Periyar lake boat, a spice farm and Chellarkovil
Thekkady · 9 hrs · Cab included · Pickup from your stay
From ₹2990 for the whole vehicle, up to 8 people. The price is per car, not per person.
Vehicles
- Swift Dzire: Sedan. Best for a couple or a small family. ₹2990 for the vehicle.
- Tata Sumo: Rugged 8-seater. The most room for the money. ₹3490 for the vehicle.
- Innova or Ertiga: The comfortable one on a long hill day. ₹4990 for the vehicle.
Thekkady's one essential, done the hard way round so you don't have to
The boat on Periyar lake is the reason most people stop in Thekkady, and it is less simple than it looks. Tickets are sold partly online, through the forest department and the state tourism corporation, and partly at the counter at the Aanavachal car park, which queues before dawn in season. Each ticket carries your name and ID. No car goes past Aanavachal; a forest department shuttle bus does the last stretch to the boat landing.
The first sailing, a little after sunrise, is the one with the mist on the water and the best chance of animals on the banks. The middle-of-the-day sailings are hotter and quieter. This day puts you at Aanavachal early enough to try for the first, and if it is sold out, you take the next and the rest of the day moves around it.
After that the day goes into the cardamom hills: a spice farm walk, the drop to the Tamil Nadu plains at Chellarkovil, and Kumily's spice street on the way back. The car is yours from half past six at one flat price for the vehicle.
Your day, stop by stop
1. Periyar lake boat cruise
About an hour and a half on the reservoir inside Periyar Tiger Reserve, among drowned trees, with elephants, gaur and sambar on the banks if you are lucky. Tickets are tied to your ID and the first sailing is the one worth queueing for.
Boat ticket and the shuttle bus from Aanavachal, bought by you
2. A spice farm walk
A family farm a few kilometres outside Kumily, where a guide walks you through cardamom, pepper, coffee, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla growing together under shade. An hour or so, and nobody minds if you buy nothing at the end.
The farm's guided walk fee, paid at the farm
3. Chellarkovil viewpoint
Fifteen kilometres out on the Kerala and Tamil Nadu line, where the cardamom hills stop and the land falls away to the Cumbum valley's fields. In the monsoon a waterfall drops over the edge here.
4. Kumily spice market
The main street of Kumily, a few hundred metres from the Tamil Nadu border, lined with spice shops. Cardamom is the thing to buy here, by grade, and your driver will tell you which shops grade honestly.
In your price
- Private vehicle with driver for the day
- Pickup and drop at your stay in Kumily or Thekkady
- Fuel, tolls, driver allowance and parking at every stop
- At the boat counter early, with the day built round your sailing
- GoExplorer support number for the day
Not included
- Boat tickets and the shuttle bus
- The spice farm's walk fee
- Forest department activities such as the bamboo rafting or border hikes
- Meals
What you pay on the day
- Periyar boat ticket and the forest department shuttle bus
- The guided walk at the spice farm
- Anything you buy at the farm or in the market
- Lunch and anything personal
Who this suits
Everyone. The boat is seated, the farm walk is gentle and the viewpoint is next to the road. Good for families and for older travellers. The sedan seats four, the Tata Sumo eight and the Innova six, each at one flat price for the car.
What to bring
A photo ID for every person, matching the name on the boat ticket. A light jacket for the early boat, binoculars if you have them, insect repellent for the farm, and cash for the counters.
The boat in the monsoon
Sailings continue in normal rain, though there are fewer animals to see in the wettest months. When the forest department suspends boating for weather or water levels, the rest of the day runs and you can choose a free reschedule. A district red alert gets a full refund.
Cancellation
- More than 24 hrs before: Full refund
- Within 24 hrs: 50% refund, or reschedule free once
- No show: No refund
Safety and the operator
Run by a licensed local ground operator, one driver per vehicle, commercially registered and insured. Life jackets are worn on the boat. Inside the reserve the forest department's rules apply; keep to the boat landing and do not feed the monkeys.
Questions
Is the price per person?
No. It is one price for the whole vehicle for the day. Four of you in the Swift Dzire pay ₹2,990 between you, not each.
Can you book the boat tickets for us?
No. They are issued against each traveller's name and ID, and boarding is refused if those do not match. Book online through the forest department or the state tourism corporation as early as you can, or join the counter queue with us in the morning.
Will we see a tiger?
Almost certainly not. Tigers are rarely seen from the boat. Elephants, gaur, sambar, wild boar and water birds are the realistic hope, best on the early sailing, and none of it is guaranteed.
Can we add an elephant ride?
We do not book or recommend elephant rides. Your driver can take you to Murikkady or elsewhere in the hills instead.