THEKADDY IN KERALA----a dream destination for nature lovers.

Thekaddy in Kerala is a beautiful destination for tourists in general and nature lovers in particular. Situated in the Idukki district of Kerala its famous for Tea Plantations and Periyar National Park.

For us Thekkady remained one of the must visit place in our Kerala trip and since we wanted to have a feel of nature and its beauty, we stayed in KTDC Aranya Resort on the bank of Periyar Lake inside the National Park itself.

The Aranya Resort is a lovely resort from where the park and its natural surroundings can be enjoyed 24 hours. The moment we reached the place, the first thing we decided is to book a slot in the evening boat to enjoy a ride in the lake which is an attraction not to miss. Since the Boat ride happens in the lake itself one can see the beauty of its flora and fauna, like we saw birds all around, Elephants bathing in the lake, Deers and Boars moving around on the bank of the lake. The tree trunks in the lake looks as if the forest is inside the water itself and these trees actually remained in their natural position when the water after the Mullaperiyar dam got constructed on the Periyar river in 1895, drowned a large area of the forest.

We enquired with the forest department counter from where different types of forest related tourism activities are booked and also booked a night walk in the forest which we did in the same night with two forest guards. The walk was though a lifetime experience but was risky too as we were walking inside the dense forest with two guards and torch as provided by the dept. We were shown Bison and Elephants from a distance and also could feel the silence and the noise of the trees inside.

There are other options like Day Trail, Bamboo rafting and tour of Tea Gardens which many tourists avail and explore and there are lot of tour agencies outside the forest area who can organize though we didn’t opt for them as our motive was to relax and enjoy the nature from the hotel itself.

It was a beautiful two day stay in Thekkady for us and enjoyed the nature at its fullest.

The Resort where we stayed is run by KTDC and for one triple sharing room we had to pay Rs.6000 per night.The resort has a bar and a restaurant where the menu is limited but is a necessity for the tourist coming for boat ride or else they have to eat in a shop near the lake which is open only from 8 am to 3 pm.

Overall Thekkady is an heaven for those who wants to enjoy the nature peacefully. Thekkady is a destination for all season. At any time you can make a visit to Thekkady. Winter will be the best time to be at Thekkady. The cool and pleasant climate will help you to explore this place beautifully. Most of the festivals at Thekkady take place during winter season. Though summer season will not be a comfortable time for you to visit Thekkady, this will be a time, when you will be getting hotels and resorts in cheap rates. If you want to visit Thekkady without any rush, choose this season. Monsoon is another time to explore the real beauty of Thekkady. If you are a monsoon lover, don't miss this opportunity.

Happy Reading……..