Travel · Nature · 5 min read

Echo Point, Munnar: Where the Hills Answer Back

On the shore of the Mattupetty reservoir, the hills return every call across the still water. The science of the echo, the lake and its visitors, and how to enjoy one of Munnar's best-loved stops without disturbing it.

By GK Global, Adimali, Munnar · Trails & Tales by GK

Stand on the shore, cup your hands and call out across the water, and a moment later the hills call back: your voice, faint but clear, returned from the slopes on the far side of the lake. Children shout their names, families laugh at the replies, and for a few seconds the whole valley seems to be listening. This is Echo Point, one of the oldest and best-loved stops on the road from Munnar to Top Station.

Why the hills answer

An echo is simply sound that bounces off a surface and returns to you. For the human ear to hear it as a separate sound, the reflection must arrive at least about a tenth of a second after the original, which means the reflecting surface must be at least some 17 metres away. At Echo Point, the conditions are close to perfect. Across a wide stretch of open water, the steep, wooded hillsides on the far side act as a natural wall, and the flat, still surface of the lake carries the sound cleanly with little to absorb it. The echo is clearest on calm mornings, when there is little wind and fewer people; on a busy afternoon, the noise of the crowd can drown it.

The lake

The water here is the upper arm of the Mattupetty reservoir, created when the Mattupetty dam was built on the Muthirapuzha in the early 1950s to store water for the Pallivasal power station. Its long, winding shore is framed by tea estates, eucalyptus and grassy hills, and the level rises and falls with the seasons. (Read Mattupetty and the Indo-Swiss project.)

The KSEB's Echo Point boating centre offers pedal boats and coracles, the round bowl-boats familiar from the rivers of south India. A slow paddle out onto the water, with the echo ringing round the hills, is a gentle way to spend half an hour.

Wildlife on the shore

The perennial water of the Mattupetty reservoir draws wild elephants, which often come down to drink and graze along the shore, especially in the dry months from January to May. Gaur, sambar and many birds visit the lake edges too. If elephants are about, keep well back, stay near your vehicle and follow any instructions from forest staff; never try to approach them for a photograph. (Read Munnar's wildlife and human–wildlife conflict around Munnar.)

A note on noise

Echo Point's fame brings crowds, and with them shouting, music and litter. The same water and hills are home to elephants and birds. Call out and enjoy the echo, but keep it brief, avoid loudspeakers, and carry your rubbish away with you.

On the road

Echo Point is one stop on a chain of sights along the Munnar–Top Station road: the Mattupetty dam and the old Indo-Swiss farm, then Echo Point, then Kundala Lake, and finally Top Station on the edge of the Ghats. Street stalls along the way sell hot corn, carrot, tea and snacks. Combine them all in a half day, starting early for the clearest views.

Visitor's guide

• Getting there: about 15 km (30 minutes) from Munnar, on the road to Kundala and Top Station.
• Timings: the boating centre generally opens from about 9 am to 5:30 pm, with a small entry fee; rates change, so check locally.
• Best time: early morning, for calm water, mist and the clearest echo; September to March for the best weather.
• Carry: a warm layer; it is cool and often windy by the water.