By road
~190 km from Kochi
South India · Kerala
Thekkady, Kerala
Boat safaris on Periyar Lake · ~190 km from Kochi
Getting there
By rail
Kottayam, ~110-114 km
By air
Madurai Airport, ~140 km; Cochin International (~190 km) is the other option
Best time to visit
October to February — animals at the water, pleasant trails
Don't miss
Periyar Tiger Reserve
Spice gardens
Mangala Devi Temple day-trek
Things to do
Periyar Lake boat safari
Bamboo rafting
Night jungle patrol walks
Where to eat
Sources: wikimedia, Photo: Jonathanawhite at English Wikipedia · Public domain
What to pack
Neutral-coloured clothing, leech socks for forest walks, binoculars
A quieter corner
Gavi, a quiet forest hamlet reached through cardamom country
About Thekkady
- Forest
- Lakeside
Where it is
Thekkady lies in the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats in Kerala's Idukki district, beside the plantation town of Kumily on the Tamil Nadu border and at the edge of Periyar Tiger Reserve.
History
The lake at the heart of Thekkady was formed in 1895, when the Mullaperiyar Dam was built across the Periyar River to send water east to the plains around Madurai. The surrounding forests were declared a game sanctuary in 1934 and became Periyar Tiger Reserve under Project Tiger in 1978.
People
Thekkady and Kumily are a meeting point of Malayalam and Tamil, and many families work in the cardamom, pepper and tea plantations. Adivasi communities such as the Mannan live around the reserve, and many local people work as guides and trackers in its ecotourism programmes.
Known for
- Boat safaris on Periyar Lake
- Periyar Tiger Reserve and its elephants
- Cardamom and pepper spice gardens
- Bamboo rafting and jungle treks
Did you know?
The Mullaperiyar Dam turns part of the west-flowing Periyar eastwards: water leaves Thekkady's lake through a tunnel into the Vaigai basin to irrigate districts such as Theni and Madurai in Tamil Nadu.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.