Munnar to Thekkady is 90 to 100 km by road, and a taxi takes 3 to 3.5 hours on the hill roads. A one-way sedan taxi booked online starts at Rs 3,363 before taxes, an SUV at Rs 4,299. Buses are much cheaper but limited: private buses to Kumily, the town for Thekkady and Periyar, leave from the private bus stand near Munnar Post Office, with no reliable online timetable. For most visitors the taxi is the practical choice, and the bus suits backpackers with a flexible day.
Last updated: October 2026
| Option | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Taxi, sedan | 3 to 3.5 hours | From Rs 3,363 online, before taxes |
| Taxi, SUV | 3 to 3.5 hours | From Rs 4,299 online, before taxes |
| Private bus to Kumily | About 4 to 5 hours with stops | Pay on the bus, confirm the fare at the stand |
Thekkady is the name visitors use, and Kumily is the town you actually arrive in. Hotels, the bus stand and the Periyar Tiger Reserve entrance are all in and around Kumily, so book any taxi or bus to Kumily and you are in the right place. There is no railway station in Munnar or Thekkady, so this leg is road only, whichever way you do it.
On a map the two hill stations look close. On the road it is 90 to 100 km of bends, climbs and small towns, and the average speed is low. A taxi doing the run in 3 to 3.5 hours is doing well. Add 30 to 45 minutes if you stop for tea, viewpoints or a spice garden, and allow 4 to 5 hours in heavy rain or fog. Some booking sites show a much shorter drive time for this route: do not plan around it. If you have a Periyar boat slot booked on arrival day, leave Munnar by 8 am at the latest, or travel the day before.
| Route | Distance | What it is like |
|---|---|---|
| Via Devikulam, Poopara and Udumbanchola | About 98 to 100 km | The scenic route: Gap Road viewpoints, tea estates giving way to cardamom country, about 3 to 3.5 hours |
| Via Anachal, Rajakkad and Nedumkandam | About 90 to 95 km | Slightly shorter on paper, narrower in places, similar real time once stops and traffic are counted |
Your driver will pick the route based on road work and weather that day. Both routes start in tea country and end in the spice and forest belt around Periyar.
Checked on EaseMyTrip in October 2026, one-way online fares for the roughly 100 km run were:
| Car type | Seats | One-way fare |
|---|---|---|
| Hatchback or sedan | 4 | Rs 3,363 plus Rs 181 taxes |
| Hatchback, other operator | 4 | Rs 3,549 plus Rs 191 taxes |
| SUV, Ertiga type | 6 | Rs 4,299 plus Rs 231 taxes |
| Innova Crysta | 6 | Rs 7,001 plus Rs 376 taxes |
Local Munnar taxi operators quote in a similar band for a sedan, commonly Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,800 for the drop, which matches what hotel and travel guides list for this route. Other booking platforms started at Rs 3,004 for a one-way cab when checked for this guide. Prices rise in peak season, roughly late December to early January and during long weekends, so book ahead then.
Why does 100 km cost this much? A one-way drop leaves the driver returning empty or waiting for a return fare, and hill driving is slow, fuel-heavy work. Before you pay, confirm three things: whether driver charges are included (on the platform above, most fares include them), whether tolls are extra, and how many kilometres are included, since extra kilometres were billed at Rs 16.25 to Rs 31.25 per km depending on the car on the same listing.
This is the part of the route where online information is weakest, and it is better to know that in advance. There is no frequent, bookable bus service on this leg. What travellers and local operators report, most recently in November 2025, is a small set of private buses to Kumily leaving from the private bus stand near Munnar Post Office, reported at 10:45 am, 11:45 am, 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm. These services do not reliably appear on KSRTC boards or booking apps, so do not build a tight plan around one.
The bus ride itself is slow and scenic: around 4 to 5 hours with stops through the high ranges, against 3 to 3.5 hours by taxi. Fares are not published reliably online, so confirm the fare and the last departure at the stand the day before you travel, and pay on the bus. If you miss the direct buses, the fallback is a bus or taxi to a larger town and a change, which turns a half-day leg into a full day, so the morning check matters.
| Factor | Taxi | Bus |
|---|---|---|
| Cost for the group | Rs 3,363 up for the whole car | Cheapest per person, fare confirmed at the stand |
| Time | 3 to 3.5 hours, door to door | About 4 to 5 hours, plus getting to and from the stands |
| Timing control | Leave when you want, early starts are easy | Fixed, limited departures, none early in the morning in current reports |
| Best for | Families, luggage, same-day Periyar plans, groups of 3 to 4 splitting the fare | Solo backpackers with a flexible day, see our backpacker cost per day guide |
Solo, the bus wins on cost if its timings fit. If you are still shaping the Munnar end, our Munnar 2 day itinerary and budget and Kochi to Munnar taxi vs bus comparison cover the previous leg.
Leave between 7 and 9 am for the clearest views and the lightest traffic. Eat a light breakfast, because the bends start soon after Munnar town. Fuel and good toilets thin out mid-route, so use the stops in Poopara or Nedumkandam when the driver offers them. Download your maps offline: signal drops in the valleys. In monsoon, add an hour and expect mist on the high stretches.
On arrival, plan Thekkady properly. Our Thekkady 2 day itinerary and budget covers Periyar boating and spice gardens, and the trip budget planner lets you slot this transfer cost into the full trip.
90 to 100 km by road, depending on the route: about 90 to 95 km via Anachal and Rajakkad, and about 98 to 100 km via Devikulam and Poopara.
3 to 3.5 hours by taxi in normal conditions, 4 to 5 hours by bus with stops. Rain, fog and road work can add an hour, so keep a buffer before any booked activity in Thekkady.
From Rs 3,363 plus taxes for a sedan or hatchback booked online, Rs 4,299 plus taxes for a 6-seat SUV, and Rs 7,001 plus taxes for an Innova Crysta, checked in October 2026. Local operators commonly quote Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,800 for a sedan drop.
Yes, but limited. Private buses to Kumily are reported from the private bus stand near Munnar Post Office at 10:45 am, 11:45 am, 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm. They are not reliably listed online, so confirm at the stand the day before.
No. Neither Munnar nor Thekkady has a railway station. Road, by taxi or bus, is the only way to do this leg.
You can, but it is a poor use of the route: 6 to 7 hours of driving round trip for a few hours in Periyar. Stay at least one night in Thekkady, ideally two, so the early morning Periyar slots are open to you.
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