Thekkady

Thekkady, located in the Idukki district of the state of Kerala, is the place where the Periyar National Park is located. Thekkady lies very close to Kumily, which lies on the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, spread across an area of 300 square miles, is home to thick evergreen forests, deciduous forests and a host of animal species, viz. elephants, sambar, tigers, Nilgiri Langurs, etc.

Things to do in Thekkady

The Mullaiperiyar Dam has been built across the Periyar River here, resulting in the formation of an artificial lake, which adds to the scenic beauty of the place. Apart from the park, Thekkady has a few more tourist attractions. Tourists can also try various attractive packages options to tour Thekkady.

There is the Mangala Devi Temple here which opens only during the Chitra Pournima Festival. The Chellarkovil which is known for its waterfalls and the Anakkara are other attractions. Thekkady is also known for its natural spices which are found in abundance here in the form of clove, cardamom, cinnamon and black pepper. In recent times, the government has made concerted efforts to promote spice tourism in the area. The area of Anakkara along with Murikkady is known for its spice plantations.

The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is surrounded by the Cardamom Hills, with the highest peak being that of Kottamalai at 2019 metres. The varying altitudes of the sanctuary give it different temperature conditions, which results in different types of vegetation. The temperature during the summer months could be between 15-20° Celsius, depending on the altitude.

Apart from being an ecotourism destination, Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary or Thekkady as it is often called, also attracts a lot of pilgrims every year who come here to visit the Sabarimala Temple here. The temple receives more than 3 million pilgrims every year.

The Periyar Wildlife sanctuary, which dates back to 1950, is largely a protected piece of land with tourist activity restricted to the northern end of the park. It has been done so to protect the flora and fauna of the region.     

Food and Shopping in Thekkady

Thekkady offers quite a few places to shop, for the most produces are spices and small knicks-knacks. Market places are very few and not big on scales. But, there are a few attractive stalls centrally located in those areas. One can buy fenugreek, rolls of cinnamon, white and green pepper, cardamom, star anise, coriander, nutmeg, cloves and more. Traditional banana chips should be missed out, which are fried in fresh coconut oil and this is also a speciality.    

Travelling to Thekkady

To reach Thekkady, the nearest airport is at Madurai in Tamil Nadu, which is located at a distance of around 136 km away from Thekkady. The nearest international airport is Nedumbassery airport in Kochi, which is at a distance of about 190 km away.  

Thekkady has the nearest railhead at Kottayam at a distance of about 114 km.  All the express trains that go to Trivandrum, passes through Kottayam as well. There is KSRTC public transport buses connecting Thekkady with nearby cities, along with super fast buses regularly available from Kochi, Kottayam and Trivandrum to Thekkady.

Kasargod

Kasargod is the northernmost district of kerala.  Kasargod is known as the land Yekshgana and Theyyams.

There are different views on the derivation of the name "Kasargod".One view is that it is the combination of two Sanskrit words "kaasaara"(which means lake or pond) and “ kroda “(which means a place where treasure is kept). Another view is that it is the place where Kaasaraka treesare in abundance. Bothe views are relevant as there are large number of rivers, lakes and ponds in the coastal belt of the district besides thick flora consisting of innumerable varieties of trees, shribs etc. particularly plentitude of Kaasaraka trees.

The landscape is dominated by the characteristic coconut palms accompanying rolling hills and streams flowing into the sea. The landscape is dotted with tiled-roof buildings, topped with the famous Kasaragod tiles made with the local hard red clay and typically walled with laterite blocks. Older houses are commonly found with elaborate woodwork. Kasaragod district consists of two taluks viz., Kasaragod and Hosdurg.

Kasaragod is the one of the most beautiful districts in Kerala state endowed with 11 rivers (out of a total of the 44 rivers that flow in Kerala), hills, beaches, backwaters, as well as temples, churches, mosques and forts.

• Bekal Fort - It is the biggest fort in Kerala today and is 14  km from Kanhangad and 10  km from Kasaragod town. The nearest railway station is Pallikere railway station, which is now called the Bekal Fort Railway Station, and the nearest airport is Mangalore Airport.
• Ananthapura Lake Temple, an ancient and attractive-looking temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
• Mallikarjuna Temple is another temple in the heart of Kasargod Town and is dedicated to Sri Krishna.
• Ranipuram - A conglomerate of grassy hills near Panathady Town and linked to Kanhangad by Kanhangad-Panathur state highway.
• Kottencheri hills - Located near Talakaveri which is the starting point of the Kaveri river. It is 36  km from Kanhangad Town.
• Valiyaparamba Backwaters.

Other tourist attractions are Chandragiri Fort, Anandashramam, Nithyanandashramam, and Kareem forest park - the only man made forest in the Kerala. The forest park is located in Parappa near Nileshwar. The Kerala State Government is planning to set up an IT park in Kasaragod. It will be constructed in 100 acres of revenue land in Cheemeni which is estimated to generate around 50,000 IT jobs.

Alappuzha

Alleppey (Alappuzha) is a District of immense natural beauty in Kerala. Today, Alappuzha has grown in importance as a Backwater Tourist Centre, attracting several thousands of foreign tourists each year.It is also famous for boat races, houseboat holidays, beaches, marine products and coir products. It ia also known as the Venice of The East. For a total Alappuzha experience traverse the canals on small vallams (Boats) or anchor in the middle of the backwater lakes on a Kettuvallam (rice boat converted to cozy house boats) - spend the night under the star lit sky, listening to the splash of water on to the boat.

Prime Attractions of Alleppey

Pathiramanal
This Island on the backwaters is a favorite haunt of hundreds of rare migratory birds from different parts of the world. The island lies between Thaneermukkom and Kumarakom, and is accessible only by boat.

R-Block
This area in Kerala is very famous for its backwaters and you can have very beautiful scenes of paddy fields. This is one of the places in the world where farming is done below sea level.This is a popular location in the 

Kerala tour.

Alleppey Beach
Alappuzha beach is one of the most popular spots in the district of Alappuzha. . The pier, which extends into the sea here, is over 137 years old. There is also an old lighthouse, which is greatly fascinating to the tourists of Kerala.

Krishnapuram Palace
Built by Marthanda Varma, it is at Karthikapally in Kayamkulam and is famous for its mural depicting the story of Gajendramoksham. In this 18-century museum you can see antique sculptures, paintings and bronzes.

Boat Race
Allappuzha Backwater is world famous for its Snake Boat Race. Boat Races usually take place at the time of Onam festival.

Some of the important boat races are:
1. Nehru Trophy Boat Race (2nd Saturday of August)
2. Payippad Jalotsavam (4th Onam Day)
3. Champakulam Moolam Boat Race (July)