Tata Tea Museum, Munnar: How To Reach, Best Time & Tips

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Tata Tea Museum Overview

If you are lucky enough to make it during the show timings, you will learn a lot that day. From the early history of Tea Plantation to how British brought Tea culture and cultivation in the region, the toil and hard work of the people who endured during those days, the machineries and tools, the entire process of cultivating, plucking, drying and final packaging of Tea; almost everything you learn in just a half an hour documentary that is played here.

You will also get to see the typewriters, magneto phone, the hand tea roller, and manual calculators and iron oven which have been very useful tools during the earlier days. This is one of the best tourist places in Munnar.

Location: Nullatanni, Munnar, Kerala 685612

Timings: It remains closed on Monday and opens from 9 AM till 5 PM on all the remaining days of the week.

Entry fee: The entry fee for adults is INR 75 per head and for children of a particular age group is INR 35.

Check Out: Best Time of the Year to Visit Munnar

For more than a century, the history of Munnar has been linked with its tea plantations. In fact, Munnar is a place to find some of the best tea estates in the world. It is one significant employment opportunity for the people of Munnar. Kannan Devan Tea Estate is a Tata-owned tea estate in Munnar which homes to most of the tea estates of Munnar. The Tata Tea Museum, also known as KDHP Museum, is located at 2 km from the centre of Munnar. It is a part of the Nallathanni Estate of Tata Tea.

This museum stands as a tribute to all the pioneers of tea plantations of Munnar who turned it into one of the major tea distributors of Kerala. Tata Tea Museum is a one-of-its-kind museum of India. Tourists visiting here get to know about the establishment and progress of the tea plantation industry in India. Right from the manually operated tea roller to the fully automated tea factory, you get to know about every single fact related to the Munnar’s tea plantation’s automation.

This museum is a place meant for the researchers. You can gain insights about the processing of tea leaves and the marketing of the finished product. They also have an orthodox tea manufacturing unit and a mini CTC to demonstrate differential stages of tea processing. At the entrance of the Tata Tea Museum, there’s a grand 1913 made granite sundial. This is said to be a contribution from the Art Industrial School of Tamil Nadu.

This authentic museum is a place where you can find the presence of the original tea roller produced during 1905. Rotor vane and the Pelton wheel are the other key attractions of this section. Another part of the museum displays the old-fashioned bungalow furniture, magneto phone, wooden bathtub, cash safe, iron ovens and other modern and other exhibits. In one of the rooms here, you can even find an Iron Age burial urn which was widely used during the 2nd century BC.

In the end, do not forget to visit the demonstration room of this Tata Tea Museum. Here, you will get to taste various different types and flavours of tea. This demonstration is scheduled twice daily in the morning at 10:30 am and in the afternoon at 02:30 pm. There’s a nominal charge of 100 INR per head to taste the plethora of tea flavours of Munnar.

How To Reach

By Road:

You can either opt for a local bus or hire a private cab to drop you at the entrance of Tata Tea Museum of Munnar. As the transportation here is quite smooth, you do not need to worry about any travel complications.

By Rail:

For all rail travellers, Aluva Railway Station is the nearest point to get down. From here, you can check for the buses to drop you at Munnar bus station. Alternatively, you can opt for a private cab service if you have more luggage with you.

By Bus:

There are local buses to drop you at Munnar Bus Station from other significant regions of Kerala. Various towns of Tamil Nadu and Kerala provide bus services to Munnar. Besides, Munnar is well-connected with other chief cities of Kerala by KSRTC bus service.

Best Time To Visit

The Winter season in Munnar often gets chilly where the temperature may fall to a low limit. Thus, the period from November to March accounts as the best period to schedule your visit to Munnar’s Tata Tea Museum.

It is from March to May when the temperature rises a little higher. This is the period when you can expect little to no rainfall here. The entire period from March to May accounts as a season for a sight-seeing adventure.

During monsoons, the region witnessed heavy rainfall. This is the period when the tourism of Munnar experiences a gradual decline. Also, this is the best season to seek some quiet time in the lap of mother nature when there is less crowd. Be it either a little drizzle or a heavy shower, the entire region covers itself with a lush green blanket. More or less, the atmosphere also remains pleasant and refreshing throughout the period.

Other Essential Information

Credits: rumpelstiltskin1

Location: Tata Tea Museum is located at the KDPH house of the Nullatanni region (NH49) in the state of Kerala (685612).

Timings: Tata Tea Museum remains functional on all days of the week except Mondays. You can walk in anytime between 09:00 am to 04:00 pm. Also, make sure that you do not plan your visit to the museum on Good Fridays.

On average, you will be able to wind up your visit to the Tata Tea Museum within an hour. In case you are planning to participate in any of the show or exhibition here, you need to invest a bit more of your time.

Entry Fee: The rates applicable for your entry to the Tata Tea Museum are as follows:

Adult – 75 INR per head

Child (Age group – 06 to 12 years) – 35 INR per head

Camera – 20 INR

Transportation: Munnar is well-connected to other significant regions of Kerala and prime cities of India. If you are travelling here through rail, Ernakulam Railway Station (130 km) and Madurai Railway Station (135 km) are two options for you. From here, you can get a bus, or a private cab drive to reach your final destination of Munnar’s Tata Tea Museum.

Various towns of Tamil Nadu and Kerala provide bus services to Munnar. Besides, Munnar is well-connected with other chief cities of Kerala by KSRTC bus service.

Places to Stay Near Tea Museum:

Here’s a list of the stay options available near the Tata Tea Museum of Munnar:

1. Kuhi the Mist: The surroundings of this resort display the beauty of Mankulam Hills. There are villas here giving a stunning view of the vastly stretched lush rainforests. Every villa here has a private balcony, free internet connectivity, kitchenette and other vital amenities to ensure a comfortable stay for all their guests. You just need to pay a sum of 2800 INR per night to accommodate yourself here.

2. Eastend Munnar: Eastend Munnar offers both air-conditioned rooms and suites for your luxurious stay. Free parking, complimentary breakfast, game room, billiards room, and a business centre are some of their services. Each of the room here features a desk, flatscreen TV, a shower facility, and safe storage for all your belongings. A room here is available from 4300 INR per night stay.

3. The Silver Tips: The Silver Tips has around 57 movie-themed rooms and about 3 spacious suites, making it a total count of 60 accommodations. Within each room, you have a high-speed internet connection available. Airport transportation, babysitting, fitness centre, a minibar are some of their other facilities for their guest support. A room here is available at 4900 INR per night for accommodation.

4. KTDC Tea County: Located amidst fragrant tea gardens, and quaint cottages are the KTDC Tea County. Every single room here features a private balcony, high-speed internet connectivity and a shower facility. For business meets, they have some space reserved as a conference hall. Banquet room, laundry service, dry cleaning, restaurant, bar or lounge, fitness centre, business centre, and spa centre are some of their key attractions.

Places to Eat Near Tea Museum:

1. Rapsy Restaurant: This restaurant serves both Indian and Asian vegetarian-friendly options. The restaurant is quite clean with excellent facilities, and the workers here emphasizes more on food hygiene.

2. Hotel Sri Nivas: Hotel Sri Nivas offers some mouth-watering Indian meal varieties. You have a wide array of curry options here to club with your rice. Payasam, rasam, and sambhar are amongst their chief food preparations.

3. Gurubhavan: The food served here at Gurubhavan is of utmost quality and the menu here has a wide variety. This place is known for its cleanliness and fast service. Appam egg curry is a must-try here.

4. Tea Tales café: Here, you have a wide choice of tea. Chicken grill sandwich, mojito, fresh juices, falooda, and other food preparations are vital dishes here.

5. KTDC Tea County: KTDC offers both Indian and Asian style vegan and vegetarian meal options. The ambience of this place is peaceful, with a good and pleasing atmosphere. You get to taste the real flavours of Kerala and South India here.

6. Rochas Restaurant: Rochas restaurant offers both Indian and Asian style cuisine. Cream of tomato soup, Malabar paratha, Kerala style chicken, Garlic chicken, paneer masala is amongst the few food options to try here.

Facts About Tea Museum

credits: Anoop Joy

- This museum was constructed as a tribute to the hardworking ability of Munnar natives engaged in this age-old tradition of tea cultivation. It is due to their efforts that this Munnar’s Tata Tea Museum accounts as one of the famous tea gardens across the world.

- The museum is home to different instruments and tools to display the entire tea processing and manufacturing stages. The hand roller, modern automated machinery, and other tools & techniques used in ancient or modern tea processing are displayed here.

- There’s a grand sundial at the entrance of this museum. This sundial is an exclusive contribution from the Art Industrial School of Tamil Nadu.

- You get to witness the presence of magneto phone, manual calculators, typewriters, and iron oven used over centuries.

- The museum has a separate section for antique item displays. Burial urn is a vital attraction of this place which dates back to the 2nd century. This accounts as an essential item of Tata Tea Museum.

Tips for Visiting Tea Museum

Credits: Kerela Tourism

1. The Tata Museum remains functional between 09:00 am to 04:00 pm. It is closed on all Mondays and public holidays including; more specifically Good Fridays.

2. This place allows you to enjoy tea plucking. You can even taste the different tea flavours here.

3. You are supposed to pay separately for carrying a camera with you. Also, your entry ticket does not include the charges for tasting different tea varieties.

4. There’s a tea outlet here from where you can buy tea of different flavours and aromas. It also sells herbal tea varieties. The tea varieties here are sold at very reasonable and affordable rates.

5. Tata Tea Museum officials schedule different shows to provide information about the working of the tea plantations and how things are organised here. The show is scheduled twice daily – 10:00 am in the morning and 02: 00 pm in the afternoon. Here, the demonstrators display a wide array of tea varieties being grown in Munnar.

6. You just need to pay a nominal charge of 100 INR per head to try the different flavoured teas.

7. For the convenience of their visitors, the Tata Tea Museum officials have put up signboards next to their display objects.

8. Also, you may approach the officials there to explain to you about the museum exhibits.

9. It is good to go through different articles and blog posts about the Tata Tea Museum before scheduling your visit here.