Attukad falls and the Chinnakanal road
Munnar · 7 hrs · Cab included · Pickup from your stay
From ₹2500 for the whole vehicle, up to 6 people. The price is per car, not per person.
Vehicles
- Swift Dzire: Sedan. Best for a couple or a small family. ₹2500 for the vehicle.
- Innova or Ertiga: The comfortable one on a long hill day. ₹3500 for the vehicle.
- Jeep: For the estate tracks a sedan cannot take. ₹4000 for the vehicle.
The other direction out of Munnar
Almost everyone drives north-east to Mattupetty and Top Station, and almost nobody does the road that runs the other way. That is a mistake: Attukad's cascade, the spice and chocolate units around Pallivasal, Devikulam's quiet lake, the eighty-metre drop at Chinnakanal and the elephant reservoir at Anayirankal are all on it, and on a normal morning you will share them with almost no one.
It is two roads really, west to Pallivasal and east towards Bodi, with the town in between. That is a genuine annoyance to plan around by autorickshaw and a non-issue with a car for the day: you do the western end while the mist is still in the valley, cut back through town, and take the eastern road when the light is high enough to reach the bottom of the Chinnakanal drop.
The vehicle is booked for your group, so the price does not change with the number of you. Attukad's steps and the estate track down to Anayirankal are the two bits of effort in the day, and both are optional.
Your day, stop by stop
1. Pothamedu viewpoint
Three kilometres out on the Kochi road, where tea, coffee and cardamom stack up the same slope and the whole Munnar bowl lies below you. Ten minutes, first thing, while the valley still has mist in it.
2. Attukad Waterfalls
Between Munnar and Pallivasal, a broad cascade spread over black rock in a wooded gorge. It is a proper set of steps down and back, and it is the reason the falls stay quieter than anything on the Mattupetty road.
3. The chocolate and spice shops
Small family units around Pallivasal grinding cardamom, pepper, vanilla and homemade chocolate. Tasting is free and nobody minds if you buy nothing. Your driver will take you to one that actually makes it rather than one that only sells it.
Anything you choose to buy, paid at the shop
4. Devikulam and Sita Devi lake
Back through town and east: a small hill settlement with a mineral-water lake in a fold of tea, named for a Ramayana stop. Quiet, unbuilt, and about seven kilometres from Munnar.
5. Chinnakanal falls
Also called Power House falls, dropping about eighty metres in a single sheet beside the Bodi road. You see it from the road and then walk in for the base. Loudest immediately after rain.
6. Anayirankal Dam and the Lockhart tea
A reservoir ringed by tea and eucalyptus where wild elephants come down to drink, which is what the name means. The last stretch to the water's edge is a rough estate track, comfortable in a jeep and slow in a sedan.
In your price
- Private vehicle with driver for the full day
- Pickup and drop at your stay
- Parking and toll charges
- Both directions out of town in one price
- GoExplorer support number for the day
Not included
- Waterfall entry tickets where charged
- Lunch
- Anything you buy at the spice shops
What you pay on the day
- Entry and parking where the falls charge for it
- Spices, chocolate or tea you choose to buy, paid at the shop
- Lunch and refreshments
- Personal expenses
Who this suits
Reasonably steady walkers. Attukad is a real staircase down and back and can be skipped from the top viewpoint if that is not for you. Children over 5 manage the day happily. Swimming at the falls is not permitted and the rock stays slippery long after rain.
What to bring
Shoes with grip for the Attukad steps, a rain layer in any season, sun protection, and cash for entry tickets and lunch.
Rain makes the falls and closes the track
Both waterfalls are at their best in and just after the monsoon and the day runs in rain. Heavy flow can close the Anayirankal estate track, in which case that stop is swapped for another on the same road. If the day itself cannot run, you choose a full refund or a free reschedule.
Cancellation
- More than 24 hrs before: Full refund
- Within 24 hrs: 50% refund, or reschedule free once
- No show: No refund
Safety and the operator
The rock at both falls is slippery and entering the water is not permitted at either. The Anayirankal shore is elephant country and your driver decides how close the vehicle goes and when it is time to leave. Stay with the group there.
Questions
Is the price per person?
No. It is one price for the whole vehicle for the day. A Dzire is ₹2,990 whether there are two of you or four.
Should we take the jeep?
Only if you want the track right down to the Anayirankal water. Everything else on this route is fine in a sedan, and your driver will not pretend otherwise.
Can we swim at Attukad?
No. The pools look inviting and the rock and current do not forgive it. Nothing on this day involves getting into the water.
Will we see elephants at Anayirankal?
Sometimes, usually at the far end and usually at dusk. It is a genuine possibility rather than a promise, and we will not pretend it is scheduled.