Kolukkumalai – Highest Tea Estate in the World
Kolukkumalai! The highest tea estate in the world at more than 7000 feet above sea-level. Some of the best teas of the world with a very distinctive flavor… Plus, the panoramic views of the rugged mountains and plains around it as a bonus…
And its in India, less than 40 kms from the bustling hill-station of Munnar in South India. This is a land where life is extremely simple and basic. This is the real life without the accouterments of modern-day living, surrounded by nature, fresh air and the crisp wind.
The Tea Factory
The factory at the center of the estate was built by the British in the 1930s – even the factory is a throw-back to the olden times when life wasn’t so complicated. Traditional tasting and orthodox tea-making in the 7-step process – withering, rolling, sieving, fermenting, drying, fiber extraction and grading.
What to do in Kolukkumalai
This is the place to head to in case you need some respite from the pressures of modern-day life and wish to be in a place at the lap of nature with the pace of life flowing more languidly… A place to taste and enjoy the simple pleasures of life – over a cuppa…
Nothing much to do here except just basking in nature, soaking in the fabulous views, trying out the local cuisine, chatting up the friendly locals and maybe taking a tour of the tea estate… Isn’t that enough? For me it was – I spent an idyllic, few days here and would go back for more of the same… Of course one could head to Munnar with its hustle and bustle, but in that case, one might as well stay in Munnar…
Where is this place
Now for some facts on the place… This is a small village in Theni district of the South-Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It borders the Idukki district of Kerala. Only accessible by jeep due to the rugged and rain drenched roads leading to it from Munnar town (the base point for accessing Kolukkumalai), this inaccessibility plays an important role in the village maintaining its serene-ness. Munnar is easily accessible from Kochi or Madurai which are air and train hubs connecting the rest of India.
For more such nature based experiences in India, you could take a look at the article on India – In the lap of nature
In case you are keen on traveling to southern India, you could take a look at the itinerary for Munnar and cover Kolukkumalai as a part of the experience.
India is a many-faceted country other than being naturally very beautiful – culture, history, mystery, wildlife, spirituality… Here is some more information on these facets of India, to help you travel beyond the regular tours and packages to India
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