnar town,
is spread across  97-sq.km
and is situated in Devikulam Taluk, Idukki District and is
the domicile of Nilgiri Thars, the rare variety of
mountain goats, which is facing extinction, is one of the
major tourist attractions of Munnar region. It was declared
a national park in 1978 considering the ecological, biological
and geo-morphological significance of the place. The Anamudi
peak (2695 m), the highest peak in south India is located
in the Southern region of the park. The beautiful park is
divided into three regions - the core area, the buffer area
and the tourism area. Visitors are allowed only in the tourism
area, which is in the Rajamala region. The Atlas Moth,
the largest moth of its kind in the world, is a unique possession
of the park.
 The
major tourist attractions in and around Munnar include Mattupetty
- the Indo-Swiss live stock project which houses more than
100 high yielding varieties of cows, Pothamedu famous
for coffee, tea and cardamom plantations and long mountain
walks, Devikulam tranquil hill areas with exotic flora
and fauna, Pallivasal the first Hydro-electric project
in Kerala, Attukal and Nyayamkad water falls,
Lock Heart Gap, Kundala the picturesque town.
So don't forget to visit this heavenly place at least once
in lifetime…
Pics by Shivaram
|
