DAY 9:
PERIYAR & THEKADDY
Munnar
was wonderful, the weather was perfect, and the tea gardens were mesmerizing.
Though because of the strike we were unable to see most of the tourist points,
but even with our limited viewing, the sheer beauty for which Munnar is so
famous for, was hard to miss. Munnar had made a place in our heart and we all
knew that in few years we are definitely coming back to enjoy the simplicity,
nature’s beauty and the blissfulness.
To
continue our trip, we left from Munnar early morning and drove towards Thekkady
which is famous for Periyar tiger reserve and cardamom plantation. Just the way
Munnar is sacrosanct with tea gardens, Thekkady is for cardamom.
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| Sunrise at Munnar |
The
drive through the hills from Munnar to Thekkady was like meditation in itself.
The road was lined on both sides with trees / plants all along from Munnar to
Thekaaddy. The plants had blossomed with beautiful flowers and we were
fortunate to see flowers of all hue and color on this drive. It was indeed
peaceful and serene. After driving for half an hour there was cardamom
plantation along the way.
Once
in Thekkady we directly went for an elephant ride. Our elephants name was Rani
and she took us for a smooth ride. All along the ride, our friend (elephant’s
trainer) showed us the different types of plant namely, three different kinds
of coffee, banana, cinnamon, cardamom.
Post
the ride we all took pics with Rani and then went to our homestay – Kerala House.
Our
rooms were on the first floor with a balcony facing the Periyar Tiger Reserve. The
rooms were huge and comfortable. We all rested for a while and then headed out
for lunch. Thekaaddy is relatively more commercialized than Munnar &
Alleppy. And it was here after days of eating the native food that we had a
chance to dig into pizza. Post lunch we still had some time on our hand. We
strolled around the main road and did some shopping. We bought Periyar Tiger
Reserve Tshirts and then drove for our evening boating trip on Periyar Lake.
When
we reached the gate of the Tiger reserve, we were already in queue of cars. You
don’t get the boat tickets at the gate. Here you get an entry ticket and
parking ticket. You need to collect the boat ticket from the boat jetty counter
which is around 2 kms inside from the gate.
You
cannot take your car till the boating jetty. The parking lot is around 1 km
away from the jetty. We had booked the boating tickets online and therefore we
didnt have to stand in the queue. There is a separate counter for online
booking where you have to show your online booking confirmation along with ID
proof. We were given upper deck tickets which enhances the chances of spotting
wildlife. To get good seats it is advisable to book online at-least a few weeks
in advance.
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| Boating at Periyar Tiger Reserve |
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| Periyar Tiger Reserve |
The
boat ride was pretty good and we did spot some wildlife boars, elephants,
deers. Birds were in abundance. There were cranes, kingfisher, cormorants,
snake bird and many more. The lake had been artificially created to give the
tourists an opportunity to spot the animals when they come to the waterholes.
Similarly stems / trees had been planted in the lake for the birds to sit on or
at times even make their nest. This helped the tourists to spot birds up
close. The lake was beautiful, covered
by dense forest from all sides and the landscape had its own appeal.
After having a highly unique & exciting time (first time in wildlife) I will say Periyar Tiger Reserve was a fantastic experience for us and we would like to come back to this place again. It is said one should book the first boat ride of the morning or last one of the evening, as this improves the chances of spotting birds / animals.
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| Elephants at Periyar Tiger Reserve |
After having a highly unique & exciting time (first time in wildlife) I will say Periyar Tiger Reserve was a fantastic experience for us and we would like to come back to this place again. It is said one should book the first boat ride of the morning or last one of the evening, as this improves the chances of spotting birds / animals.
Post
the boating ride, we had a show of Kalaripayattu, Indian Martial Arts, in the
evening. We had booked this show online as well. We were again early and
wandered around the theatre for a while. We were amongst the first one to enter
the theatre and got the got the ring side seat of the theatre. The theatre was
like an arena, rectangular in shape, wherein performance is in the middle and
seats are on all the sides of the performance area (like a football ground). We
sat in the area while the martial art experts performed in the rectangular pit
below us, like gladiators.
It was
another new experience altogether. They use a multitude of weapons like spears,
swords, daggers, bamboo sticks etc. We watched quite fascinated by what was
going on in the performance area. With their oiled bodies, they stood in
perfect symmentry, doing jumps, leaps and moves which were not humanly
possible. They could move in any direction – with extreme agility and
flexibility as if they have an elastic band in place of a spine. The show was
thrilling as they pulled up insane moves and I was at the edge of my seat for
the entire show.
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| Ring on Fire |
It’s
an art which requires dedication, practice and concentration. After the two
hours performance of crazy acrobats, we went down to talk to them and get some
pics clicked. We even tried out some weapons & poses. We all came out
highly impressed with the performance.
Just
outside the theatre is the main market of Thekkady. We decided to take a stroll
in the market, do some shopping, have our dinner and then
head back to our homestay for a peaceful sleep.
Thekkady
is the best place to buy spices. There is a lot of coffee and cardamom
plantation in this area.
Points to
remember:
- Online booking for Periyar Tiger Reserve boating can be done at www.periyartigerreserve.org.
- You can book show of Kalaripayattu or Kathakali dance at www.kalaripayattu.co.in. The tickets are of Rs 200 per person.
- Just outside the Kalaripayattu or Kathakali centre is a great spice shop – Responsible Tourism Spice super market. Do shop your spices from here.
- Our homestay (walking distance to Periyar Tiger Reserve) was named “Kerala House”, you can contact Mr. Shibu 09495 46 9085 or on shibukeralahouse@gmail.com. The website of the homestay is www.keralahouseperiyar.com
- Expense Details of the day:
Expense Particulars
|
Amount for 4 people
|
Amount per head
|
Breakfast enroute Periyar
|
300
|
75
|
Lunch at Periyar
|
1,140
|
285
|
Elephant Ride
|
700
|
175
|
Periyar Tiger Reserve entry
|
200
|
50
|
Periyar Tiger Reserve boating
|
1,000
|
250
|
Periyar Tiger Reserve camera
|
80
|
20
|
Martial Arts advance booking
|
850
|
213
|
Dinner at Periyar
|
530
|
133
|
Periyar - home stay
|
3,100
|
775
|
TOTAL
|
7,900
|
1,975
|
