Munnar and Mudumalai National Park

Munnar

The day after I had been to the Backwaters I took a taxi to Munnar (Rs 1750, EUR 30). Munnar is located in the high ranges of the Western Ghats, nearly 1,600m above sea level. The climate is much milder compared to the coast which is why it was chosen as a Hill Station by the British. In 1870, Munnar was developed to cultivate tea plants. Today, the tea industry is the most important employer in this region as the Tata Tea Museum (Rs 50) in Munnar demonstrates.

Munnar itself is a rather unattractive little town. I opted for some accomodation in the quiet outskirts rather than near the dusty centre of town. JJ Cottage was one of the cheapest places I stayed at in India - I paid only Rs300 (EUR 5) per night. It was here that I booked an early-morning auto rickshaw tour for the next day. I can't remember when I was picked up the next morning but I do know that it was far too early. And too cool. It was well before sunrise and incredibly cold due to the high altitude. Clever as I was, I had chosen the cheaper auto rickshaw rather than a car with some proper heating. After driving for a while we stopped in the twilight and began to climb the Anamudi mountain during sunrise. It took us one hour to reach its peak (2,695m) from where we enjoyed the view on the surrounding mountains and tea estates. We climbed back down and continued our auto rickshaw drive through the never-ending, green tea estates until we reached Top Station at the border between Kerala and Tamil Nadu. 32km from Munnar, this point offered some more impressive views of huge tea estates.

The panorama of the surrounding mountains, the pleasant climate, the crisp air and the well-kept, lush green tea estates made Munnar an ideal place to visit.

Mudumalai National Park

Public bus services were virtually non-existent in Munnar. As a result I had to book yet another taxi ride to get to my next destination. I was planning to stay in the Mudumalai National Park in the Nilgiri Hills (Blue Mountains) in Tamil Nadu. The taxi ride took a full day and set me back Rs3,000 (EUR 54).

My accomodation in the National Park was quite exciting: a tree house in the Jungle

Mudumalai National Park
Tamil Nadu, India

Retreat. Although at the expensive end (Rs3,800) it was definitely an experience not to miss. Once I had climbed the bamboo stairs and arrived at the spacious platform more than 10m above ground I was overwhelmed by the beautiful view on the surrounding landscape: mountains, trees, bushes and grassland. The tree house wasn't a house at all - it was rather a huge platform with a circumferential, low wooden wall. Due to the remote location some 500m off the main resort only natural sounds could be heard - the wind blowing through the trees, birds calling, crickets chirping and sometimes even elephants trumpeting! I fell asleep that night whilst listening to all these unfamiliar but beautiful sounds of nature.

I got up early to join a safari on foot in the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary just after sunrise. We must have walked for some 20 minutes or so when we suddenly spotted an old, male elephant. The huge grey animal was quite a long distance away however our guide warned us not to get any closer. He explained that the elephant might charge once he had scented us. He made it clear that we wouldn't stand a chance if we would have to outrun a grown elephant. After watching the impressive animal for 10 minutes or so we slowly withdrew and continued our walk in another direction. Whilst we were walking we spotted a number of langur, deer and some Gaur. However, we missed out on seeing either leopard, tiger or hyena - which wasn't actually too bad, considering the fact that we were on foot. After walking for two hours a Jeep picked us up and drove us back to the Jungle Retreat for some breakfast.

Later that day we drove to the nearby Elephant Camp. This camp boasts itself as the "finest elephant camp in the country." and is home to some 30 Indian elephants. These love bathing in the nearby river: they lie down in the water while their Mahout (the person who drives the elephant) scrubs them clean.

On our way back from the Elephant camp we did an evening Jeep safari and kept looking out for some more wildlife. Again, we didn't spot any tigers however we watched quite a few elephants - some of them just beside the road literally next to our car.

I left the National Park the next day and took a taxi to Mysore (Rs 1,750) where I caught the afternoon train to Bangalore (Rs 275). From here, I flew to Delhi and on to Kathmandu, Nepal.

---

---