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periyar bamboo rafting

Top 10 Things To Do In Thekkady – Sightseeing, Boating and Must Visit Places in Thekkady

Thekkady is Located in the Idukki district of Kerala and famous for Periyar National park, a home for countless species and famous tiger reserve of Kerala. Thekkady has it all, be it the bountiful mountain walks, or the trekking. Thekkady has everything for every enthusiast.

When you are on holidays in Kerala, Thekkady is a must visit destination where you will feel like coming to this place every time. With so much to do, be it for new married couples or families, a group of enthusiasts or a loner, you got to feel one with nature here. Thekkady is going to keep you engaged with boating tours, bamboo rafting and hiking, nature walks and beyond.

Here are 10 best things you can do in Thekkady

#1 Boating Tours in Thekkady

boating in periyar

When you are in Thekkady, you must go for boating to experience the nature around. You may begin the day with 90 minutes boat rides offered by the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) for sightseeing and spotting wild-life around the river. Depending on the family size you can opt for a smaller boat or a bigger one and pay accordingly. You will sight animals in their natural habitat, bathing, drinking, and search for food and beyond. You can select your scheduled one from the following timings From 7:30 am, 9:30 am, 11:15 am, 1:45 pm. and 3:30 pm.

#2 Take Shower and Bath with Elephants in Thekkady

Elephant bath

If you are here in Thekkady, you cannot go without experiencing the elephant ride and the shower with them. The Periyar Tiger park offers an hour of the program with an elephant. It includes elephant rides, bath, photo sessions, showers, feeding etc. You can visit any day at any time between 10:00 am – 5:00 pm to get the feel of real Thekkady.

#3 Jungle Patrol at Night

It is one of the expeditions that you cannot give a miss. Every day between 10:00 pm – 4:00 am two teams of 5-8 patroller accompanied by 2 guides and an armed forest guard, get to do this. It is an initiative taken by the periyar tiger reserve to protect the forests of Periyar. As it require hiking in forest, you must be physically fit to go on such night trail into the forest. You can find more information about different eco tourism program run by Periyar Tiger Reserve http://www.periyartigerreserve.org

#4 Bullock Cart Ride

To get the real feel of the village lanes of Thekkady, experience a life that they have. Take a bullock cart ride. Enjoy the fields of mangoes, tamarind, onions, jasmine and other vegetables and get firsthand experience on it. The program starts as early as 6:00 am in the morning and 2:30 pm again. It takes about 3 hours to have one ride on it.

#5 Tribal Walks in Thekkady

A drive by Periyar Tiger Park, the program of having tribal walks in Thekkady is done mainly to attract the tribal heritage museum. It holds many ancient agricultural practices, the marriage ceremonies, events, and kinds of fishing gears, hunting weapons, bamboo furniture and more. The entire tour is accompanied with a tribal guide. Daily tours at 8:00 am, 10:00 am and 2:00 pm are held. Besides trekking through the hamlet of tribal within the Periyar Tiger periphery is quite an experience.

#6 Elephant Ride in Periyar Tiger Park

Elephant ride

Get a 30-minute ride daily between 10:00 am – 5:00 pm to get an ordeal with elephant rides. You get to see the spice plantations set around. Besides what’s more. You get to feed the elephants, give them a shower and take pictures too. It is done to bring in the love and affection towards animals.

#7 Jeep Safari in Thekkady

One of the biggest attraction in Thekkady adventure is the jeep safari to Gavi. It is a 6:00 am to 5:00 pm activity held daily. It involves trekking, bird watching, canoeing and beyond. It is a well-drafted programme comprising of boarding facilities including breakfast and lunch. Get to witness the dense vegetation, waterfalls, spice plantations and thick forests.

#8 Follow The Tiger

Periyar-Wildlife-Sanctuary-

Venturing into the forest could not have got better with the programme developed by the National Park of Periyar. ‘Follow the tiger’ activity ends at sunset. The ex-poachers of the Periyar national park guide the tourists with various trails of Nilgiri langurs to elephants and tigers too. You can go in a group of 5 with 2 forest officials to guide you through out.

#9 Bamboo Rafting and Hiking

periyar bamboo rafting

The programme starts at 8:00 am in the Periyar Wildlife sanctuary and ends by 5:00 pm daily. The adventure begins with hiking into the forest to spot many species of birds and animals. It is then followed by a 3-hour bamboo rafts. Enjoy some of the breathtaking views of the animals like gaur and sambar within a hand’s distance. The bamboo rafting caters 10 tourists at a time with 4 guides and one armed guard.

#10 Nature Walks

Trekking in Munnar

To get one with the flora and fauna of the place, this trek of 4 to 5 km trek is worth the effort. A group of 5 can go for a trekking at one go with a tribal guide. You go through the dense deciduous forests and lot of nature trails awaits you.

Bookmark this article to take a look back when you are planning to be in Thekkady and make a memorable holiday thereby having fun in the above activities.

Photo of Elephant ride: Flicker/will
Photo of elephant bath: Flicker/Chris Feser
Photo of Periyar Boating: Flicker/hubiquitous

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