There is a national park tucked away in Munnar.
Yes it's one of the off the beaten paths, tucked away from the famous tea garden verdant hillsides. We were lucky to be present when the park was open. The ticket queue gets long so try to reach early.
Food is not available inside the park area so do carry plenty of water. You can do an easy ramble around 3 to 5 kms.
The paths are neat and road is in good condition. Botanical specialties are called out along the way. Depending on the time of the year you are visiting a variety of birds can be spotted. November sadly did not have too many except the usual warblers, drongos and kites.
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| Spot the Lion |
The park has a unique hill which resembles the lion's head at a particular angle. It makes for a great photo op for visitors.
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| Nilgiri Tahr |
The national park is famous for the Nilgiri Tahr - a kind of mountain goat. It's fairly shy and sure footed. They usually are seen in small packs.
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| Moving on |
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| Out for a stroll |
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| M and the Lion of the Mountain |
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| The fog rolls down |
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| Walking back to beat the mists |
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| The sweatshirt was a good idea - eventually! |
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| Fresh Farmer's Mart |
There is an option to be driven back if you cannot walk down. However it's a gentle climb and descent so suggest you exercise your legs a we bit.
On coming back to the entrance, you can sample some fresh fruits and local veggies.
The trip to explore the small national park takes around 3-4 hours. Do keep half a day trip to account for getting to and fro. Enjoy and respect the nature's hospitality!
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