Trip to Thekkady – Jungle Safari in Periyar Tiger Reserve

Thekkady, located in the Idukki district of Kerala, is renowned for its eco-tourism and the Periyar National Park. The area’s rich biodiversity attracts environmental enthusiasts from around the world. Visitors flock to this region to enjoy jeep safaris through dense forests.

The Periyar Tiger Reserve offers opportunities to observe wildlife and experience the jungle up close. During your trip to Thekkady you can also enjoy an elephant ride here.

Thekkady boasts various centers where you can witness traditional martial arts like Kalari Payattu and classical dance forms such as Kathakali. Additionally, Thekkady is an excellent destination for Ayurvedic and natural healing treatments.

I am sharing the wonderful experiences we had during our trip to Thekkady, which will help you understand this destination better –

➥ Boating in Periyar Lake
In Thekkady, we first decided to go boating in Periyar Lake, which is located inside Periyar National Park. To do this, we reached the main entrance of Periyar National Park.

From there, we had to take a special bus from the main gate to Periyar Lake. After a bus ride of about 20 minutes, we arrived at the lakeside. Binoculars are also available for rent here. We saw a large number of Nilgiri Langurs here.

A jungle safari is conducted through Periyar Lake via ferries. It was delightful to explore the forest from a ferry within Periyar National Park.

We spotted numerous animals drinking water at the edge of the lake. The dense forests of Periyar are home to many species of trees and plants.

The beauty of the jungle was enhanced by trees with leaves in colors such as red, yellow, green, and orange. The forest was alive with the sounds of various animals.

One of the best experiences in Periyar Lake was seeing the bird nests on the branches of dead trees within the lake. It was an incredibly splendid and unique experience.

The ferry was passing close to these dead trees, and we could see many nests with the birds’ chicks. The 1.5 hour ferry ride provided a great view of both Periyar Lake and Periyar National Park.

➥ Eco-Tourism in Gavi
Located about 40 kilometers from Thekkady, Gavi in the Ranni Reserved Forest of Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, is an excellent destination to visit.

It is part of the Periyar Tiger Reserve. Gavi is renowned for its eco-tourism activities such as jungle safaris, camping, boating, hiking, and tree houses.

Many tourists coming for trip to Thekkady also prefer to visit Gavi. It is a favorite destination for wildlife and adventure enthusiasts. We were also excited to go to Gavi.

For this, we needed to make a booking a day in advance. It was a day trip, where we would go to Gavi in the morning, explore it throughout the day, and return to Thekkady in the evening.

The next morning at 5 AM, we set out from Thekkady to Gavi. It was an open jeep safari that was to take place inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve. After traveling for a while through tea plantations, we reached the gate of the Periyar Tiger Reserve.

After completing the necessary formalities here, we entered the dense forest. There is a unique thrill in a jungle safari in an open jeep, with a blend of both excitement and a bit of apprehension always present.

As soon as we entered the jungle gate, we spotted a large sambar deer. This marked a great start to our Gavi trip. The Periyar Tiger Reserve is a very dense forest.

The advantage of going into the forest in the morning is that the atmosphere is fresh, and the chances of spotting wildlife and birds increase. We had only moved a short distance along a path surrounded by trees and bushes when we saw two wild boars.

Their protruding tusks looked quite dangerous. Our jeep driver, who was also a guide, drove very carefully and slowly. He mentioned that just a few days earlier, he had encountered a herd of elephants on the same path.

After a while, we spotted a brown animal resembling a deer. The driver informed us that it was a Barking Deer, which is very shy. It disappeared into the bushes in the blink of an eye.

Capturing photos of the animals seen during a jungle safari is a challenging task. In the Periyar Tiger Reserve, we observed various creatures such as the gaur, wild buffalo, peacock, owl, Nilgiri Langur, hornbill, and the red Malabar squirrel.

After approximately 2 hours of safari, we reached an open area in the jungle. From here, the surrounding mountains and the valley with dense forests were clearly visible.

In the distance, we could also see a village, which was Gavi. After spending some time enjoying the natural scenery and taking a few photos with the jeep, we finally arrived in Gavi.

The guest house “Green Mansion,” operated by the Kerala Forest Development Corporation in Gavi, is an excellent place to stay. After arriving and completing the necessary formalities, we were assigned a local guide.

After having breakfast at the guest house’s canteen, we went on a short hike. Our guide provided us with special socks to wear, designed to protect us from snakes and leeches that might be encountered in the jungle during the hike.

We were walking through the dense forest of Periyar Tiger Reserve, feeling a bit anxious as wild animals could appear anywhere. The guide mentioned that just two days earlier, a herd of elephants had been spotted here.

As we hiked to the highest point of a mountain within the forest, the view of the Periyar Tiger Reserve was spectacular. While we were observing the surrounding area, we spotted a herd of elephants on the opposite mountain. It was a group of four large elephants and two smaller ones, feeding on the leaves of the trees. It was truly a remarkable sight.