Choosing a day out from Kodamanju
A tea walk, a sunrise jeep, a national park or a waterfall drive: how to pick depending on your energy, the weather and the season.
Munnar month by month
Clear skies, cold nights, summer crowds and the monsoon: how the hills change through the year, and when to come.
There is no wrong time to visit Munnar, but each season is quite different. Here is how the year looks from our verandah, 1,600 metres up. September to November is when the monsoon fades. The hills are still very green, the waterfalls still flow and the skies clear for longer each week. The north-east monsoon can bring evening showers in October and November. Nights get cooler, around 12°C, and this is a lovely, less crowded time to come.
December to February is the cool, clear season and our busiest. Mornings are crisp, often 6°C to 10°C, with frost on the lower grass on the coldest days. Skies are blue and views reach far across the valleys, so the sunrise trip is best now. Christmas and New Year book out months ahead, and Munnar town and the viewpoints are crowded on weekends.
March to May is warmer, with days of 20°C to 25°C and pleasant evenings. It is Kerala and Tamil Nadu’s summer holiday season, so the main sights are busy, especially in April and May. Late afternoon thunderstorms are common in May. Tea plucking is at its peak, which makes the estate walk especially interesting.
June to August is the south-west monsoon, with the heaviest rain in July. It is green, misty and quiet, with our lowest rates, and suits people who enjoy rain and reading more than sightseeing. Whenever you come, bring a warm layer; even in April, evenings on the hill call for a sweater.
