Recently in 2025 KSRTC double-decker bus service has been launched in Munnar, which gives you the offer to get nature’s bliss! Just get into the upper deck of the double-decker bus and enjoy the beauty of tea plantations. Munnar is famous for its tea plantations and spectacular greenery, along with the cold climate. How exciting it will be, when you sit inside a bubble and watch everything, that’s happening outside. The bus offers you an exciting ride through the lanes of Munnar.
No matter how many times you meet someone, love has the power to make your veins flutter as if you are seeing them for the first time. No matter how often you go to see it, Munnar is such a land that can make your heart shiver each time as though it is your very first visit. Munnar – A place that spreads a fever of love, making you want to see it again and again, never fully satisfied, longing for “just one more time” whenever you get a chance. Either it’s Neelakurinji season or not, Munnar has its own flavours in the blues.
KSRTC double-decker bus service in Munnar
KSRTC double-decker bus service in Munnar was started on February 8, 2025
This time, as I turn towards Munnar, a slight worry and a lot of excitement created ripples in my mind. The plan is to see Munnar, sitting in the new double-decker bus, a fresh attraction in the hills. Between the sips of strong tea from small roadside stalls on the way, questions rise like bubbles — how will those hairpin bends feel from such a height while turning of the bus, will it feel scary? And if I end up loving this thrill too much, will I have to keep coming back here often? “Hold those questions for a while. You’ll find all the answers once you experience it,” I tell myself reassuringly, and the journey continues.
After dozing off for a bit, I woke up to find that we had already reached the Munnar KSRTC stand. The dream I had been longing to see was right in front of me. Wherever you turn, it feels like rows of watercolour paintings arranged around you, and framed perfectly within the scenery of Munnar. There stood a ‘person’ slightly taller than usual, wearing a blue suit and stylish glasses — the KSRTC double-decker bus.
A brand-new star in town, one that makes people along the way stop in amazement, pulling out their phones to take photos and reels. I took a ticket and kept turning it over in my hand. I could finally touch the blue bus in real. I slowly stepped inside. After a few small steps came the bigger steps leading upward. My eyes sparkled.
A blue-coloured eye candy – The KSRTC double-decker bus
When you enter, the lower deck comes first. Since it is more spacious than regular buses, sitting and enjoying the view feels comfortable. There are 12 seats below. In one corner, there is a machine that provides purified drinking water for passengers. A dustbin is also neatly arranged for waste and fruit peels.
I sat on the lower seat. The bus slowly began to move. I checked my watch—exactly nine o’clock. The bright yet cool sights of Munnar were coming alive. While the bus is moving, passengers are advised to avoid going up or down the stairs as much as possible. When the bus stopped once for taking photos, I slowly climbed to the upper deck.
The top is the star area of the KSRTC double-decker bus. A roof so clear that the sky is visible. Transparent sides offer an uninterrupted view. The upper deck feels like sitting inside a glass bubble watching magical landscapes. When I closed and opened my eyes, it felt like entering a fairy-tale world. My mind hummed a song, “Kaanatha lokaththu chenna pole…”
There are 38 seats in the upper deck. The lower deck seat costs 200 rupees and the upper deck seat 400 rupees. It is best to book the seats in advance through the KSRTC website. You can choose tickets according to the view you want.
The ones who truly know every bend, turn, slope and curve of Munnar — the KSRTC staff are the driver and conductor f KSRTC double-decker bus. They switch roles. They completed special double-decker training in Thiruvananthapuram before taking charge of this bus.
Along the route, people move their vehicles aside, pause their tea, and stand on both sides of the road, staring in amazement at the KSRTC double-decker bus. The double-decker, which has recently begun its journey, enjoys all the attention, soaking up the admiration, while moving gracefully ahead.
Five beautiful locations where the double-decker bus stops
Red silk-cotton blossoms and pearl-like clouds
There are three trips for the KSRTC double-decker bus a day. The first one is at 9 AM. Then the second at 12:30 PM, and the last at 4 PM. Each trip lasts three hours. Within these three hours, the bus stops at five beautiful locations, and then returns to this spot.
- Signal Point
- Lockhart View Point & Rock Cave
- Photo Point
- Gap Road
- Orange Farm
- Anayirankal Dam
At every stop, passengers can get down and spend ten minutes walking around and taking photos.
Signal Point:
Here begins your journey in KSRTC double-decker bus. A place with breathtaking views of the Western Ghats, you can enjoy this place first. The lushness of plants and trees, the deep blue skies, and the gentle coolness of the mist blend together to slowly melt away the weight of daily routines and time-bound worries. For a brief moment, you can forget everything and simply live in that instant. Close your eyes, feel the cool wind on your face, sip a cup of tea, and take at the moment. Capture a few pictures on your phone and slowly return to the bus. The excitement to see the next spot will already be making your thoughts and cheeks flutter.
Photo Point:
The moment you step out here from KSRTC double-decker bus, you’ll understand how this place got its name. It is that beautiful with countless rows of tea plantations, tall oak trees with green and silver leaves, and the many known and unknown birds and butterflies, which together turn the place into an enchanting world. Every traveler who gets down here frames the view in their mind. The gallery on your phone will easily get filled too, with countless photo-worthy angles. If you pay, the professional photographers present there will also take pictures for you. Then the journey to the next spot begins. Read about interesting tea tales of Kerala.
Gap Road:
KSRTC double-decker bus then reaches here. One of the most scenic roads in all of South India is Munnar’s Gap Road. When you stand there, enjoying the beauty of the tea gardens and breathing the pure fresh air, sometimes your own mind will thank you for giving it such a refreshing break.
The blue sky feels as if it has come a little bit closer for you to see. The gentle breeze makes the surroundings even more enjoyable. All of these altogether create a magic that makes you say, “I must come back here again…maybe next season.” In fact, there is no specific season to visit Munnar. The only speciality is the blossoming season of Neelakurinji, which happens once in 12 years. Read more here.
Lockhart View Point & Rock Cave:
The locals affectionately call this place Lockhart View Point because the space between two mountain ranges forms the shape of a heart. Misty blue mountains and endless greenery soothe your eyes. Your KSRTC double-decker bus stops here next.
Right beside it is a small cave you can enter. Known locally as “Malayil Kallan Guha” which translates as “Mountain thief’s cave”. A thief who used to trouble the local people settled there permanently. Since it was the thief’s ‘own’ place, it came to be known as the Thief’s Cave/Kallan Guha. Is the cave aware of all these stories?
Orange Farm:
For many of us who have only seen oranges in markets and supermarkets, the next stop of the KSRTC double-decker bus gives a chance to see them at their source/farm where they are cultivated in high scale. If it is the season, you can see the beautiful fruits hanging on the orange trees. Even otherwise, when the wind blows, the place fills with the mild fragrance of oranges.
Anayirankal Dam:
Anayirankal Dam is built across the Panniyar River. This is the last stop of the journey of the KSRTC double-decker bus. Water from here flows to Kuthungal and Ponmudi for power generation. When you step down here, it feels as if you are stepping straight into a photo frame made of a beautiful tale, with mountains, rivers, tea estates and trees as main characters. This is also a place where elephants come to drink water. If you end your bus trip here and walk towards the dam, you can enjoy boat rides and other activities.
On the way back to the stand, those who wish can get off at their respective stops. With eyes and mind filled with beautiful sights, the bus returns to the point where it started.
Your next journey to Munnar
The KSRTC double-decker bus service in Munnar began on on February 8, 2025. Since then, the double-deck bus ride has become a must-try experience for visitors coming to Munnar. Saturdays and Sundays are the busiest. It is better to book seats online in advance. Many people come and return disappointed when tickets are not available. At present, there is only one double-deck bus.
Apart from the regular stops now, there are plans to include four more new sites. They are Vattavada, Surynelli, Kanthalloor and Anakkulam. Currently, the bus stops for about ten minutes at each spot. Music is played in the bus to boost the travellers’ mood. There is not necessarily the ‘best season’ – Munnar simply has no off-season.
Anyway, if you have read this far and are thinking, “Then shouldn’t I at least go and see the double-deck bus once?”, then head straight to the KSRTC website. Book the ticket.
And then – straight to Munnar.
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