This is the second article in the series of posts on our trip to Kerala. It was the 3rd day of our trip, and the place of our visit was Thekkady.

Day 3:

We started early in the morning after finishing our breakfast at the hotel. The drive from Munnar to Thekkady took us about 4hrs. We reached there at around noon. The famous place worth visiting in Thekkady is the Periyar National Park.

Periyar National Park:

It is considered as a protected area for the two most important species of elephants and tigers. One of the best ways to explore the beauty of the national park is to take a boat ride in the largest artificial lake situated there. The 1.5 hrs. boat ride offers a glimpse of the reserve and based on one’s time and luck, one gets to witness the different fauna. The sightings of Bisons, Elephants, Sambars and Deers are the most common.

There are slots in the morning and afternoon for the boat rides. They can be booked either online in advance or directly from the counter at the reserve. Most of the times, the crowd is so huge that the booking for the entire day gets finished within an hour in the morning. So, this has to be planned well in advance.

We reached around 1 to the reserve and by that time, all the slots for the boating were filled. The only option we had was to wait for the opening of next day slots. Besides the boat ride, Periyar reserve offers a wide range of options for the adventure enthusiasts like camping, bamboo rafting, tracing the tiger trails and green walks. All these can be booked online.

The other things one can do in Thekkady are visiting a spice garden, going for cultural programs and spending time at the elephant junction. The elephant junction gives an opportunity to interact with elephants, bathe them and feed them. The cultural programmes offer a glimpse of the art forms of Kerala. A tour of the spice gardens can enhance ones’ understanding of different uses of the spices which are used daily.

We didn’t opt for any of them since we had already visited and experienced them previously elsewhere. So, we went to our hotel, checked in and had our lunch. Then, we rested for some time (I know it’s a blunder during a trip but yes, I’m guilty). In the evening, we went out and did some local shopping. It was the day of Christmas, and the place was bustling with celebrations. We had a great time roaming around the place.

The next morning, we woke up early in the morning and went to Periyar reserve for taking the tickets to boat ride. There was a huge line and a lot of people were already gathered there. The entry ticket is given at the counter outside and then a bus takes you inside the reserve. The tickets for boat rides are given in the inside counter. An entry ticket doesn’t guarantee a ticket to the boat ride. It all depends on the number of visitors that day and how early you get into the reserve.

We got our boat ride tickets and waited for the ride to start. All the boats were anchored in place and we were given our tickets displaying the name of our boat and seat numbers. After getting on to the boat, we were given life jackets and made to sit on our assigned seats. The overall ride took about 1.5 hours as I mentioned earlier. We opted for the first slot of the day i.e. at 7:30 in the morning since we had to go to Alleppey the same day. Overall, the ride was a pleasant one and gave as a calming experience. However, we couldn’t sight many animals other than a few birds, deers and an elephant deep inside the woods.

After the ride, we were taken back to the outside parking area in a bus. On the whole, we couldn’t do much in Thekkady but we enjoyed the peace and calm of the place. We then began our journey to Alleppey after having our breakfast.

The view from the boat

• Stay: Hotel Sandra Palace
• Cost of a show in The Raga: Rs 400 per show
• Entry fee to Periyar for Indians: Rs 45 for Adult and Rs 15 for child
• Entry fee to Periyar for Foreigners: Rs 500 for Adult and Rs 180 for child
• Boating fee: Rs 255 per person
• Binoculars can be rented near the waiting area for the boat ride at a cost of Rs 50