Thekkady and Periyar: The Lake Cruise, the Spice Walk and What to Expect

What Thekkady actually is

Thekkady is the town. Periyar Tiger Reserve is the forest around it, wrapped along a lake that was made in 1895 when the British dammed the Periyar river.

It sits at about 900 metres in the Cardamom Hills, three to four hours from Munnar and four from the backwaters. In a Kerala route it is the natural link between the two.

The lake cruise — the honest version

The boat is the main activity, and expectations need managing.

What you will very likely see: elephants, often in family groups, coming down to the water. Sambar deer. Gaur — Indian bison, and much larger than people expect. Wild boar. A great many birds. Otters if you are lucky.

What you will almost certainly not see: a tiger. Periyar has them and they are not seen from a boat full of people. Any operator implying otherwise is selling you something.

Go in the late afternoon. The animals come to drink as the heat drops. The first morning boat is the second-best option; the middle of the day is the worst.

Tickets are on fixed slots and they sell out. A good driver gets them early in the day rather than joining the queue with you at the jetty. Ask whether that is being handled.

Life jackets are compulsory and correctly enforced. There was a serious accident here in 2009 and the rules that followed are strict.

The spice plantation walk

Genuinely good, and one of the few organised tourist activities in India that is more interesting than dutiful.

Cardamom growing in the shade under the canopy. Pepper vines climbing the trees. Nutmeg, clove, vanilla, coffee, allspice. Someone snaps a leaf under your nose every thirty seconds and by the end you can identify half a dozen by smell alone.

An hour and a half. Take it in the morning, before the boat.

The other things worth doing

Kalaripayattu — the martial art of Kerala, and one of the oldest in the world. The evening demonstrations for visitors are athletic and loud and much better than they sound.

Bamboo rafting, run by the forest department with former poachers as guides. A full day, on the water and on foot inside the reserve, and much closer to the forest than the boat gets you. Book ahead; the numbers are capped.

Border hikes and jungle patrols, also forest-department run, also capped.

If you have a second day here, the rafting is what to spend it on. If you have one night, the boat and the spice walk are the right two things.

How long to stay

One night is right for most trips. There is not a second day of easy sightseeing — the second day has to be the rafting or a serious walk, and not everyone wants that.

Two nights if you want the bamboo rafting, which is a genuinely good day and worth planning for.

When to go

September to March is the settled season and the best wildlife viewing, because the animals concentrate at the lake as other water dries up.

The monsoon is heavy here and the forest activities are often suspended. The boat still runs.

Peak sighting months are the dry ones — March to May — when animals must come to the water. It is hot, but it is when the lake works hardest.

Practical

Thekkady is small and walkable. Hotels range from basic town rooms to plantation properties outside.

The reserve entry, the boat ticket and the activity fees are separate from any tour package and are paid at the reserve. Budget for them.

Ask us for a Kerala route with Thekkady in the right place — after the hills, before the water.