Lakshmi Hills Plantation and Mountain Hike
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 3.78 mi
- Elevation gain
- 876 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Moderate
- Elevation loss
- 876 ft
- Max elevation
- 5,555 ft
- TrailRank
-
63
5
- Min elevation
- 4,765 ft
- Trail type
- Loop
- Moving time
- 2 hours 2 minutes
- Time
- 2 hours 51 minutes
- Coordinates
- 1089
- Uploaded
- May 25, 2019
- Recorded
- May 2019
near Pothamedu, State of Kerala (India)
Viewed 2634 times, downloaded 82 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
This is a lovely hike that we took with a guide that cost about 1,000/- per person (appx $15 USD). It is quite easy to do this trail without one. Be forewarned that any tea plantation hike without a guide--be it this one or any throughout Munnar--is likely trespassing and you may get stopped by a surly tea plantation supervisor. Guides either know them or have paid them off. Or both. Indeed, at the exit we turned around and saw a clear "no trekking, no trespassing" sign despite the fact that we were doing just that for the past 2+ hours. I personally would not worry too much if you choose to do this alone. Our guide did slow down the hike considerably and this could probably be achieved in just about 2 hours. It is worth stopping and having lunch on one of the rocks off the ridgeline.
This hike is a figure-8 loop that starts with tea plantations then ascends up to the mountains. Keep an eye out for the path up the mountain--I added a picture of the path you take. The mountain portion has a negligible amount of scrambling. The descent is again through the tea plantations. The last chapter of the hike can either involve going back from where you came (the map shows the intersection) or one can do as we did, which is go around another side of the valley. The trail offers great views with intermittent fog that provided great reprieve from what would otherwise be a warm day in late May.
How to get there: The trail begins at Lions English Medium School, and is easily marked. Our trail ended at Royal Retreat Hillview Munnar, not far from the start of the hike. Hailing an auto at the end of the hike should be easy enough.
This hike is a figure-8 loop that starts with tea plantations then ascends up to the mountains. Keep an eye out for the path up the mountain--I added a picture of the path you take. The mountain portion has a negligible amount of scrambling. The descent is again through the tea plantations. The last chapter of the hike can either involve going back from where you came (the map shows the intersection) or one can do as we did, which is go around another side of the valley. The trail offers great views with intermittent fog that provided great reprieve from what would otherwise be a warm day in late May.
How to get there: The trail begins at Lions English Medium School, and is easily marked. Our trail ended at Royal Retreat Hillview Munnar, not far from the start of the hike. Hailing an auto at the end of the hike should be easy enough.
Waypoints
Photo
5,581 ft
Ridge peak
This is the only section of the hike where you go back the same way you came. It's worth doing this extra leg.
Photo
4,957 ft
'Ticket' check...?
Our guide got a piece of paper checked here. It wasn't a formal ticket by any means, since these do not exist. Perhaps a note of permission from someone at the plantation?
Comments (5)
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I have followed this trail View more
Information
Easy to follow
Scenery
Moderate
Really nice walk, no need for a guide, you can do it by your own with a map on your phone ! Thanks a lot for the share !
This trail actually private land without permission and without guide not allowed for inside because of private land sometimes wild animal attacked the human not guide no safety. Sometime people coming alone the private company charging fine and call the police there asking many questions please you don't come this trail without guide.
Very beautiful !
Very nice trail took us a bit over 2 hours. We didn’t get a guide but we did run into other groups and their guides were telling us that it’s private property and we might be fined. We stuck to the main trail and it was very smooth
Hi. Pls share if you have any links to local hiking-groups in this area.