India GOWhat to buy in Munnar
The obvious souvenir from Munnar is the right one: tea, bought from the company that grows it on the slopes around you. After that come cardamom and pepper from the bazaar, homemade chocolate, eucalyptus oil, and two less obvious things worth the detour: plant-dyed scarves made in a workshop most visitors never find, and cane jaggery from Marayoor.
What is worth bringing home
Roughly in order of how much they say about the place.
Tea from the estates
Munnar is the one place where "local tea" is simply a fact. Kanan Devan Hills Plantations (KDHP), the employee-owned company that took over the old Tata estates, sells CTC (crush, tear, curl), green and orthodox grades plus flavoured lines with cardamom, ginger, masala and jasmine. Buy it at the company's Ripple Tea outlet at KDHP House in town, at the Tea Museum counter or at its Chai Bazar shops. Kolukkumalai's orthodox tea can be bought at the factory where it is made.
Spices and oils
Cardamom, pepper and cinnamon, eucalyptus oil and Ayurvedic oils fill the Main Bazaar by the bus stand, alongside long-standing merchants such as Abbas & Co. Tea Merchants. Prices are low and quality varies. The shop at the Spice Palace garden at Chithirapuram costs more, and what the difference buys is freshness and someone to explain what each thing is for.
Homemade chocolate
Munnar grows no cacao; the craft is usually traced back to the planters, and the shops hand-pour chocolate in more flavours than anyone needs. Check the ingredients before you buy.
Plant-dyed scarves from Aranya Natural
A natural-dye studio at the Srishti Welfare Centre in Nullatanni, founded in the early 1990s and staffed by differently-abled young adults from tea-worker families. Silk, linen and cotton scarves and stoles are coloured with plant dyes, tea waste among them, using shibori and other resist-dye techniques. From outside it looks like a workshop, not a shop; short studio visits are usually possible on working days.
Marayoor jaggery
Marayoor sarkara, cane jaggery boiled down in homestead furnaces about 40 km north of Munnar and rolled into balls by hand, received a Geographical Indication in 2019. It is sold at roadside stalls in the valley, so buy it on a trip to Marayoor.
Seasonal produce
Vattavada, at the end of the road beyond Top Station, sells its vegetables and fruit at the farm gate, with strawberry picking from December to February.
How to buy well
A few habits separate a good buy from a pretty package.
- Read the label — In the bazaar, check ingredients and origin, and favour shops that can tell you where the goods come from.
- Buy tea from the producer — KDHP's own counters sell tea that is fresher and better documented than tea repackaged for the market.
- Shop in the evening — The bazaar is calmer once the day-trippers have gone.
FAQ
What is Munnar famous for buying?
Tea above all, then cardamom, pepper and other spices, eucalyptus oil and homemade chocolate. Plant-dyed scarves from Aranya Natural and Marayoor jaggery are the less obvious buys.
Where can I buy genuine Munnar tea?
From Kanan Devan Hills Plantations directly: the Ripple Tea outlet at KDHP House in town, the counter at the Tea Museum or the company's Chai Bazar shops.
Is Munnar chocolate made from local cocoa?
No. Munnar grows no cacao, so the cocoa is brought in; the homemade chocolate tradition is usually traced back to the planters.
Do I need a jacket in Munnar?
A warm layer, yes. Munnar is at about 1,600 m, and night temperatures average around 13–14 °C from December to February. From June to August, pack for rain.
Sources (3)
Facts checked: 15 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.
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