Aura of India: Kerala Hill Stations: Munnar, Vagamon, Wayanad, Nelliyampathy

Rolling tea gardens in the hills around Munnar

Photo: Rainer Halama, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons

Tea gardens on the slopes around Munnar, in the Idukki hills of Kerala, after a night of rain.

Kerala's hills are never more than a few hours from the sea, and they are wet, green and steep in a way the plains never prepare you for.

Munnar and the high ranges

Munnar, at about 1,600 m in Idukki district, is Kerala's best-known hill station and its busiest. Its name means "three rivers" in Malayalam, for the streams that meet in the town. It grew as a British tea town, and the estates still cover almost every slope. The best day here is outside the town: Eravikulam National Park, home of the Nilgiri tahr, a sure-footed wild goat found only in these hills. The park closes each year in February and March for the calving season, and entry is booked online with a daily limit, so plan ahead.

Munnar is about four hours by road from Kochi airport, and the nearest railway station is Aluva. Its narrow roads jam at weekends and in the holidays, and the local council has been debating vehicle charges and limits on tourist buses at the popular viewpoints; check before you go.

Vagamon, Peermade and the Periyar side

South of Munnar, the hills are quieter. Vagamon, at about 1,100 m on the border of Kottayam and Idukki, is a place of open grassy slopes, pine woods and fog, with the Kurisumala monastery on a hilltop and paragliding when the wind allows. Peermade, at about 915 m, is a small tea and cardamom town on the road from Kottayam to Kumily. Kumily itself is the gateway to the Periyar Tiger Reserve at Thekkady, which most people visit for the boat ride on the lake and the spice gardens; it is forest country rather than a hill station.

Wayanad and the north

Wayanad, in the north, is a high plateau of coffee, pepper and forest, with Edakkal's carved caves and Chembra Peak, at about 2,100 m, above it. The Chembra walk goes only as far as a heart-shaped lake on the slope, and the number of walkers a day is limited. In July 2024 landslides at Mundakkai and Chooralmala, in the Meppadi area, killed more than 300 people. Most of the district is open to visitors again, but some areas near the landslide zone stayed closed into 2026, so check which places are open before you go.

Wayanad has no railway or airport. Kozhikode is the usual way in, up the Thamarassery ghat road with its nine hairpin bends.

Nelliyampathy and Ponmudi

Two smaller hill places sit far from the main routes. Nelliyampathy, in Palakkad district, is reached from Nenmara past the Pothundy dam and up a road of ten hairpin bends to orange and tea estates and long views over the Palakkad plains. Ponmudi, in Thiruvananthapuram district, is the capital's hill: a winding road of many bends to a grassy top that is often in cloud. Both are best as a day out or a single night.

Rain, closures and the right month

Kerala's hills take the full force of the south-west monsoon from June, and the north-east monsoon brings more rain in October and November. In the wettest weeks, district collectors close trekking routes, adventure activities and homestays in landslide-prone areas, sometimes at a day's notice. In June 2026 a red alert shut the Chembra walk and the resorts of Meppadi panchayat in Wayanad for a weekend before the order was lifted.

There are two other closures to plan around. Eravikulam National Park shuts every February and March while the Nilgiri tahr give birth, and reopens on 1 April. The Chembra walk stops at the lake: the summit path is closed because of wildlife, and passes stop by early afternoon. Otherwise the hills are open all year, and are at their best just after the rains. For a route that joins the hills to the coast, read Kerala from the coast to the hills.

Hill stations to know

Munnar (Idukki, altitude about 1,600 m): tea estates and the Nilgiri tahr at Eravikulam.
Vagamon (Kottayam and Idukki, altitude about 1,100 m): grassy hills, pines and fog.
Peermade (Idukki, altitude about 915 m): a tea town on the way to Thekkady.
Thekkady and Kumily (Idukki): the gateway to the Periyar Tiger Reserve.
Wayanad (Wayanad): a coffee plateau with caves, peaks and forest.
Chembra Peak (Wayanad, altitude about 2,100 m): a limited walk to a heart-shaped lake.
Nelliyampathy (Palakkad): estates above ten hairpin bends.
Ponmudi (Thiruvananthapuram): the capital's hill, often in cloud.

In Kerala the hills keep the rain long after the coast has dried, and that is why they stay so green.

Plan your visit

Best season	September to March for clear days; December and January are coolest. June to August is very wet, and trekking routes can close in heavy rain. Eravikulam is closed in February and March.
How to reach	Kochi airport for Munnar, Vagamon and Thekkady; Kozhikode for Wayanad; Coimbatore or Palakkad for Nelliyampathy; Thiruvananthapuram for Ponmudi. The nearest railway stations are Aluva for Munnar, Kozhikode for Wayanad and Kottayam for Vagamon.
Getting around	Kerala state buses climb to every hill town, but a car with driver is easier for viewpoints.
Permits and bookings	Eravikulam tickets online, or at the counter at the Munnar information centre. The Chembra walk is booked on the day at the forest office, with a daily limit. Nothing extra is needed for the hill towns themselves.
Where to stay	Munnar town, Chithirapuram and Pallivasal; Vagamon; Kumily for Thekkady; Kalpetta, Vythiri and Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad; estate stays at Nelliyampathy.
How long to spend	Two or three nights in Munnar, one or two each in Vagamon and Thekkady, three in Wayanad, and a night or a day trip for Nelliyampathy and Ponmudi. More in our Kerala guide.

Open Munnar, Idukki, Kerala in Google Maps

Questions people ask

When can I see the Nilgiri tahr at Eravikulam?

From April to January. The park closes in February and March for the calving season. Mornings are best; entry is from 8 am, and tickets sell out at weekends, so book online first.

Is Wayanad safe to visit after the 2024 landslides?

Most of the district is open, and the June 2026 rain restrictions were lifted. Some areas near the landslide zone in Meppadi panchayat, and a few sites such as Edakkal, were still under restrictions in July 2026. Check the district's latest order before you go.

Munnar or Vagamon?

Munnar has the tea estates, Eravikulam and the most hotels, and is busy at weekends. Vagamon is smaller and emptier, with open grassland and pine woods, and suits a quiet night or two.

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Kerala Hill Stations: Munnar, Vagamon, Wayanad, Nelliyampathy