Thekkady

Thekkady is a plantation town and the home to the Periyar National Park, a popular tourist spot in Kerala. The route from Munnar to Thekkady is still hilly as Thekkady also falls in the Idukki district. Make sure to carry medicines if you are prone to motion sickness as the roads make you sick. Nevertheless, the beauty of the road trip is superb. You will cross several hill views, expanse of tea gardens, beautiful serpentine roads and tree covered roadsides offer excellent scenes. We crossed the cardamom hills where all you could see were cardamom plants on both sides of the road for over 3-4 kilometres. You also cross ripple waterfalls on the way and might as well take a detour to explore it. If the weather is pleasant, it becomes a bonus. Start early so that you can stop at all the places you wish to take a picture.

Periyar National Park

Thekkady’s main attraction is the Periyar lake and Tiger Reserve. Periyar National Park also known as Periyar Tiger Reserve is home to not just the tigers but also elephants, lion tailed macaque, sambars and Indian bison. A boat ride on the lake is particularly recommended if you want to have a chance of animal sighting. Although sighting a tiger may require immense good luck, you will be able to see other animals. Many birds stay perched atop the dead tree trunks in the lake. The boat ride is serene and you need to have patience for animal sighting. Even if you do not sight any animal, try to enjoy the lush surroundings and views.

You can book your tickets both online and from the counters at the park entrance. There are several ticket counters all over the town also for ticket bookings. You can book online tickets here. They provide a shuttle bus on additional charges that will pick you up from the listed stops and take you to the boating point.

Boating at Periyar Lake

There is a proper waiting room where you can relax while waiting for your boats. There is a shanty which works as a café serving proper snacks and drinks. But it is not much and food may be finished by the time you place your order. It is recommended to carry some snacks with you. However, do not carry your food items in hand at the entrance of boating point as there are monkeys around.

The boat ride is for around 1.5 hours. The boats are very basic and you may get wet in case it rains. Except for a life jacket, nothing is provided on board. Try to book the early morning or evening boat if you want to have any animal sighting. Animals come near the lake during these times only. There is a bamboo raft canoeing which takes place early in the morning. There are several other activities that you can enroll for at the lake like the night safari or jungle trail trek with camping.

Kumily

Kumily is a small town in Thekkady, yet, a very important one. It is known for spice plantations. Hence, it has abundance of spice shops. If you plan to buy authentic spices from Kerala, then do not skip Thekkady from your travel plan. It’s streets are peaceful and have a beautiful vibe to it. The entrance to the Periyar Boating point is also located in Kumily. There are many homestays and hotels in this area. We have recommended some of the restaurants in Kumily in our suggestions post. Do check it out as these restaurants serve delicious food.

Elephant Junction

Elephant Junction is an elephant park which hosts numerous activities for tourists. It offers interaction with elephants in the form of touching, taking part in bathing them or even taking a ride. At elephant junction, you may experience a jeep safari into the jungle or go on a tiger trail or a waterfall trek. There are also options for boating and fishing. The activities range from half an hour to full day duration and the prices vary accordingly. If you arrive early at Thekkady, you may first visit elephant junction and later, go to the Periyar lake. If you have never interacted with elephants before, surely grab this opportunity. Ensure to check their timings and operations before going. For more details of activities you may visit their website.

Thekkady Flower Show

Thekkady hosts an annual flower show in the month of April. If you happen to visit Kerala in April, surely check this show out. It has some beautiful flower decorations as well as pots of plants and seeds for sale. Affected by popular photo culture, there were many photo points specially designed to click some pictures. Additionally, a fair is also organized with sellers exhibiting their products at their respective counters. After the evening boat ride, you may explore this flower show and spend your evening at leisure. Overall, it was a wonderful experience.