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Thekkady is a wild tale of Kerala. This tale takes you to the lush evergreen forests, the never ending hills of spice plantations and the playground of many endangered and other wild animals.
What can you do in Thekkady?
Everything below is arranged for you from the front desk — tickets, cars, guides, and a packed breakfast if you are leaving before the kitchen opens.
The best way to explore the nature is through Elephant Ride. The ride covers spice plantations and estate trails on the edge of the forest. You travel at walking pace, which leaves time to look up at the cardamom and pepper vines and to hear the forest before you see it. Mornings are the kindest hour for it, and the front desk arranges the whole thing for you.
Let the mistress of spices allure you as you cycle to plantations in Thekkady. The lanes climb gently through cardamom and pepper estates, past small holdings where the day's picking is already drying in the yard. Early morning is the best time — the mist is still sitting on the hills and the roads belong to whoever is up. Cycles and a route suited to your pace are arranged by the front desk.
Boating on the Periyar Lake enables visitors to have a close look at the wildlife that inhabits the surrounding forests. From the water you will see the old trees standing in the shallows, otters on the rocks and, if the morning is kind, elephants down at the shoreline. The first boats leave early, when the mist is still on the lake and the reserve is at its quietest. Tickets are arranged from the front desk.
Ayurveda revitalizes and rejuvenates mind, body and soul — traditional forms of ayurvedic treatments. Treatments here follow the classical Kerala approach, with oils prepared locally and therapists trained in the tradition. Guests usually come for a massage after a long day of travel, or settle into a course across a longer stay. Appointments are made at the front desk.
The Thekkady Lake hemmed in by the benevolent Sahya Mountain Ranges. The town sits at the edge of the Periyar Tiger Reserve, one of India's finest, and its days run to the rhythm of the forest rather than the clock. Between the lake, the spice hills and the plantation roads there is more here than most guests expect. The front desk will help you work out how to spend your days.
Jeep safari is a full day program which includes boating, trekking and forest safari through jeep. You leave early, cross the lake by boat and then walk and drive through the reserve with a guide who knows the trails and the animals that use them. The day is long but unhurried, and meals are arranged along the way. Bookings are made from the front desk, and it is worth reserving a day ahead.
Tell us how long you are staying and we will put the lake, the safaris and the plantations in the right order.