Meander in the mist – Shola Crown
I had always imagined staying in a place far from raucous and maddening city life to embrace the magnificence of nature. At the same time adding a touch of luxury like a pool with the stunning view, encircled by the mountains! Sounds like a dream, right ?
But then dreams do come true, a few days back I and my husband got a chance to visit a beautiful resort named Shola Crown on outskirts of Munnar along with some other fellow bloggers.
Shola crown Munnar is one of the most beautiful resort in Kerala, hovering on the cliff edge in the kottagudi region. It is only 130 km from Cochin airport. The journey from Cochin to shola is an experience by itself, Where you pass through fascinating winding green tea estates, beautiful valleys, little waterfalls, and a cool atmosphere. embraces you. Which was no less than a reward for traveling 4 hours to reach the hotel.
Upon arrival, we were welcomed by the team with a very refreshing Cinnamon tea, which I must say was good.
Rooms in Shola crown
The hotel rooms are equipped with all basic amenities for a relaxing and in absolute calmness. The best part of the room is the splendid hazy view from the balcony in the early morning that will take you to another world. The only thing I found missing was a Television but I guess no one needs a television when you are in god’s own country.
The infinity swimming pool overlooking the mountains is one of the best parts of the hotel, the view is just mesmerizing.
View from the Dining Area – The Elam Restaurant
Activities in Shola
As shola crown is located in a serene environment, away from the city noise you can simply relish the time in the resort itself. In case you like to explore and understand why Kerala is called God’s own country then they offer many opportunities to enjoy nature, which are simply fantastic!
Tribal village trek
So on the first day, we decided to explore the tribal village and after breakfast, we left for the trek. We started at 10.30am, it took us almost 3 hours to complete the trek and come back to the hotel. It was an incredible experience to feel the real beauty of nature where the tree crickets were making loud noises to draw our attention, we could smell the freshly spiced fragrance of cardamom plants on our way. After climbing up the hill we were so amazed to see the scenic view from the top of the hill.
I completely forgot about the tiredness when I saw the blue sky, staggeringly beautiful mountains and eye-pleasing greeneries. I was so much in love with that place that I never wanted to leave it but we had to move on. And at the last, we reached the village where we got a chance to experience the village life, talk to them. We saw how donkeys are still used to carry heavy bricks up the hills to build the houses. Make sure to apply a good sunscreen before the trek 🙂
Shola Night Trek
Initially, I was very skeptical about night trek as I have fear of darkness but then I thought it’s not every day that you get chance to experience the major thrills of trekking at night. So we slipped into our comfy shoes and left for the trek in the jeep. After a certain point, we started trekking to reach the point. It was pitch dark, so we all were given a head torch to go easily through the forest.
The only thing we could see was a little light from the torch and our ears were filled sound of the insects coming from the dense forest. Honestly, it was a mixed feeling (more of fright than excitement) while I was passing through the jungle but when we reached the point I was extremely happy with my decision. We could see millions of stars on that dark night. We could see the trail of lights as cars were navigating along the mountain road.
Sunrise trek to Kolukkumalai & tea estate jeep safari
I was tremendously excited when I came to know that Kolukkumalai is the highest organic tea plantation in the world which is located at the height of 7900 ft above sea level. Mr. Kinock Sebastian owner of shola also told us that there is a tea factory which was built in 1930, where the tea is still processed in a traditional way, that moment I was very sure that it’s going to be an outstanding experience.
So we left at 4 am in the morning from the hotel to reach the sunrise point. The approach road is through Suryanelli where there is no proper road, a path made of stones & mud and only jeep can go up to the Kolukkumalai Tea Estate. It was more like a high off-road safari and with every bend, we were delighted to witness the distant hills covered in mist. What an incredible beauty it was!!
We were spellbound the moment we reached the top. The panoramic view, spooky but magical mist and slightly orange beam of light bursting from the silhouette of kolukkamalai were purely magical. It was the happiest moment for me that simply cannot be measured or described in words. The view was spectacular, a pure bliss for any travel lover. It is a perfect place for any photographer to enjoy the scenic beauty and capture it. You get to see our own Wakanda Black Panther structure.
After the amazing sunrise, we visited one of the oldest tea factory which was built in the 1930s. I love the vintage wooden interiors here and how they explain the whole process in a detailed way. I was so surprised to see that they are still practicing the traditional method of making tea, unlike the other tea manufacturer who uses CTC method. And if you are a tea lover like me then you will be delighted to taste varieties of tea here. It was one of the perfect mornings I ever had. On the way back to the Resort, we found many women plucking and cutting the tea leaves. It was such nice experience talking to them and trying our hands in plucking those leaves
Kayaking & Zipline
Shola crown also provides this eco-adventure travel experience for their guest. There is a local community who manage these activities. All activities are under the guidance of professionals and they make sure about your safety. Enjoy the thrilling zip line in Shola like never before. The view is so incredible when you zipping through the zip line.
You can also enjoy kayaking with your partner or friends in the lake amidst the mountain.
If you want to indulge in the vacation of your life, where you will come more closer to mother nature with lots of adventure. Then pack your bags and go to Shola Crown it will surely leave a long lasting impression on you and would make you appreciate nature even more. It was really hard to leave Shola Crown as I cherished some of the best moments of my life.
Thank you very much for reading!
You can view the resort by clicking below text.
Find the Youtube Vlog Below
If you have any query about shola then, just shoot a message in the comment section below, will be happy to answer.