5 Daring Kolukkumalai Sunrise Trek Tour Package 2027 | High

A full Munnar day before the Kolukkumalai pre-dawn start. The morning covers Eravikulam National Park — the protected high-altitude grassland above Munnar where the Nilgiri Tahr, found only in the southern Western Ghats, is regularly sighted on the open slopes. Entry is by Forest Department regulated vehicle from the park gate.
The afternoon covers Mattupetty Dam and the Kundala tea estate viewpoints — the road above Munnar where the plantation slopes stretch across multiple valleys. The day ends early with briefing for the pre-dawn Day 3 start. The Kolukkumalai jeep leaves Suryanelli around 4.30 AM — the vehicle reaches Suryanelli by night. Overnight at Suryanelli base.

The jeep leaves Suryanelli before 4.30 AM. The off-road section from Suryanelli to the viewpoint covers approximately 12 to 14 kilometres on a rocky mountain trail — steep inclines, sharp bends and a path that no regular vehicle can manage. At around 7,900 feet the tea estate opens across the upper slopes, the factory sits dark and quiet in the pre-dawn hour, and the viewpoint looks east.
When the sun clears the distant Palani Hills the light comes up through multiple layers of cloud below — the valley floor is not visible from up here, only more mountains and mist. After the sunrise, the orthodox tea factory visit — the British-era processing unit still running on traditional methods. Return to Suryanelli for breakfast. Drive to Munnar. Overnight at Munnar.

The Munnar to Thekkady drive covers approximately 90 to 105 kilometres through cardamom and spice country, descending from Munnar's elevation through the Devikulam range. The landscape shifts from open tea estates to denser forest as it nears Thekkady. Arrival at Thekkady by mid-afternoon.
The Periyar Lake boat ride inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve runs in the afternoon — a one to two hour circuit on the reservoir where elephant, deer and bison come to the water's edge. Sightings are possible and documented by operators but never guaranteed by season. Evening is the Thekkady spice market — cardamom, pepper and vanilla from the plantation belt that surrounds the reserve. Overnight at Thekkady.

The final morning is Thekkady before the return drive to Kochi. After breakfast the vehicle heads back — approximately 190 kilometres via the Kottayam route, taking between four and five hours depending on conditions.
Travellers with afternoon or evening departures from Kochi have time for a short stop at one of the spice estate viewpoints along the Thekkady-Kottayam road before joining the plains. The Bon Voyagers vehicle drops at Kochi Airport. The kolukkumalai sunrise trek tour package ends at the same airport it began — five days after the group last saw this altitude of zero metres.