Meesapulimala trek from Munnar PHOTOS: Trekking in Western Ghats, Kerala, India

Hi there!

Meesapulimala is located in the Western Ghats of South India, a mountain range that is older than the Himalayas and has UNESCO world heritage status.

At a height of around 8,660ft, the Meesapulimala Peak is said to be the second highest peak in Kerala.

The highest peak in Kerala is the Anamudi Peak at around 8,840ft.

It’s possible to go trekking from Munnar to the Meesapulimala peak as a guided trek with the Kerala forest department.

You will spend overnight at “base camp” in a tent for a forest stay in the Western Ghats, and then the next day you’ll hike to the peak and back.

You’ll also need a permit for this trek, but it is pretty easy to obtain.

This is actually at the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and once you make it to the peak, it’s possible to stand in both Kerala and Tamil Nadu at the same time.

If you’re doing a backpacking trip through Kerala, you can go to Munnar conveniently from Cochin or Alleppey. From Alleppey, consider taking the ferry in part from Alleppey to Munnar on the Kerala backwaters!

You can also get to Munnar from Bangalore.

And when in Munnar, you can do a tea plantation trek as a warm-up to the Meesapulimala trek!

Now…

I did the trek in March 2018 and this was my experience!

Things that will make the Meesapulimala Trek a Munnar trekking experience to remember!

1. Getting to base camp from Munnar

You’ll drive through scenic roads to get to the Meesapulimala base camp from Munnar town.

This above is the smooth road from Munnar to base camp. But…

Once you get close to base camp, the roads get pretty rough.

So if you’re taking your own vehicle there, make sure it can handle it.

There are people who ride their motorbikes to get to base camp.

It’s not really recommended to drive your own car, as it’ll be questionable whether a normal car can handle the roads once you get to the road close to base camp.

These people above have gotten out of their self-drive rental car at the start of the bad roads to determine how to proceed – the roads are that bad!

You can take a taxi to get close to the base camp and get dropped off at the point that the road gets bad. That will be about a 30 minute walk. You can consider it a warm-up for your trek the next day. 😉

Otherwise, you can hire a jeep to take you all the way from Munnar town to base camp.

2. Kerala dinner food

To give you energy for the following day’s trek to the Meesapulimala peak, you’ll have a Kerala dinner!

So be sure to eat up.

You can sit around a campfire too.

You’re in the Munnar hills so it can get chilly at night.

You might want to bring extra layers of clothes to wear when you’re hanging out in the evening.

They do allow you to leave a bag in a storage area at base camp in case you don’t want to carry all your belongings with you on the trek.

You’ll be returning to base camp after your trek, so this could be a convenient option.

3. Sleep in a tent

Overnight camping in the Western Ghats!

With the tent comes a sleeping bag.

You’ll be sleeping at an altitude of around 6,000 ft.

And this is the outdoor bathroom.

Nothing special. Nothing horrible.

4. Kerala breakfast food

Wake up in the morning and then get ready to embark upon the journey you came for!

There will be some Kerala breakfast food, as well as other types of breakfast food too.

Be sure to eat a good breakfast to start you off on the trek!

5. Start the trek in the morning

And finally – you get to start on the trail to the Meesapulimala peak!

6. Short stop for small waterfalls

There might not be very much water to call these real waterfalls, but it still makes for a scenic overlook!

7. Keep hiking the trail!

8. Stop at another scenic overlook

9. Keep hiking the trail!

You might start getting tired. 😉

10. Walk across the mountain ridge

11. Arrive at the Meesapulimala peak!

So, how long does it take to reach the Meesapulimala peak?!

It totally depends on your group!

There’s only one guide, so you kind of need to stick together.

I would say my group was going at quite the leisurely pace, and it took around 4 hours to hike from base camp to the peak.

We left base camp shortly before 9am, and then arrived at the peak shortly before 1pm.

12. Eat lunch at the peak

Before you leave base camp, you’ll be given a packed lunch to take with you on the hike.

You can eat this at any time when you’re on the trail, but eating lunch at the peak can be perfect too!

13. Rest at the peak

How long do you spend at the peak?

Once again, this depends on your group.

I think my group spent 1 – 1.5 hours here before heading back down.

14. Make your way back to base camp

You’ll take a different route back to base camp than the trail you came from.

Naturally, you can expect it to take a shorter amount of time going down the mountain than going up.

If you’re feeling tired, you can ask your guide about getting a jeep.

You’ll still have to walk to get to one of the Kerala forest department’s accommodation units, and maybe that’s 1 to 1.5 hours of walking.

From there they can arrange a jeep to get you back to base camp. This is an added cost.

It seemed like everyone in my group wanted to take a jeep back, so I went with them.

How much does the Meesapulimala Trek cost?

To sign up for this trek, you’ll book a tent at base camp.

The price per tent is 4,000 rupees (US$55). This price went up by around 500 rupees (US$7) in April 2018, so it might go up again in April 2019.

The tent can sleep 2 people so it’s best to sign up for this trek in pairs. If you’re alone, you’d pay the same amount for the tent.

This price also includes dinner on the first night, and then breakfast and lunch on the second day.

But it’s still best to bring some snacks along for the trek! Also bring water. They did provide one bottle of water, but this really isn’t enough for a full day of trekking.

Now, if you’re ready to do this Meesapulimala Trek from Munnar yourself, you can see a little bit more info through the Kerala forest department.

How to get the Meesapulimala Trek permit

You need official permission to do the Meesapulimala Trek.

But this is pretty easy.

Once you arrive in Munnar, you’ll have to go to the Kerala forest department office so you can collect your permit to give you permission to be in this part of the Western Ghats.

You can do this right before you head to base camp.

When I did this trek, there wasn’t an added cost for the permit. They’ll just check that you have a booking at base camp.

You’ll need to show this permit at the checkpoint on your way to the Meesapulimala Trek base camp, as well as on the way back to Munnar, so you kind of need to have the permit in hand.

And then…

Where to stay in Munnar

There are affiliate links below. You should totally check out the reviews and photos of these places.

If you’ll be arriving a day early before the trek, or you’ll be staying an extra day after you’ve finished the trek… or you just want to make the most of your stay in Munnar… here are some places to take a look at!

Budget hotels near Munnar bus station

• Greenview Holiday Inn
• SMM Cottage

Budget hotels around Munnar

• Shire Hostel
• Sunleo Spice Homestay

Simple hotels around Munnar

• Munnar Minds Homestay
• Munnar Farmhouse

Best hotels around Munnar

• Resort with activities, swimming pool, and good views
• Hotel with activities surrounded by nature

And go for a Munnar tea plantation trek as a warm-up or recovery to Meesapulimala! 😉

HAPPY MEESAPULIMALA TREKKING!