Best time
September to March. October and November are the greenest after the rains; December to February is the peak, with cold nights of 5 to 10°C and clear mornings. April and May are pleasant at 15 to 25°C while the coast bakes. June to September is the monsoon: heavy rain, mist on the estates, half the room rates and Eravikulam shut for part of it.
- October to March, 10 to 25°C: The season: clear mornings, the estates greenest in October and November, cold nights from December. Christmas to New Year and long weekends are the dearest weeks.
- April and May, 15 to 25°C: Pleasant in the hills while the coast is hot, which is why summer holidays fill Munnar. Afternoon showers begin in May.
- June to September, 12 to 20°C: The monsoon: heavy rain, mist on the estates, waterfalls at their fullest and room rates at their lowest. Eravikulam may be shut and the ghat road slow.
What to pack
A fleece or light jacket for every month and a proper warm layer from December to February, when the estates touch freezing at night. Walking shoes for Eravikulam and the waterfalls, a raincoat rather than an umbrella in the monsoon, and sunscreen: the sun is strong at altitude even when it feels cool. Motion-sickness tablets for the ghat road if you need them.
Getting there
From Hyderabad, fly to Kochi (90 minutes, several flights a day on IndiGo and Air India) and drive up: Munnar is about 130 km and four hours from the airport, the last two on ghat road through the estates. The overnight Sabari Express to Ernakulam takes about 20 hours and is the budget option. Every trip starts at the airport or station with a car and driver.
From Bengaluru, Munnar is about 480 km by road, ten to eleven hours through Salem and Coimbatore or Salem and Pollachi, so the practical route is the 70-minute flight to Kochi and a four-hour drive, or the overnight train to Ernakulam. Driving works as a two-day road trip with a night in Coimbatore or Pollachi.
From Chennai, Kochi is a 75-minute flight and Munnar four hours from the airport; the overnight Chennai to Ernakulam trains take about 12 hours. By road it is about 580 km through Salem and Coimbatore, best split with a night stop. Coimbatore airport is an alternative at about 160 km from Munnar through Pollachi and Chinnar.