Kolukkumalai Tea Plantation

Kolukkumalai Tea Plantation

Kollukumalai offers its visitors a chance to enjoy a cup of tea at the highest plantation in the world. Here, one can enjoy a wonderful view of the lovely Munnar valley below. At about 7900 ft above sea level, we even get glimpses of the neighbouring State of Tamil Nadu. A walk through these hills is every trekker's dream. The aroma of tea with mist covered peaks in the background make for a riveting sight.

A guided tour of the tea factory gives one rare insight into their methods of tea production that have not changed for decades. Housed in a two-storied building with wooden interiors, tea is processed in the traditional method, which is different from the more popular CTC method (crush-tear-curl method). One can enjoy a variety of flavours here and buy fresh packets from the attached shop. There are different varieties to choose from like the Broken Orange Pekoe (BOP) and the Flowery Orange Pekoe (FOP). The hill top is accessible only by jeep and is 38km from Munnar town. The panoramic view makes the entire journey absolutely worthwhile.