One day covers Thekkady if you start at 08:30: the Periyar Lake boat at 09:30, a spice plantation walk, lunch, the Ottakathalamedu watchtower and the view over Tamil Nadu from Chellarkovil. It is about 37 km by cab, back in Kumily by about 16:15, with the Kalaripayattu show at 18:00 a short walk away.
4 places37 km by cabtimed against opening hours
Day 1
Periyar Lake, spices and the viewpoints
Periyar Lake first: the ticket counter at 08:30 for the 09:30 boat, with about three hours for the queue, the forest bus and the cruise. Then a spice plantation walk, lunch, the Ottakathalamedu watchtower and the view over Tamil Nadu from Chellarkovil. About 37 km by cab, back by about 16:15, in time for the 18:00 Kalaripayattu show in town.
08:30 to 16:174 places37 km by cab
1Periyar Lake boat ride
2A spice plantation walk
Lunch
3Ottakathalamedu viewpoint
4Chellarkovil viewpoint
Back
★
Leave Kumily bus stand
1 km · 2 min by cab
1
Periyar Lake boat ride
3 h here
A cruise of about an hour and a half on Periyar Lake, the reservoir inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve, past drowned tree stumps and forested banks. Elephants, gaur, sambar deer and otters are often seen at the water's edge; tigers rarely.
Lake & forestBoats leave at about 07:30, 09:30, 11:15, 13:45 and 15:30; each trip is about 90 minutes
Tip: Cars stop at the reserve entrance near Kumily; forest buses run the last 4 km to the boat landing. Book online or queue early: morning boats fill up, and in a queue the plan's three hours can run longer. Sit on the side away from the sun.
2.8 km · 4 min by cab
2
A spice plantation walk
1 h 15 min here
Thekkady sits in the Cardamom Hills, and the gardens along the Kumily to Murikkady road offer guided walks among cardamom, pepper vines, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, vanilla and coffee, with a guide who shows how each is grown and dried.
Spices & showsMost gardens about 09:00 to 17:00; some open from 07:30
Tip: Entry and a guide cost about Rs 100 to 500 a person, depending on the garden. Most have a shop at the end; buying is optional, and prices in Kumily town are often lower.
Lunch, about 1 h. Your driver will know a place nearby. The times after this include it.
3.4 km · 9 min by cab
3
Ottakathalamedu viewpoint
30 min here
A hilltop just north of Kumily with a watchtower that looks over Thekkady's lake and forests, the hills round the Mangala Devi temple and the plains of Tamil Nadu. It is also known for its Kurisumala, a hill of crosses climbed by pilgrims on Good Friday.
ViewpointsOpen hillside with a watchtower, in daylight?
Tip: The last stretch is a short, steep walk. Go on a clear day; the view vanishes in mist.
13.1 km · 24 min by cab
4
Chellarkovil viewpoint
1 h here
A village on the edge of the Western Ghats about 15 km north of Kumily, where the hills drop to the coconut groves of Kambam and the plains of Theni in Tamil Nadu. In the monsoon a waterfall, Aruvikuzhi, spills off the edge into Tamil Nadu.
ViewpointsOpen hillside, in daylight?
Tip: The waterfall runs mostly from June to November. Keep back from the edge; there are no railings.
16.5 km · 23 min by cab back
★
Back at Kumily bus stand
Drive times come from road routing without traffic. The road through Kumily is slow in the morning and evening, and the Peermade and Chellarkovil roads are narrow and winding, so allow extra time. Opening hours marked ? are not yet confirmed, so check them before you go.
Book a cab for this day
Call or message a local Thekkady operator with this plan. Tell them your hotel and dates, and they send a price for the car and driver.
1 × full day, 8 h / 80 kmSedan, SUV or InnovaPrice from the operator
Yes: the boat on Periyar Lake, a spice garden and the viewpoints fit in one day. Pattumala and Parunthumpara near Peermade, about 25 km west, need a second half day.
Which Periyar boat should I take?+
One of the first two, at about 07:30 or 09:30, when animals come down to the water and before the midday heat. The plan reaches the ticket counter at 08:30 for the 09:30 boat; book online or come early, as morning boats sell out.
Can I take the 07:30 boat instead?+
Yes. Start at about 06:45 and the rest of the day moves about two hours earlier; the spice gardens open from about 09:00.