Place

Vattavada

How locals move

Getting around Vattavada the local way

Everything runs from Munnar, 45 km away, over the Top Station road and through the Pampadum Shola forest gate: about six daily buses and, between them, share jeeps. Long-distance KSRTC boards use Koviloor, the village beside Vattavada, so ask for both names.

01
Munnar – Vattavada busbus
Munnar town to Koviloor and Vattavada via Mattupetty, Kundala, Top Station and the Pampadum Shola checkpost
Where
Sources disagree on the stand. Wikivoyage maps a separate small stand for Mattupetty and Vattavada buses at 10.0872, 77.0609, a short walk from the main Munnar bus stand; a Vattavada campsite's own 2025 guide says the buses leave from the Munnar KSRTC bus stand. Ask at both, and ask for Koviloor as well as Vattavada, because that is the name on the long-distance boards. Boards are usually in Malayalam only.
When
About six departures a day from Munnar, listed as 07:30, 09:30, 11:45, 14:30, 16:30 and 18:45
Fare (2025)
About ₹60 one way
Takes
About 1h 30m for 45 km
Season
Year-round. Pampadum Shola National Park, which the road crosses, states entry hours of 06:00 to 18:00, yet the last listed bus is timed to reach Vattavada at 20:15, so through traffic evidently continues after the stated park hours. Monsoon landslides can close the ghat
Booking
None, pay the conductor on board
Sources: gypsysparadiso.in (2025) · gypsysparadiso.in (2025) · gypsysparadiso.in (2025) · confidence medium
02
Mattupetty jeep stand share jeep to Koviloorshare jeep
Munnar jeep stand at Mattupetty road to Koviloor, the Vattavada transport hub
Where
Ask at the jeep stand on the Mattupetty side of Munnar town and buy a seat to Koviloor, not to Vattavada. Jeeps fill up and go rather than run to a timetable, and they are the fallback when you miss a bus.
When
Through the day when seats fill; drivers stop running around 17:00 because of mist and animals on the road after dark
Fare (2025)
₹70 per head reported in 2018; ₹100–150 per seat quoted in 2025
Takes
Around 1 hour uphill
Season
Year-round, subject to the 06:00–18:00 Pampadum Shola gate
Booking
None, pay the driver
Sources: supertravelr.com (2018-04) · tripoto.com (2018) · gypsysparadiso.in (2025) · confidence medium
03
Ernakulam – Koviloor through busbus
Ernakulam KSRTC stand to Koviloor beside Vattavada, via Perumbavoor, Kothamangalam, Neriyamangalam, Adimaly, Munnar, Mattupetty and Top Station
Where
Ask the Ernakulam enquiry counter for the Koviloor bus rather than Vattavada – Koviloor is the name the KSRTC board carries. It is a single long service, not a tourist bus, and it does not appear on tourist timetables.
When
One listed departure from Ernakulam at 06:40, with returns from Koviloor at 10:30 and 13:40. A 2018 trip report describes an earlier 04:00 departure from Ernakulam reaching Vattavada about 10:30, which no current listing shows
Fare
Not confirmed
Takes
About 6h 45m
Season
Not confirmed
Booking
Not confirmed; KSRTC ordinary services are usually unreserved
Sources: tickettogetlost.com (2025-11) · tickettogetlost.com (2025-11) · tripoto.com (2018) · confidence medium
04
Munnar auto rickshaw hired for the runprivate hire
Munnar town to Vattavada and back, stopping at Mattupetty, Echo Point and Top Station
Where
Negotiate with an auto driver in Munnar town for the whole day. Drivers call them tuktuks and quote a fixed price to tourists up front, so the metered rate of ₹30 for the first kilometre and ₹15 after is a bargaining reference, not what you will be offered.
When
On demand
Fare (2020)
₹1,000–1,200 for the round trip
Takes
A full day with stops; about two hours each way
Season
Year-round within the 06:00–18:00 forest gate hours
Booking
Arrange the evening before or at the stand in the morning
Sources: midhunlalg.blogspot.com (2020-01) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-02) · confidence medium
05
KSRTC Munnar – Vattavada day triptour package
Old Munnar KSRTC station to Vattavada and back the same day; no source publishes the stop list for the Vattavada route
Where
Report at the KSRTC bus station in Old Munnar in the morning and put your name down; it is a state-run budget tourism bus, not a private tour desk. It only leaves if enough passengers register, so ask the counter the day before. Munnar–Vattavada is one of several KSRTC sightseeing routes sold from the same counter, so say Vattavada when you register.
When
Departs once enough passengers have registered. One 2025 guide gives 08:45 and a minimum of 15 passengers; another gives 09:00 and a minimum of 20 for the Munnar sightseeing packages
Fare (2025)
From about ₹400 per person for the Vattavada route; entry tickets and food are not included
Takes
Full day
Season
Runs mainly in the tourist season; confirm by phone off-season
Booking
In person at the KSRTC counter, Old Munnar, or online via the KSRTC website or app
Sources: munnarkerala.com (2025) · munnarkerala.com (2025) · trip2kerala.com (2025) · confidence medium
06
Local jeep hire around Vattavadaoffroad 4x4
Vattavada village loop: Palathottam viewpoint, Chilayathiyar and Vattavada falls, farms and Kovilmotta side
Where
Homestays in Vattavada and Koviloor arrange these with drivers who live in the village; most take bookings over WhatsApp rather than at a stand. Check current legality first – see the gaps below.
When
On demand, mostly morning and late afternoon
Fare (2025)
Around ₹3,000 per jeep for 7–8 people
Takes
About 4 hours
Season
Tracks are worst in the June–September monsoon
Booking
WhatsApp or through your stay
Sources: sholanestvattavadastay.com (2025) · onmanorama.com (2025-07) · confidence low

Not yet confirmed: Returns from Koviloor to Ernakulam are listed at 10:30 and 13:40. No source gives the short Koviloor or Vattavada to Munnar return times; ask at the Koviloor stand on arrival, or at the Munnar KSRTC bus stand.; Sources disagree on which Munnar stand the Vattavada buses use: Wikivoyage maps a separate stand for Mattupetty and Vattavada at 10.0872, 77.0609, while a Vattavada campsite's guide names the Munnar KSRTC bus stand. They are different places. Ask locally.; The Pampadum Shola entry window of 06:00 to 18:00 and a bus timed to reach Vattavada at 20:15 cannot both be right. Ask at the Vattavada checkpost whether through traffic is allowed after dark.; trip2kerala's ₹250 KSRTC Munnar sightseeing itinerary (Tea Museum, Mattupetty, Echo Point, Gap Road, Anayirangal) is a different route and does not include Vattavada. Only munnarkerala.com documents a Munnar–Vattavada KSRTC day trip, and only its price and reporting time.; In July 2025 the district banned off-road jeep safaris across Munnar spots including Vattavada, with only the Kolukkumala route exempted. Operator sites still advertise Vattavada safaris, so whether these run legally now is unconfirmed – check with the Idukki Motor Vehicle Department or DTPC.; The old Kundala – Kanthalloor road, which put Vattavada 35 km from Kanthalloor, is shut behind forest gates. Travel between the two villages now goes 100 km round via Munnar.; Whether share jeeps run at all on wet monsoon days, and what happens to seat fares in peak season, could not be confirmed.; No source gives a fare or timing for transport within Vattavada itself between Koviloor, Kottakamboor and the farms.; The Munnar auto-rickshaw round-trip fare of ₹1,000-1,200 is a 2020 figure and no fresher number was found in any reachable source..

The field note on Vattavada reads this entry in full, one option at a time, with every source beside it.

We have no description for this place yet. The planner still knows how to get there.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.