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Winter at
Blanket Riverside

Winter in Munnar brings a kind of landscape you won’t find in any other season. While most travellers imagine Munnar only as a monsoon or summer destination, winter in Munnar is its most atmospheric chapter: deeper mist, sharper views, and a unique combination of cold weather and vibrant colour. Most foreign travellers choose winter for a reason: it’s the most stable and scenic time to explore the Western Ghats.

On many days, the fog stays from dawn until night. The hills fade into shifting white layers. The river carries the chill through the valley. In the higher slopes, temperatures can drop to 0°C or even –2°C, creating the rare winter phenomenon of frost across grasslands and tea slopes. It’s a season where the Western Ghats breathe differently — slower, colder, more dramatic and Blanket Riverside sits right inside that winter rhythm.

Colours
That Belong to Winter

Poinsettia

The Red Flame of Munnar’s Winter Season

Winter paints Munnar in bold strokes. Along the tea-estate routes, Poinsettia (Christmas Star) bursts into full colour — flaming red, bright orange, soft yellow and even snowy white. As the colder months settle in, these shrubs deepen in shade and intensity, standing out brightly against the mist-covered slopes. Travellers driving between Munnar and Marayur see the colour shift month by month — a natural indicator of the Munnar winter season.

Poinsettia

Roses

in Winter Peak

The famous Munnar Rose Garden reaches its prime in late January and early February. Winter light, winter chill and the altitude together sharpen the colours, making reds brighter, pinks softer and whites clearer. For photography and nature lovers, this is one of the best floral moments of winter in Munnar.

Roses

Neelakurinji

The Legendary Bloom of the Hills

Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) is Munnar’s most iconic floral event, famed for its rare 12-year bloom cycle that transforms the high ranges into a rolling purplish-blue landscape. The last mass bloom happened in 2018, and the next is expected in 2030. Even when not flowering, the high shola-grassland belts where Kurinji plants grow remain an essential part of Munnar’s identity — the same ridgelines, valleys and slopes that once turned violet, shaping the character and mythology of these hills through every season.

Neelakurinji
Ground Frost, Fog & the Cold Light

Winter on the Ground — Frost, Fog & the Cold Light

in the early hours, the ground around Blanket Riverside often appears sugar-dusted with frost. The stones, grass, riverbank edges — all shimmer under the first touch of sunlight. Fog drifts across the Muthirapuzha valley almost continuously, creating a soft-white atmosphere that makes every walk feel dreamlike.

This is the signature of Munnar weather in winter — a surreal blend of cold, mist and muted light.

Spices & Aromas
of Winter

Winter is the most aromatic season in the high ranges,
and this is when Munnar’s spice country
becomes truly alive

Nutmeg

Nutmeg
— The Signature Winter Spice of Munnar

Among all spices, nutmeg is winter’s crown. The cold climate supports its peak harvesting, and estates around Munnar treat nutmeg as their most important winter crop. The aroma of freshly split nutmeg shells — warm, sweet, slightly woody — hangs in the air around plantations. Many travellers consider nutmeg visits a highlight of the season, as it's the only spice with a distinctly winter-dominant cycle.

Cardamom & Pepper

Cardamom & Pepper

Cardamom pods mature beautifully in the winter chill, developing richer scent and deeper flavour. Pepper vines also become more aromatic, their natural oils reacting well to the cold, misty environment. For visitors exploring Blanket Riverside’s spice plantation, winter is one of the best times to understand how these spices grow in shade-loving, frost-kissed slopes.

Festival Season

Festival Season of the High Ranges

Winter is believed to be festival season in Munnar, and the hills confirm it.

The most significant celebration is the Thrikarthika Festival at the Subramanya Temple, held in November–December. Thousands of lamps light up the twilight, their glow seen through layers of fog drifting across the mountains. The sound of chenda, temple chants and evening rituals rises sharply in the cold air.

Smaller village temples around Munnar hold their festivals during the winter months as well. For travellers, this becomes one of the most intimate cultural experiences of the season — devotion set against mist, frost and the quiet winter landscape of the Western Ghats.

Winter Experiences
Around Blanket Riverside

Winter changes how you explore Munnar — not just what you see, but how you feel while
seeing it. Fog softens every ridge. Frost paints the ground in silver. And the Muthirapuzha
River becomes calm & cold.

Our guided experiences highlight
what winter reveals best:

Bamboo rafting on mist-covered river stretches
Kadathu

traditional river crossing on a bamboo boat. (available only from October to May).

Walks through frost-touched viewpoints
Walks through frost-touched viewpoints
Drives through poinsettia corridors and winter rose belts
Drives through poinsettia corridors and winter rose belts
Spice-plantation visits in Blanket Riverside.
Spice-plantation visits in Blanket Riverside.
Soft-light photography mornings with heavy fog and cold clarity
Soft-light photography mornings with heavy fog and cold clarity
Routes connected to winter temple festivals
Routes connected to winter temple festivals

Every experience is curated weekly to match winter patterns
— flower patches, frost intensity, festival dates, spice cycles, and visibility levels —
ensuring guests catch the real winter highlights of Munnar.

Why Winter Is a
Strong Travel Window

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Signature Munnar winter mist from morning till night

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Beautiful frost formations in higher altitudes

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Exclusive winter colours — Poinsettia bloom, rose-garden peak

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Strong aroma season for spices, especially nutmeg

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Cultural richness with winter temple festivals

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Crisp air ideal for bamboo rafting, guided walks and scenic drives

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Rare cold-weather experience in the Western Ghats

FAQs

Winter temperatures in Munnar can drop sharply, especially in higher altitudes. Early mornings and late nights may reach 0°C to 3°C, with some upper slopes occasionally touching –1°C or –2°C. Daytime usually stays cool and pleasant.

Yes. Frost is common on grasslands, tea slopes and open areas during early winter mornings. It melts once sunlight hits the ground.

Carry warm layers, thermal innerwear, a good jacket, socks, gloves, a beanie or scarf, and comfortable walking shoes. The fog can be thick, so packing a light rain shell or windbreaker is also helpful.

Very much. Winter in Munnar is known for dense fog, especially during early mornings, evenings and nights. This is part of the region’s winter charm.

You’ll see winter blooms like Poinsettia, peak-season roses, widespread fog formations, frost-covered grasslands, and active spice farms with nutmeg, cardamom and pepper. Temple festivals also take place during this season.

Most activities continue smoothly. Guided walks, drives, rafting and farm visits operate as usual. Visibility may vary on fog-heavy mornings, so timings may be adjusted.

Neelakurinji blooms only in its 12-year cycle (last in 2018, next in 2030). While it won’t be flowering, the ridgelines where it grows are part of winter drives and remain scenic.

Yes. Roads are generally safe. However, early morning fog may reduce visibility, so guided travel is recommended for scenic drives.

Yes. The cold is refreshing but manageable with proper clothing. Resorts and vehicles remain comfortable and activities are paced gently.

Snowfall is extremely rare, but frost is common in many upper-slope regions. Guests sometimes mistake thick frost for thin snow because of its white, powdery appearance.

Plan Your
Winter Stay

If you want to feel Munnar in its coldest, most atmospheric mood — with mist rising from the river,
frost on the grass, temple drums echoing through the valley and winter flowers lighting up the hills
— this is your season.

Stay by the River at Blanket Riverside.
This is where winter unfolds in its purest form.

Book your winter stay