"Munnar"

Experience: It is a lovable hill station.There are many falls,dams,parks. Munnar is filled with thick and dense forest.

Food, sight-seeing and shopping: There is 'hotel saravanabavan' for very hygienic and tasty food. it was very cheap too. There are a lot of tea gardens. Avery splendorous view of tea plantations and it was very exciting too. its view was like shells of tortoises from the top angle.

Activities & things to do: Boating at madupetty dam is very exciting and interesting one. Having a speedboat ride in madupetty dam was very much thrilling. We had nice time also by having a ride on elephants. In kundala dam horse ride also available. We spend our time usefully by knowing more about the tea production in tata tea museum. We saw a LCD project beside the whole history of tata tea museum.

Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc: Take shawls, sweaters. If you have a problem of vomiting during hill travels you are advised to take tablets and Lemons with you.

"Greenary, fresh Air, peaceful envirnoment, neat."

Experience: If you like to stay peacefully without any noise and tension. Munar is the best place to visit with ful of mountains covered with tea plants. Where ever you see you will find greenery. sep to april is the best time to go. we went in oct 2008, that time climate was so good, it was drizzling lightly and entire tea estate was covered with fog in the morning and the evening. Best part is enjoying the nature while travelling the ghat section.

Food, sight-seeing and shopping: Hotel: we stayed in westWoodRiverside restaurant, it was nice but expensive. Rooms are neat food is ok not so good. Lake was there next to hotel you can enjoy eating by sitting next to the lake and enjoying the nature. you can also try saravana bhavan hotel that is cheap and best. Food: We had nice Fish curry and fry in Silverspoon hotel which is there in middle of city. parata was nice in hotel Spice .... u can try Saravana bhavan, south Indian meals and dosa was nice. Try Strawberry juice which is really Osum!! made of real fresh strawberry fruit, Raw mango with salt and chilly powder, frash carrot, Gua fruits, Jola etc .. all tasted nice and fresh. Shopping: we can get nice Tea for cheaper rate. In Tea museum only they sell tea for cheaper rates. All varieties of tea are availble. I like Cardamon and masala tea flavor. All flavors they add is the natural one so u try all varieties of tea. Good quality Spices also u will get for cheaper rate in KDH shop which is owned by Tata.

Activities & things to do: Places to see: Lukham falls was very nice. Water was pure and chilly. u can play in water, there are rooms are available to change the cloth after playing in water. Anaimudi hill also nice place. it is the highest hill in the south India which has 8832 ft height. Boating in speed boat is nice. Heard body massaging is nice in Kelara but I didnt get time to do. nxt time need to try.

Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc: We went trough KPN travels, every day 1 bus goes Bangalore to Munnar I think. but it took 14 hrs to reach there because of ghat section span around 70 km so journey was tired. you can try train I heard it nice.


"A must visit place"


MILI
Lives in Bangalore
2 Reviews
"A must visit place"

Posted Jul 14, 2008
Experience: If u want to rest in peace away from the city life than munnar is the right choice...

Food, sight-seeing and shopping: Food is not so good..but in market there are two restaurants were you get very good chicken items.. You get good chocolates and tea..there is particular govt tea shop just before the market...you can ask the auto driver..they will show u the way...there u will get genuine products with reasonable rating...chocolates and the spices you can get from the shops in the market.. but do visit 2-3 shops before purchasing as there is lot of bargaining to be done :) ..

Activities & things to do: There is nothing much to do except site seeing in the day time....which will includes some boating and you can go for an elephant ride..in the evening you can go for shopping...the market closes down around 9...after that it difficult to get any means of communication...if u dont have your own car...its better to go sight seeing with individual vehicle which u get it for 1200 for a day...

Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc: KPN only has good service from Bangalore if you opt for a bus..but the bus journey is very tiring ...Never ever try to go through any tour operator ..they are real cheat..specially manish travels.. they showed us the hotel pictures that were very good and also charges a lot...but the reality was totally different...the hotel room was very dirty and we think we have paid a lot for that..after quarelling for 2 hrs giving warning of consumer court ...he agreed to shift us along with another couple to a good hotel..and those who didn't shout at them stayed in the hotel itself. So its better to book hotels previously and go for a self conduct tour...

"Awesome green and clean bathed with crystal clear waterfalls"

Experience: Non-commercialized, this small town of Munnar is a velvet green getaway for any nature starved tourist. Surrounded by tea plantations, wildlife sanctuaries, clear blue water bodies and foaming white waterfalls this place is the top refuge for any and everyone

Food, sight-seeing and shopping: Dont go for north indian food at this south indian heaven. Rather, try Sarvana Bhavan right in the heart of the city offering really tasty food at cheap prices. Beware of the rush that is always there but the jet fast service gives some respite. Any direction you go out of Munnnar is abundant with green hills and water bodies. Worth checking out is Mattupetty dam for a boat ride, Marayoor for sandalwood trees (they smell awesome!!!), Lakham waterfall, Eravikulam national park among others Dont miss to shop for cardamom and tea... On your way around, you will find many tea tasting shops on road near tea plantations that offer you to taste and buy at real cheap prices...

Activities & things to do: Dont miss bathing in one of the waterfalls... trekking thru tea plantations (its more fun wandering thru a private plantation :D) and a speed boat ride in the lake... try going out to one of the trekking destinations...


"Wandering in God's own ......."

Experience: MUNNAR! It was everything we had heard and read about! The greenery just overwhelms you and it is nowhere as commercialized as Ooty or Kodai. Unfortunately it was summer and the waterfalls had all dried up. The views are incredible and we could only imagine how beautiful it would look after the monsoons.

Food, sight-seeing and shopping: The home made chocolates are great and so are the freshly fried banana chips.

Activities & things to do: Munnar is a great place for hiking or bicycling. Although we didn't do too much of either there were other tourists who we saw. There is some great speed boating in a lake for 60 bucks a head. I am sure it will be a paradise for bird watchers given the profusion of flora in this place.

Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc: Munnar is about a 3-4 hr drive from Kochi airport. Enroute make sure to drop into the Adi Shankara Kirthistambh Mantapam at Kaladi which is just outside Kochi. This is a multi-storey building which houses a museum that describes Adi Shankara's life and his spiritual journey.

How wonderful would it be to row down this stream?

"This is a great place to visit with its beautiful untouched beaches and white sand"

Lakshadweep by Libra
Overview of the destination
I went on a honeymoon cruise aboard the Libra. The route was Mumbai-Lakshadweep-Goa-Mumbai. We went in the first week of march. The weather in Lakshadweep was starting to get hot and humid but it was still bearable. This is a great place to visit with its beautiful untouched beaches and white sand. We enjoyed every moment in Lakhadweep
Food, sight-seeing and shopping
We were present in Lakshadweep only for one day. We spent the entire day on kadmat island. This island has a resort run by the government. There is not much to shop. There is only one activity for sight-seeing. The beautiful beach and the shallow coral lagoon !

Activities & things to do
We took the full activity package provided by Superstar Libra. It cost around 3500 per head. The package included scuba diving, banana boat ride and glass bottom boat ride. I feel it was a good deal. We enjoyed all of these activites.

Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.
We went there by Libra, so every thing was arranged for by these folks.

A Beautiful Night in Salem.

About Salem Tourism

Salem, one of the major commercial centres of South India, is located in the north-central part of the state of Tamil Nadu. It is situated at a distance of 340 km from the state capital, Chennai. The district is enveloped in Nagaramalai, Jeragamalai, Kanjanamalai and Godumalai hills.

The word Salem is believed to have originated from Cheram (Keralam or Seram), indicating the region as a Cheram land. During the days of yore, the region was a chief weaving centre with inhabitants engaged in producing Saeylai, a garment worn by women.

Human civilisation in Salem can be dated back to the Stone Age. The stone implements and dung ash heaps found in and around Salem are testimonies of the Paleolithic and Neolithic age. Salem also witnessed the rise of various dynasties such as Pandiyan, Pallava, Chozha, Hoysala and Chalukya.

Earlier a part of Kongu Nadu, the first habitation in the region is believed to be of the Ganga Dynasty. The inscriptions dating back to the era of Ganga Dynasty refer the region as ‘country around hills’. The region was ruled by Gangakulam rulers of the Ganga Dynasty for a long period.

After the arrival of Vijayanagar kings, the region came under the governance of Madurai Nayaks. In the early 18th century before the colonial rule, Hyder Ali took over Salem after the Mysore-Madurai war. Salem was annexed by a well known British Governor, Lord Clive, in 1799 and remained a military base for the British till 1861.

The location is the base for reaching popular tourist destinations such as Yercaud Hills and Kiliyur Falls. Yercaud, a famous hill station of South India, lies in proximity to Salem. Lying on the Servarayan range of the Eastern Ghats at an altitude of 1,515 metres above sea level, the region is famous for coffee plantations, orchidarium and orange groves. Some other notable tourist attractions of the destination are Tharamangalam and Mettur Dam.

Salem is well connected by air, rail and road. The airport nearest to the destination is Salem Airport, which is served by domestic airlines. Tourists travelling from international destinations can board flights to Chennai International Airport. Salem Junction is the nearest railhead, which is connected with various parts of the country. Travelling by roadways is also convenient with the availability of buses from nearby places including Chennai.    

The destination experiences tropical climatic conditions round the year. The period between the months of November and March is the best time to visit Salem.

One of the more lesser talked about places in Kerala-The Nelliyampathy Hills in Palakkad.

About Palakkad Tourism

Palakkad, also known as Palghat, is a city located in the state of Kerala, around 350 kilometres north of Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital. The town is located in Palghat Gap, which is a depression in the Western Ghats and is adjoined to the state of Tamil Nadu. Palakkad is an important city of Kerala and every year a number of tourists come here to see landscapes and temples.
History of Palakkad
The name is believed to have originated from the word Palai nilam, which means dry land. However, the commonly held belief is that, it originated from the fusion of Malayalam and Tamil words. The name Palghat was derived from the name Pal Ghat, which is one of the Ghats in Western Ghats. Palakkad is famous for its Travancore saris, handicraft and jewellery.
Things to do in Palakkad
In Palakkad, there are a number of temples that are visited by devotees throughout the year. People come here to see temples like Kanjirapuzha, Pattambi Nercha, Kalpathy Temple, Jain Temple, Pariyanempatta Bagavathi Temple, due to their religious and historical significance. There are many local festivities that are celebrated every year in these temples. Padur Vela, Tharakad Sivan Koil Siva Rathry and Pudduseri Vedi are few of these temples. Palakkad holiday packages cover many sightseeing items across the destination.
Chinakkathoor Pooram is one such festival held annually at the Sree Chinakkathoor Bhagavathy Temple at Palappuram in Palakkad district. It is a bright and vibrant elephant pageant, so to speak, where 33 decorated tuskers come together in a grand procession. The festival also displays traditional Keralite art forms like Panchavadyam (traditional temple orchestra) and Tholppavakoothu (a ritualistic shadow puppetry) apart from Vellattu, Theyyam, and Kaalavela etc.
There are other places like Silent Valley National Park, Pothundy Dam, Malampuzha Dam, Dhoni Waterfalls, Parambikulam, Walayar Dam and many more.  These temples and attractions are located in and around Palakkad town.
Palakkad Fort, constructed in 1766 by Hyder Ali who was the father of Tipu Sultan, is a religious as well as historical site. Thread Garden is another important site of this place. This garden is famous for artificial thread flowers and plants.
Travelling to Palakkad
The nearest airport to this place is Coimbatore International Airport, which is about 52 km away. Taxis are available outside the airport. Tourists can reach Palakkad by train too. The main station of this town is Palakkad Junction and it is connected to many important cities of Kerala as well as India.
Palakkad experiences a pleasant climate throughout the year, except in summers, which falls between the months of April and July. Monsoon strikes this place in the mid of July and the temperature of the place stays pleasant until March.
Accommodation options in Palakkad
Palakkad has a range of hotels to choose from. Hotel options in Palakkad range from resorts, homestays, budget hotels and lodges as well as a few bed & breakfast places. 

Nature

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