Thekkady

Thekkady Situated 900-1800m Above Sea level. Thekkady is famous for the periyar wildlife sanctuary. Spread across 777sq k.m, of which 360sq k.m is thick evergreen forest. The periyar wildlife sanctuary was declared a Tiger reserve in 1978. Noted for its geomorphology, diversity of wildlife and scenic beauty. This is the only sanctuary in india where you can have the unique experience of viewing wildlife at close quarters form the safety of a boat on the lake. The greatest attraction of periyar , however , are the herds of wild elephants that come down to play in the lake. Thekkady is also famous for its elephant rides and trekking trails. There are tow watch towers in the interiors of the periyar forest, to view animals close quarters. Kumily is the closest town to Thekkady. just five kilometer away.  it is a plantation town as spices capital of Kerala.  and is well connected by road to all cities in kerala and neighboring states.

Sightseeing  Spots :

Periyar Wildlife Boating It Is In Side The Forest One And Half Hour Program. 1st  boating timing 07.30 am and 09.30 am , 11.15 am , 01.15 pm, the last boat at 03.30 pm. after 5.30 pm the forest gate closed. Boating charge per person 225-/ indian rupee, forest entry tickets is extra. 38.50-/ for indian and 400-/ rupee to international.and still camera ticket 50-/  rupee and video camera 150-/ rupee. visiting time 06.30 am to 05.30 pm

Spice Plantation Visit spices and herbals garden It is one hour program and the plantation 05 to 10 kilometer around the kumily city. get some depth information on kerala’s  Ayurveda and spice the best spice garden’s Green valley and Abraham’s, Hindustan spice . Entry ticket charge per person 100-/ rupee. charges included : Entry , Camera, Guide. visiting time 08.30 am to 06.30 pm

Elephant Safari   Safari Program offers you a rare opportunity to experience the safari on an Elephant  through a coffee and Spice Plantation where the gentle breeze refresh. the Ride charge One hour program: 30 minutes ride, elephant bath and Feeding, photo shot ,1000-/ per person. 30 minutes ride and photo shot 350-/ for per person . the best ride place Elephant camp one kilometer from the kumily city. Visiting time 08.00 am to 07.00 pm.

Kathakali   is a stylized classical indian drama dance noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion. It originated in the country’s present day state of kerala during the 17th century and has developed over the years with improved looks, refined gestures and added themes besides more ornate singing and precise drumming.The themes of the Kathakali are religious in nature. They typically deal with the Mahabarat, the Ramayana and the ancient scriptures known as the Puranas. This is performed in a text which is generally Sanskritised Malayalam. The ticket charge 200-/ per person still camera charge is free. The show only evening. the best place to see the show elephant camp one kilometer from the kumily city. show time 07.00 pm to 08.00 pm.

Kalaripayattu  Kalaripayattu is Mother of martial art.The martial art of Kalaripayattu had developed into its present form by the 6th century , during an extended period of warfare between the chera and chola dynasties Kalaripayattu includes strikes, kicks, grappling, preset forms, weaponry and healing methods. Regional variants are classified according to geographical position in kerala these are the Northern style from malabar region in north kerala the Central style from inner kerala and the southern style from Thiruvitankoor. The southern style, was practiced largely by the Ezhava caste and has features distinguishing it from its other regional counterparts. Northern kalaripayattu is based on elegant and flexible movements, evasions, jumps and weapons training, while the southern “Adi Murai” style primarily follows the hard impact based techniques with priority on empty hand fighting and pressure point strikes. Both systems make use of internal and external concepts. Some of the flexibility training methods in northern Kalaripayattu are applied in kerala dance forms and kadakally dancers who knew martial art were believed to be markedly better than the other performers. Some traditional indian dance schools still incorporate kalaripayattu as part of their exercise regimen. Northern kalaripayattu was much connected to thiyya community from north kerala.

The ticket charge 200-/ per person still camera charge is free. The show only evening. the best place to see the show elephant camp one kilometer from the kumily city. show time 06.00 pm to 07.00 pm.

Nature Walk and Green Walk It is an interpretive sandal protection trekking programme offering excellent opportunity of watching birds, butterflies and other wildlife through a range of habitats during the 4-5 km 3-hours walk. These programme are offered between 7 am to 3 pm in different nature trails inside the Park. A maximum of 5 persons can go for trekking at a time along each trail accompanied by a trained tribal guide. It is a programme where one can feel nature’s whispers and her sighs!

Clouds Walk The programme is a guided trek for approximately 3-4 hours. From the vantage point, you can have a look at grasslands, evergreen, deciduous and riverine forests and the expanses of irrigated arid land across the border where the nectar from Periyar provides the breath of life. Visitors can see the exuberance of Cumbam Valley, the dizzying heights of Mangaladevi, Kumarikulam and other escarpments of the Fort of Periyar and glory of Palni hills farther away from the view point. Possibility of sighting some habitat specialist birds and butterflies including endemics like Nilgiri pipit, broad-tailed grass bird, tree nymph, etc. You can visit the rich cultural heritage of the Mannan Tribe from the yesteryears that have been preserved in the form of the artifacts, metaphors and cultural remnants for the posterity in Tribal Heritage Museum. You will, at the end, have many reflections on the pace of transitions of life and traditions along the tides of times. The Programme will have two slots each day; one in the forenoon and another in the afternoon. The forenoon slots will start between 7.30 and 8.30 am and end before 12.30 pm and afternoon slot will start between 1 and 2 pm and end before 6 pm. A maximum of 5 persons can go for trekking in a group accompanied by a trained guide. 

Jungle Patrol This is a regular night patrolling programme in the fringes of the ecodevelopment zone of the Tiger Reserve in the company of armed guards between 7 pm and 4 am. This programme injects excitement into the experience while keeping smugglers at bay. One really feels like a cop protecting the precious forest wealth. Of course, this best suits younger visitors fit and disciplined enough to walk in the silence of the night.

Border Hiking It is day-long range hiking programe along the borders of Periyar Tiger Reserve. The route passes through undulating terrains and altitudinal ranges of 900 m to 1300 m where the trekkers can glimpse the lofty escarpments bordering the park, watersheds and the vast stretches of Cumbam Valley below. Gaur, sloth bear, elephants are often sighted apart from birds and butterflies. A maximum of 10 tourists can take part in the programme in 2 different groups. The trekkers along with two guides and an armed forest guard participate in the programme which starts at 8 am and ends in the evening.

Bamboo Rafting This is the dust to dawn hiking and rafting programme through some of the richest forest tracts of Periyar Tiger Reserve. It starts at 8 am through a mosaic of habitats and forest rich in bird life, arboreal animals like Giant Squirrel, Nilgiri langur, herds of elephants and gaurs. The rafting is of about 3 hours duration where one gets a panoramic view of the forest clad hills reflected on the lake. Five tourists accompanied by 2 guides and an armed guard par taking the programme. This programme caters to a maximum of 10 tourists per day.

Periyar Tiger Trail In the Tiger Trail, nature lovers are in the hands of a team of guides hardy and dependable who know the forest and its ways intimately. They were once poachers who have been transformed into the protectors of the forest and now part of the protection force of PTR. This is an adventurous camping and trekking programme of one-night – two-days and two-nights – three-days duration. The team consists of a maximum of 5 visitors, 5 guides and one forest official. Normally a distance of 20 to 35 kms is covered  during the trail.

Jeep safari  it is the some local village and beautiful view point visit starting time 05.30 am to 06.30 pm.

Santhosh Raghavan

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