If I think about Thekkady, pictures of elephant herds, endless forests and fantastic smelling spice plantations pop into my mind. The Periyar Wildlife Reserve is one of Kerala´s most popular attractions and is among India´s best National Parks. Throughout the whole district of Thekkady you can find a lush vegetation, come and immerse yourself into a green paradise. Best way to explore this part of Kerala is on various hikes that last from few hours until a few days.
Where to stay
In Thekkady you will find a large number of accommodation possibilities of all types. During our visit we were staying at the amazing CGHearth Spice Village (www.cghearth.com/spice-village). The hotel melts perfectly into the surrounding nature and same as in all other CGHearth properties sustainability and the connection to the local community plays a vital role.
You will be accommodated in cosy bungalows with a rustic touch.
Also larger bungalow options are available:
All bungalows are spread out in the huge garden area. Take a walk through that exotic garden and you will spot many flora and fauna surprises like the resident monkey family.
For your relaxation you have a nice natural pool, a Wellness Center and a Yoga Shala.
The outstanding team at the Spice Village Hotel will also look after your culinary delights starting with a huge breakfast buffet with live cooking stations and my favourite Dosa´s, A-la carte lunches and dinner buffets with live music and dance performances.
Don´t miss to have your Afternoon Tea in the garden .....
.....and also try out their fantastic healthy-eating restaurant – 50 Mile Diet.
For drinks, a round of billiard and other board games you have the historic Wood House Bar.
The hotel offers various activities as hiking tours, cooking classes, dance entertainment and much more – I highly recommend to participate in a hotel tour to learn all about the fantastic concept of this hotel. On this tour you will also visit the organic garden of the hotel, you can press your own natural paper and witness how much more is done here to preserve the nature and to bring tourism in balance with the local community.
What else to do
If you step out of the Spice Village Hotel you will find yourself directly in the charming little village of Thekkady. Take a stroll around for some local shopping or to engage with the locals in one of the many bars and restaurants.
Traditional Dance and Martial Art Show (www.instagram.com/thekkadykalari) - directly in the town center you will find a community hall where you can witness the traditional dances of the area – the dancers are wrapped up in beautiful clothes and are wearing artisan face paintings. Khatakali is the classical dance of Kerala and is telling stories from the Indian epics.
If you like to have more action go for the Martial Art Show – which can be watched from a safe distance. The martial art that is performed here is not only for entertaining purposes, but also to teach the young people self-defence practice in a very efficient manner. They fight with swords, various other weapons as well as fire. Some of the performances look like right out of a Bollywood action movie performed by professional stuntmen.
Away from the village the visit of the Periyar National Park (www.periyartigerreserve.org) is for sure a must-do. You can either opt for various hikes with professional guides and even stay there for one or more nights, otherwise there are also options to take part in organized jeep tours or bamboo raft tours. Don´t expect to see many animals – for this you have to go deep into the forest in remoter places. The chances to see a tiger are very low to zero. But even without the animals the park has a very nice scenery and with a knowledgeable guide you can learn and explore a lot.
Another common tour that every tour operator offers is a boat cruise on the lake within the park, however I would not suggest that one. The boats are big and they squeeze in many people. So if you were not fast enough to grab one of the seats in the front, you will just see the heads of your fellow travellers plus everybody has to wear a swim vest so you are locked into your seat. We did the morning cruise and saw almost no animals, except some birds, a deer and some buffalos from very far.
However a nice Thekkady activity is a visit to one of the many spice farms. That´s a real interesting thing to do, where you can learn so much about the different spices and all their common and not so common health benefits. At the end of the tour there is of course the possibility to buy your favourite and locally sourced spices on the spot.
Then we also did another activity that will not be for everybody – we visited the Elephant Junction (www.elephantjunction.in) where you can ride, feed and wash these amazing mammals. I personally always have a bit of a stomach ache, when these beautiful creatures are showcased in that touristic way and people ride on them. But to feed and wash them should be ok and the elephants at the elephant junction seemed to be in good health and well looked after. But everybody must take his/her own decision, if he wants to make a visit here or not.
After all that action I would say it is finally time for the beach and to indulge in some heavenly Ayurveda Treatments – check out my next Blog where that can be enjoyed best…….
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