Munnar town is a bustling market hub, its shops rich with the scents of cardamom and tea that are all grown in the surrounding hills. Step away from its commercial centre though, and see it for its real charm. Endless swathes of verdant plantation stretching out to meet the horizon over rolling hills, broken only occasionally by a panoramic hotel here, or a roaring cataract there (check out the Atukkal Waterfalls for some of the best). Mist creeps over the sculpted ridges of the Western Ghats and pretty lakes flow between the jungled mountains, opening out into the Eravikulam National Park that plays home to the rare Nilgiri Tahr and the Anamudi Peak. While long walks in the tea plantations (Kannan Devi Hills Plantation Co. has the biggest presence) and visits to the tea factories in these high reaches of Kerala’s Idukki district take centre stage here, get a Munnar tour guide to show you the surrounding points of interest as well; Echo Point, Top Station, Mattupetty Dam et al.