Sunrise above the tea plantations, Munnar, Kerala
India,  Natural world

Over The Hills To The Tea: Days In Munnar

January 12, 2026 /

“Welcome to misty Munnar” announces the road sign as we approach the mountainside town surrounded by lush greenery. There’s no hint of mist this afternoon and it’s anticipation rather than precipitation in the air as far as we’re concerned: this is going to be yet another different experience of India.

The 4-hour journey from Fort Kochi in the company of our driver Joseph has been very different from our journey earlier this week to the waterfalls at Athirappilly which took an age to shake off the sprawling metropolis which is Cochin. This time we are soon into Kerala’s renowned lush countryside, passing mango and pineapple farms in low lying pastures until eventually entering the extensive rubber plantations in the foothills of the Western Ghat mountains.

Contrasts with northern India are at the extreme end of the scale, not just the attractive verdant landscape but also the cleanliness of the towns we pass through. The horrific mounds of discarded plastic are less in evidence, as are streets strewn with litter; any river we cross flows with running water rather than being choked with stinking debris. Education in Kerala is of a high standard and the state enjoys what is easily India’s highest literacy rate at over 96%. One would assume a connection between these facts.

Kerala’s self styled claim to be “God’s own country” – a slogan you will see everywhere – appears to be justified as the scenery approaching Munnar unfolds, palm filled lowlands threading routes between green mountains, rugged peaks thrusting above the tree line, waterfalls cascading dramatically down almost sheer escarpments. It’s beautiful, in a word. As we look out from our balcony across a small tea plantation to the towering peaks and feel the fresh mountain air devoid of even a hint of humidity, we know we are in for a different kind of adventure.

A panoramic view of lush green tea plantations rolling down the hillside under a clear blue sky, framed by tall trees and distant mountains.
View from our balcony
A scenic view of terraced tea plantations nestled among lush greenery in Munnar, Kerala, with trees and blue skies in the background.
Small tea garden

Friday. Our alarms sound at 2:45am; thirty minutes later we’re outside in the cool morning air where Joseph is already waiting, engine ticking over. He takes us to the place where the roads end, the point from where it’s jeeps only and ordinary vehicles can no longer venture. I eagerly grab the front seat to ride shotgun beside the driver, Michaela bundles into the back with an Indian family of four, and we’re off, pitch dark, climbing the dirt track up the mountain.

Panoramic view of rolling tea plantations and distant mountains under a clear blue sky in Munnar, Kerala.
Tea plantations of Munnar

This morning’s mission is to catch what is reputed to be a very special sunrise, way up above Kolukkumalai, the world’s highest tea plantation. Everything on line warns that the jeep ride is a bumpy one – my God they aren’t kidding. We’ve had some boneshakers in our time but this one wins an award. Do not ever attempt this ride if you have a bad back, a queasy tummy, aching joints, a headache or indeed just about any other ailment: this is a rocking, bouncing, pounding ride over boulders and potholes which tests every part of the body. And it’s an hour up and an hour back. Next morning Michaela even has bruises on her knuckles from holding on tight to metal bars.

At the top, a full 7,000 feet above sea level, we are surprised by the huge number of jeeps which make this trip daily – muscling in to a good photo position is a bit of a rugby scrum, one which the ever determined Michaela beats by perching on a raised tree root with one arm around my shoulders for balance and the other operating the iPhone. Got to admire her tenacity.

A breathtaking sunrise over misty mountains, showcasing layers of peaks and valleys bathed in soft orange and yellow hues, with clouds drifting below.
Above the clouds at sunrise
A panoramic view of misty mountain ranges at sunrise, with soft clouds hovering over the valleys, and a warm glow on the horizon.
Clouds in the valley
A scenic landscape view of mountains and valleys during sunrise, with rays of sunlight breaking through the clouds and illuminating the misty valleys below.
Here comes the sun

But it’s so worth both the traumatic jeep ride and the photography melee: it is, as promised, a very special sunrise. Up here, the clouds and the morning mist are way down below us, the sun’s early rays casting ever changing hues across the vapour, then sending remarkably bold shafts of sunlight across the valleys like ethereal searchlights. No wonder people of ancient times believed such things were visitations by Gods. So spectacular, so unusual.

A sunrise above the mountains, with rays of sunlight breaking through the clouds, illuminating the valley below.
Shafts of sunlight
A breathtaking sunrise over mountain peaks and valleys, with soft clouds and rays of sunlight cutting through the mist, creating a serene and picturesque landscape.
Shafts of sunlight
A breathtaking view of misty mountains at sunrise, with layers of valleys enveloped in clouds and sunlight breaking through, creating a tranquil yet awe-inspiring atmosphere.
Still above the clouds

The boneshaking descent is of course in daylight, so we can now clearly see the astonishing extent of these high level tea plantations – mountainsides covered in the uniquely vivid greenery almost as far as the eye can see. Tea pickers here must spend hours precariously balanced: the steepness of the plantations are as eye catching as the colour. There’s something beautiful about tea plantations, something relaxing, soothing on the senses. Like the drink itself, it could be said.

Jeep Safari, sunrise above Kolukkumalai, Munnar
Jeep Safari, sunrise above Kolukkumalai, Munnar
7000ft up

Later, reunited with Joseph, we travel along the Gap Road, known for its viewpoints across the beautiful scenery, then take a break from the road for Michaela and I to wander freely through part of the Lockhart plantation, through the neat but asymmetrical lines of tea plants, catching glimpses of pickers toiling in the sun or carrying heavy bags of leaves on their heads.

A panoramic view of the lush green tea plantations of Munnar, surrounded by majestic mountains under a cloudy sky.
High level tea plantation
A scenic view of lush green tea plantations in Munnar, Kerala, with rolling hills and a clear blue sky.
Lockhart plantation
A tea plantation in Munnar, Kerala, with workers picking tea leaves on the lush green hills, set against a backdrop of mountains under a clear blue sky.
Busy at work
A tea picker working in a lush tea plantation in Munnar, Kerala, carrying a basket and using an umbrella for shade.
A tea picker carrying a large bag over their head, surrounded by lush green tea plants under a blue sky.
Workers in a tea plantation carry large bags filled with freshly harvested tea leaves, surrounded by neatly arranged tea bushes.
Workers in the fields

From the fields to the factory, we join about a dozen others on a guided tour of the Lockhart facility, following a route from raw leaf to finished product and ending with the obligatory tasting. It’s fascinating listening to the different techniques used in tea production, the Lockhart host talking us through the health benefits of different tea types, telling us how and what time of day is best to drink, why adding milk is a negative, as well as describing each part of the manufacturing process. And we learn, for the first time in our lives, of the character and benefits of something called “white tea”. We buy some. Of course we do.

Lush green tea plantations blanket the rolling hills under a clear blue sky in Munnar, Kerala.
Extensive plantations
Tea plantation in Munnar Kerela
Extensive plantations

The plantation now known as the Lockhart commenced operations here in the mid 19th century, its factory using machinery built in England and shipped to Munnar to facilitate production. Incredibly, some of those self same machines are still in full operational use today, sifting and sorting leaves, turning the fresh leaves into the drink we all know, still fully functional 170 years on. Furnaces for the drying processes are still heated by log burning, unchanged since operations began. 

Lockhart tea plantation in Munar, Kerala
Lockhart tea factory
Lockhart tea plantation in Munar, Kerala
Lockhart tea plantation in Munar, Kerala
Lockhart tea plantation in Munar, Kerala
Lockhart tea plantation in Munar, Kerala
Lockhart tea plantation in Munar, Kerala
Lockhart tea plantation in Munar, Kerala
Lockhart tea plantation in Munar, Kerala

Inside the factory

(SIDE NOTE. We have toured tea, coffee and cocoa plantations, vineyards, distilleries and breweries, and every single one has always demonstrated how they do things the “right way”, how their competitors cut corners, how to be discerning when buying, how well they treat workers, how sustainable or organic their methods are. Uncannily, none have ever said that their competitors go for quality while they themselves have opted for a mass production method which produces less quality but greater profit. Funny that, isn’t it. Good job I’m not a sceptic or anything).

Tea plantation in Munnar, Kerela
More tea

Saturday, and the mist for which Munnar is renowned creeps in during the afternoon hours, bringing an obscuring haze to the valleys and something that looks decidedly like rain clouds to the peaks. We wander into and around Munnar town centre, a mountain town steeped in the production of tea and chocolate, a town which in truth is decidedly ordinary – a little scrubby even – but the surrounding scenery is stunningly beautiful and thoroughly relaxing.

Munnar town, Kerala
Munnar town
Munnar town, Kerala
Munnar town, Kerala
Munnar town

This is an unusual town to live in as far as Southern India goes, a town which can exceed 40 degrees yet drop below zero at night, and which sees a degree of winter snowfall each and every year. It is, after all, 5,200 feet above sea level. Now, in early January, the mountain air is fresh, evenings are cool, the day a pleasantly warm 28. But then, from nowhere as that afternoon mist folds in and the clouds gather, a more familiar humidity ramps up and the mountain air falls still. It feels very much like the calm before the storm. But no storm breaks, no rain falls, and the evening air regains its chill immediately after sundown. Turns out it’s the calm before the norm.

Our decision to explore Kerala emanated from seeing on line pictures of rolling green mountains, waterfalls and the glorious green of tea plantations, creating a wonderful melange of beautiful scenery. The area around Munnar has ticked every box of what we wanted to see in this part of the trip. The extra special sunrise was a bonus.

Tea plantation in Munnar, Kerala

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