[TEST] Munnar Tea Trails & Sunrise at Kolukkumalai

Leave Munnar in the dark and climb by open jeep to Kolukkumalai, at 7,900 ft the highest tea estate in the world. You reach the ridge as the sky turns, watching the sun break over the Western Ghats with the Theni plains far below. After sunrise, walk with a local guide through the tea gardens as the first pickers begin their rows, then visit the 1930s estate factory where leaves are still processed on original British-era machinery - withering troughs, rollers and all, powered by a single belt drive. The tour closes with a tasting of the estate's orthodox tea, brewed beside the factory. Warm layers are essential: it is 8-12C at dawn on the ridge even in summer.