Neelakurinji Bloom at Munnar

I have explored Munnar in many trips. But this time, the  feeling was different. The road ahead to Munnar had been further narrowed, following the recent floods and landslides. At many places, all along the road, safety barriers have been constructed.  Vehicles were moving in one line in most of the places. The remains  of landslides will make you feel uncomfortable.  The recent  floods has  consumed literally  the whole of Kerala state. But people had  begun to travel to Munnar to view and enjoy the  Neelakurinji bloom in Munnar hills.

It was in 2006 that the Neelakurinji bloomed in Munnar hills. Neelakurinji season arrive only once in 12 years.  This year the flowers bloomed a bit late and rains, flooding and week long fog also affected the longevity of the flowers.

We started our journey at around 6 am to Munnar which is around 117 km from Kochi. Along the way we stopped at Cheyappara Water Falls.

Cheyappara Falls

Our next stop was at View point. There is small hut and you will get tea and snacks. You can go down after taking nominal entry fee. From here you can admire the beauty of valley and hills.

We reached Munnar at around 1 PM. After lunch we rushed to Eravikulam National Park also known as Rajamala. It is situated just 8 kms from Munnar. You can also take ticket from the counter of sports council stadium, old Munnar.  After taking the ticket you can board the bus arranged by Eravikulam national park by paying Rs. 20 and within 15 minutes you will reach Eravikulam.

Fifth mile is the entrance of the Eravikulam National Park. It has visitors launch, drinking water, bio toilet, display boards and parking facility.  After taking the entry ticket , further travel is by safari bus arranged by Park authorities till Park Entry. Entry time is restricted from 7:00 am to 4.00 pm. Entry Fee is  Rs.120/ for Indian Adults and Ordinary Camera charge for Rs. 40/-

The road ahead to Park Entry is narrow and two buses cannot cross at a time. The scenery on both sides of the zigzag road is marvelous.  Rolling hills and emerald green tea plantations sprawling across horizon make for a picture postcard setting.  You can also see some Neelakurinji flowers on the road side.

The bus will go till Park Entry. Further you can walk through the tar road about two kilometer to the top. When we cross the security check post, the guard informed us that  plucking of Nilakurinji flower is illegal and will  be charged  Rs.2000/-. These flowers, when in bloom, cover vast areas over the hills and the surrounding landscape.

And we walked through the narrow road enjoying beautiful Neelakurinji flowers on one side and the wilderness of the nature on the other side. When I searched for the Neelakurinji flower over the internet, it looked like blue or pink color flowers,  but in real it looks purple color.

The presence of Nilgiri Tahr, the endangered mountain goat is one of the attractions that attracts travelers. They wander through the mountains by eating plants and ambling down the hills is a sight to behold

You can also find all kinds of flora and fauna which are marked by placing boards near to them which provide details of these flowers. Some of them are, Kattumunthiri ( Robus ellipticus), Sundew Plant, Blechnum orientala, Anaphalis subdecurrens, Kattu Thumba ( Leucas vestita) and Kurinji( Strobilanthes pulneyensis ).

All you can do is to enjoy the scenery  arranged by nature.