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suvanki Says: Travelling from Kottayam to Kumily, the landscape starts to change, with steeper winding roads, tea plantations appear as you near Kumily.Although Munnar, about 4.30 hours away, is the commercial centre of some of the worlds highest tea growing estates, with the TATA company...
suvanki Says: On the outskirts of Kumily are to be found Spice plantations and gardens.We first visited a plantation, where we saw peppers, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cumin, jackfruit, mimosa flowers and coffee beans all growing in their natural habitat.The Kallumakal (Abraham) spice...
suvanki Says: The nearby town of Kumily is worth a visit, either to see some local life or to do some shopping.Most of the craft shops are Kashmiri owned, and have an assortment of goods on sale. (see my intro and shopping tips)The market and assorted food shops have a wide selection of...
Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary - Elephants
suvanki Says: Although there are estimated to be over 750 elephants living in the park, you aren't guaranteed a sighting.We nearly missed seeing these creatures, as our boat was heading back to the shore. Luckily, the boats captain spotted movement in the nearby trees, and pulled the boat...
Spice Village: Spice and more!
suvanki Says: Non residents can eat in the restaurant.The buffet offers a wide selection of dishes, both hot and cold. Vegetarian/ non-vegetarian,Western and local foods provide a variety of tastes. Tribal dishes are a speciality, and there's also a grill area as well as licensed...
Spend the night with the wildlife!
suvanki Says: Although I didn't try this, it is possible to stay overnight in the park itself. There are 3 hotels, which include meals and boat trips/treks. The Lake Palace is reached by boat, and was once the maharajas game lodge.Resthouses are available, staff cook the food you provide....
Entrance to Spice Village/Car Park: Bats!!
suvanki Says: As dusk falls, about 18.30hrs when we were there in January, the skyline darkens as hundreds of flying foxes leave their trees and encircle the area around the car park.I'd just picked this moment to leave my hotel room to return to Kumily for shopping!!, and although I'm...
suvanki Says: Although I was on an organised tour, for the independant traveller, buses travel to Kumily from most of the major towns in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.Ernakulam ( near Cochin) 6 hour journey 10 buses daily ( 3 are express)Trivandrum 8 hour journey 2 dailyKovalam 9 hours 2...
gonzo747 Says: To get to the sanctuary you'll have to go to a town called Kumily. From there you can walk or take a rikshaw to the sanctuary.I took the bus from Kottayam to Kumily. (42 roepies). The road is very curly, and it is a pretty rough drive for 4 hours. But at the end the scenery...
suvanki Says: A wide range of organic spices, most grown locally. The owner is friendly and knowledgeable about the spices he sells.A wonderful aroma! Cardamom..The Queen of Spices!Saffron...grown in N India, but cheaper than bought in UK...The Real Thing too..not marigold heads as...
suvanki Says: There are quite a number of similar establishments in Kumily, but this was the only one that I went intoAlthough I was only intending to buy postcards, I soon succumbed to the salesmans patter and the array of goods on sale. The dimly lit shop was full of local and Kashmiri...
pravdr Says: lourdes church at thekkady is one of the many found all over kerala.similarly temples and mosques too abound.kerala is a land of plurarism.be it in nature sea montains and rivers beaches and hill stations.pluralism in faiths jews christians hindus and muslims.proximity to...
suvanki Says: Although I didn't experience any problems, one of our party was made to feel uneasy taking photos in Kumily. Earlier he'd been hassled for money, and anticipated the same happening here.There happened to be a parade/visit from a tourism dignitary at the time. As there were...
Kumily shops: Make sure you don't pay twice!
BlueLlama Says: After finally deciding a price for a statue in one of the Kumily shops, it then took almost an hour to pay. Going from shop to shop (the shopkeepers all seem to be related or otherwise connected.), we tried various credit card machines without (apparent) success. On...
Wildlife sanctuary...... may not see much!
suvanki Says: Periyar is South Indias most popular Wildlife sanctuary. Promoted as home to tigers and elephants etc. Please be aware that sightings of the tigers are extremally rare, and there is a good chance that you won't see any wildlife.Also, an admission ticket to the park doesn't...
suvanki Says: Small knapsack/camera case A lightweight jacket/ fleece it can be a bit chilly on the water early morning.Sunglasses. hat etc, as the sun breaks through it soon gets hot. sun protectioninsect repellent lots of film! batteries etc....IF you do spot a tiger, it would be a...
ushar Says: The winding journey to this hil town, along the Periyar River, offers a stunning view of the rolling hills draped in lush greenery. Velvet lawns, rare flora amd fauna add to the beauty of Pullumedu which can be assessed only by jeep. The famous Sree Ayyappa temple at...
ushar Says: The Periyar River flowing through the centre of this town nourishes its vast tea, coffeee and perpper plantations. A major trade centre, Vandiperiyar is a also home to a number of tea factories. The Govt Agricultural farm and flower Garden have a delightlful array of roses,...
pravdr Says: CAMERA OTHER THAN VIDEO/MOVIE INR 25INDIAN ENTRANCE FEE INR15/PERPERSON+ECODEVELOPMENT SURCHARGE INR10PER PERSONBOATING CHARGES INR 45INCL OF ALL TAXES EMAIL aranyanivas@vsnl.com phone 04869-222023 222283NATUREWALK INR 100 PERPERSON MIN 5 PERSONS REQ OR FULL CHARGE TO BE...
Thekkady Tourism Development Council
tayloretc Says: We stumbled into here late at night when our homestay turned out not to be booked, and it was fortuitous. The TTDC has in its service a Mr. Sha, who is knowledgeable about the area and has ecotourism leanings and personal connections to several homestays in Thekkady, so he...
Plan a Periyar Sanctuary vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Periyar Sanctuary locals
It is situated 15 km from Thekkady.This ancient temple is hidden in the dense woods at the top of a peak 1337 above sea level.. The temple is built in the...
Q: Any advice on Periyar? I have heard that it is overcrowded and very touristy. Any alternatives in Kerala?
A: It was nearly 10 years since I was last their maybe things have change but it wasn't so busy back then, The trip was nice but did not see a lot of wildlife on shores.
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0600 hrs New Years Day, I don't usually see!! Normally I'm brewing a hangover after the nights festivities, This year saw me up and ready for an early morning boat trip around Periyars lake to...
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Periyar wild life Sancturary and Thekkady...
The very sound of the word Thekkady conjures up images of elephants, unending chains of hills and spice-scented plantations. In the periyar forest of the Thekkady is one of the finest wildlife...
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Although we didn't saw a lot of wildlife, it was still a nice place to go to. The lake is pretty nice and the surrounding scenery is smashing.
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I've got some interesting experiences in Periyar Sanctuary. I'd love to share with you the 4 tips I've written, the 16 photos uploaded, and 1 travelogue I've created.
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periyar is a unique biodiversity system under wildlife conservation. it revolves around a once former tropical forset submerged partially by a manmade reservoir formed by the construction of...
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