While my recent 2-day trip to the hills of Munnar in the Western Ghats of India was absolutely fantastic, there were a few things that could have been better that would have lifted the whole experience to a completely different level. Firstly, was the choice of car. While I would have certainly not minded something more powerful than the rather humble Ford Figo, what I missed the most on these roads was a car with higher ground clearance. The more and more I have recently gotten to drive around urban and rural India, the more I feel that one is home with an SUV or something that has higher ground clearance. This is due to the variety of road surfaces that we have at our disposal, that goes from smooth pieces of tarmac to bumpy, broken and unpaved sections within just a few corners anywhere around the country. Unfortunately, by the time we finalised our trip with Zoomcar, all the proper SUVs and even the Ford EcoSport had already been booked. Second, was the choice of lenses for my camera. In particular, I was really missing out on a wide angle lens, which would have been such an amazing thing to have for capturing the majestic views of the hills and valleys of Munnar. Thankfully, my iPhone came in for rescue for capturing some of the breathtaking panoramas that we encountered in our two days of travelling the region.
Special mentions to:
Preeya for letting me steal her photos.
Mistletoe for their lovely hospitality (you can see a panorama of how it looks from their homestay below)
Zoomcar for the well-maintained and mechanically sound Ford Figo.
- While the main highways and city roads are absolutely smooth and literally pothole-free, any detour would take you through some pretty patchy tarmac. We realised this during our very first outing.
- Munnar is almost always perpetually suspended in clouds…
- Everywhere you go in Munnar, the hills are covered in tea plantations that spread their aroma in every direction.
- Be weary of unexpected visitors as Munnar is home to more than 400 species of fauna.
- Despite it not being a particularly powerful car, the Ford Figo was surprisingly nimble around corners. Its light steering makes it a perfect choice for the tight narrow roads around Munnar while the 1.5-litre Diesel has decent poke for quick overtaking
- The cascading hills of Munnar are flogged by clouds that rise up to envelop the mountains, concocting the perfect dynamic painting.
- You know that your destination is doing its magic when you naturally wake up in the wee hours of the morning, only to head out to experience the play of light as the cloak of dark gradually gets lifted.
- Every corner of Munnar has a peculiar way of addressing nature’s symmetry.
- Just when you think that you’ve seen it all, the mountains unfold to a new stretch of road with the horizon reserved for even more striking scenery.
- The biggest problem driving around Munnar isn’t the narrow roads or the slightly aggressive bus drivers. It is in fact the difficulty to stay focused on the roads instead of letting your eyes wander off into the scenic view up front.
- This place is called Top Station. There are no second guesses as to why.
- Mistletoe at the foothills of Munnar was our catch of the trip. This homestay is peaceful with a very welcoming staff. And as you can see, the mornings from the room is absolutely incredible.
- It’s on twisty roads like these where the Ford Figo really lets you play. While the power-assisted steering was lighter than what I would have preferred, the turn-in and mid-corner placement was more accurate than expected.