Image: Planters house at Connemera Tea Garden, ThekkadyImage by: Anil R
Text by: Tanya Munshi
One of the most picturesque locations in Kerala, a trip to Thekkady, Kumily and Periyar is ideal for a long weekend. It is one of my personal favourite destinations in Kerala. I had visited Thekkady, Periyar and Kumily during a school vacation, several years ago. Monsoons are the best time to visit Kerala as that's the time the state looks even more beautiful.
About the place
About the place
Set amidst the beautiful Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is an ideal setting to spot some wildlife on a boat safari with fellow tourists. We spotted from the Asiatic Elephants, Monitor Lizard, Bisons and a herd of Chittal or Spotted Deer during our boat safari. In such cases, keeping a high zoom lens camera in hand is ideal to be able to capture the fauna in the wild. While Thekkady is known for its spices, Periyar is known for its most beautiful man-made lake, set amidst the forest.
Thekkady also offers amazing nature trails and trekking with the help of tour guides from the forest lodges that you put up in. While on the trek, you must visit the Cross Mountain, as it is so named of the only cross present here and from here you get to see one of the most breathtaking views ever.
Apart from the safari, you can also visit the spice gardens and tea, coffee and cocoa plantations nearby. Making a trip to the Mangladevi Temple and the Mullaiperiyar Dam are also a good idea if you have enough time. Not to forget that in Kumily you can visit their market for tourists that offer handloom, spices, rosewood and sandalwood, batiks, silks and antiques.
How to get there
By road, it is about 115 km from Kottayam and 185 kms from Kochi. You can hire private vehicles from your tour operator, the airport or contact local private taxi operators in Kochi.
Cochin to Kottayam will take you around 2 hrs by road and then to Thekkady a couple of hours more hours on road. The second part of your travel may take a little longer due to the ghat section.
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