Tag: blue blooms

Munnar tourism bounce back with Neelakurunji

After the slowdown of inbound tourists due to the rain and floods, Munnar is in a revival mode, following the widespread blooming of Neelakurinji, the purple-blue flower, which blooms once in 12 years. As the roads to the hill station are reinstated, tourists from all around the world are flowing to Munnar, to witness the visual extravagance of Neelakurinji blooms. District Promotion Council (DTPC) and Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) have arranged special packages for the tourists to reach Eravikulam National Park and Kolukkumail, where the tourists can see extensive blooming of Neelakurinji along the whole valley, making it ... Read more

Tour with Shailesh: Neelakurinji blooms in Kolukkumalai

Kolukkumalai is a tea plantation; spread across 500 acres and around 8000 feet high from sea level. It is said to be a plantation without pesticides and chemical application and the tea from Kolukkumail is said to be of high quality and taste. This year the visual extravagance, which happens once in 12 years – blooming of Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana)- has been present in Kolukkumali Mostly the flowers start blooming from July. However, due to rain and floods, the blooming has delayed this year. Neelakurinji flowers are usually visible at Vattavada and Rajamala region of Munnar. This year, Kolukkumalai also ... Read more

Neelakurinji blooms in Kolukkumalai, near Munnar

Munnar ghats witness a visual extravagance once in 12 years – blooming of Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana). Mostly the flowers start blooming from July. However, due to rain and floods, the blooming has delayed this year. Neelakurinji flowers are usually visible at Vattavada and Rajamala region of Munnar. This year, a nearby valley of Kolukkumalai also blessed with Neelakurinji blooms. Advocate Haroon, a media person hailing from Thiruvananthapuram, has made a journey to Kolukkumai to experience the visual treat. Kolukkumalai is a tea plantation; spread across 500 acres and around 8000 feet high from sea level. It is said to be ... Read more

New bridge connecting Munnar and Marayoor is ready

The floods in Kerala had washed away the Periyavara bridge on the Munnar – Marayoor route, there by stopping all kinds of transportation between the two places. The bridge connecting tourists to Rajamal tourists zone and the Eravikulam nation park was the only access for the tourists to reach Rajamala to watch the mass blooming of Neelakurinji. The new temporary bridge is expected to be ready in two days’ time. Eravikulam National Park reported the blooming of Neelakurinji, the flower which blooms once in 12 years, last week. A huge inflow of tourists is expected in the area in the ... Read more

Blue blooms in Vettaikaran Kovil, near Kanthalloor, Munnar

To the delight of the visitors in Western Ghats, Neelakurji flowers have bloomed in Vettaikkaran hills near Kanthalloor. Almost every valleys of the area are adorn with blue blooms, though not that expensive as in the seasons. People can reach Ottamala region of Vettaikaran Kovil by jeep from Kanthaloor town. Those who cannot trek through the hills can opt for visiting the nearby areas like Pattissery, Keezhanthoor, Kolutha Malai, where also you can see blooming Neelakuriji flowers. Tourists from Tamil Nadu have already started flowing to the region to witness the blue-purple flowers, which blooms once in 12 years. As ... Read more

Neelakurinji blooms in Rajamala, Munnar

After the rain and floods, Neelakurinji in Rajamala started blooming. This time, flowers are bloomed in a scattered manner, than the usual extensive blooming along the valley to make it a blue-purple carpet. As per experts, if the sun would shine unceasingly in the days to come, there could be extensive blooming. The season may prolong until October. Visitors are allowed to Rajamala to view the Neelakurinji spots from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Entrance fesses are like Rs 120 for adults and Rs 90 for children. Foreign visitors have to pay Rs. 400. The only way to reach Rajamala ... Read more

All you need to know about the Neelakurinji season in Munnar

The Neelakurinji season has started and will last till November. Those who wish to visit Munnar during the Kurinji season can visit the Eravikulam National Park to spot the flowers which blossoms once in 12 years. Visitors will be allowed between 7 am and 4 pm. The state tourism department has made special arrangements for the visitors to book online tickets and pre-registered booking facilities. 75 per cent of the tickets will be distributed online and the rest 25 per cent will be distributed direct. The entry to the park is restricted to 3500 visitors per day. For online booking: ... Read more

Kerala launches exclusive microsite for Neelakurinji season

Photo Courtesy: Balan Madhavan Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthianus) blooms only once in every 12 years and, the hills of Munnar will soon be painted in a hues of blue. Kerala Tourism has launched a microsite http://www.keralatourism.org/neelakurinji exclusively to welcome the kurinji season. The new microsite offers you in-depth insights into the ‘Neelakurinji Phenomenon’ through photographs of the blooming in 1982, 1994 and 2006, video clips of the Kurinji and other nearby attractions, the best routes to reach the flowering site at Rajamala, travel writers who share their experiences of having witnessed the flowering in the previous years and also scholarly articles on preserving ... Read more

Western Ghats find a place in Lonely Planet’s Best in Asia 2018 list

Epic views abound of the mist-cloaked mountains of the Western Ghats © Naufal MQ / Getty Images Lonely Planet has just revealed its 2018 Best in Asia list, a collection of 10 of the best destinations to visit in the continent for the year. And, Western Ghats of India, finds a place in the top 5 of the list. “Asia is such a vast and diverse continent for anyone dreaming of an escape,” said Lonely Planet’s Asia-Pacific Media Spokesperson Chris Zeiher. The panel of travel experts has named Busan, South Korea as its top pick, describing it as “eclectic” and “vibrant”. ... Read more

Neelakurinji season starts in July

Munnar ghats are ready to witness the visual extravagance – blooming of Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana), which happens once in twelve years. This time it is expected to be between July to October. Kerala Tourism Department hopes it would revive the tourism industry, which has adversely affected by the Nipah virus outbreak during the last month.

Eight lakh tourists to visit Kerala during Neelakurinji season

The much-awaited Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes Kunthiana) season is almost here in Kerala and the state is expecting over 800,000 travellers to visit the picturesque hill station during July -October 2018 period. The Neelakurinji flowers will blossom after 12 years across the hills of Munnar in Idukki district during these months. Neelakurinji is commonly found across the Western Ghats,and had flourished previously in 2006. Munnar has the largest concentration of the Strobilanthes out of the 46 varieties found in India. The mass flowering of Neelakurinji will begin in July for next three months, and will paint the hills blue. “There is no ... Read more

Indian travellers prefer Munnar, Coorg and Goa

Global timeshare firm RCI has recently published a report which studied holiday and vacation patterns of 50,000 RCI members in India, and found that there was a 13 per cent growth in the number of Indians taking vacations abroad in 2017-18. The report,  found that the US was the most preferred destination in 2017-18 while for those headed for Europe, Switzerland and Spain were the top choices. The report also said that there is an 8 per cent growth in domestic travel, with Goa being the preferred choice in 2017-18, followed by Coorg and Munnar. Among the South-East Asian countries, the top picks were ... Read more

Traffic curbs for Munnar’s kurinji season

The long-awaited ‘neelakurinji’ season is all set to begin from August to November.  Munnar town and nearby areas are preparing to receive the tens of thousands of visitors who would be flocking the hills of Munnar to experience the ‘neelakurinji’ season. As per the official data, around eight lakh visitors are expected in Munnar during the ‘neelakurinji’ season. To control the traffic, regulations will be imposed in Munnar town between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. The Munnar grama panchayat and the police have already removed the roadside vendors and traffic barriers have been constructed on the two sides. The visitor’s vehicles ... Read more