Thekkady Kerala Travel Guide
Posted by on 15th, 2008
Information in Short:
- Cochin to Thekkady 200 kilometer and thats around 5 hours of travelling
- Route taken through Thripunithura-Muvattupuzha-Thekkady
- Thekkady stayed for 2 days at a Home Stay (Rs 875/day)
- Places or Things to do in Thekkady
Night Trekking / Day Trekking – Rs 500
Bamboo Rafting (Whole day package – Rs 1000 inclusive of food)
Cloud Surfing / Border Trekking (Whole day trekking)- (Rs 750+)
Boating
Trip to Gavi lake + Trek – Rs 1200+/Person
View Point + Waterfalls (3KM from Thekkady)
Day 1
Three of us headed to Thekkady (Kumaly) in Kerala from Cochin on November 30th 2008 morning. We headed to thekkady through the Vytilla Muvatupuzha route. If you are heading from any place in fort kochi or ernakulam city this is the best route to take else you should take the Aluva – Muvatupuzha route.
In between the journey we halted at many scenic places and also to feed our tummies. We had Appam + Egg curry from Erattupetta(Kottayam). We reached Kumaly around 1PM ( our Indica got punctured on the way) and headed to Hotel Periyar which is near the Thekkady Entrance Gate.
We then checked into a Homestay (Kerala style rooms) which was facing the Forest. Homestays charge you from Rs 750 to Rs 1500. If you the right contacts you might get discounts also. We then went and booked for night trekking in the forest. We choose to trek from 10PM to 1AM in the night. We tried to book for bamboo rafting but did not get tickets.
Night Trekking was a nice experience. It was pitch dark. We where given Leech resistant shocks + Torch Lights. Two Guards where also there and it was a group of 5 Travellers. We could only spot only Deers during the trekk.
Day 2
Woke up at 11am and dint have any plans as such. We then decided to head to a waterfalls and view point which was 3KM away from thekkady. From the view point you can have a look at the Kambam Town. We couldnt enjoy the beauty of the waterfalls because we where standing on top of a pretty big waterfall and never could get a glimse of the falls. All i knew is the fall is pretty deep.
By 3 PM we reached back to thekkady and then decided to walk to the Lake where the boating take place. We did not want to do boating because of the fear of not spotting a single animal. On the way to boating place which is like kinda 1 hour walk we could spot some animals.
The day 2 of our thekkady stay was just spent relaxing and enjoying the nature. You have a variety of options to do which can really kill the day.
The Complete List of Things you Can do In thekkady
- Boating :- Rs 250 per person + Forest entrance ticket
- Bamboo Rafting :- Rs 1500 per person + Forest entrance ticket
- Border Hiking :- Rs 1000 per person + Forest entrance ticket
- Jungle Patrol :- Rs 750 per person + Forest entrance ticket
- Nature Walk :- Rs 750 (1 to 5 person) + Forest entrance ticket
- Tiger Trail :- Depends on the nights you stay in the jungle either 1 night or 2 nights.
- Tribal Visit :- Rs 150 per person + Forest entrance ticket
- Bullock Cart Ride :- Rs 1000 per person
- Jungle Jeep Safari (Gavi trip) : -Rs 3350 for 2 person (Indian nationals) & Rs 4000 for 2 person (Foreign nationals)
- Elephant Ride :- Rs 350 per person
- Spice Plantation Visit :- Rs 300 for 2 person
- Chellarkovil Visit :- Rs 1000 for 2-3 person ( 1/2 Day Jeep Safari)
- Tea Factory Visit :- Rs 150 per person
Good Hotels to Dine
- Periyar near to the thekkady entrance gate
- Chrissies for Italian food + Stay
- if you head to Kumaly town you will find some more hotels which serves you decent kerala food + some western food.
Note: Forest Entrance Ticket costs Rs 25 for Indians & Rs 300 for foreign nationals.
Indica Cab Expenses : 1200/ Day and 450 Kilometers free for the Trip. Additional KM you need to spend Rs 5.50/KM. If you need any more information please drop a comment here and i should be able to help you!
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