Trip to Munnar, Thekkady and Allepey (Alappuzha)

Thekkady, Munnar & Alleppey This is the first trip after our Marriage. We have choose Munnar as it is My wife's one of the dream destination. We have planned our trip to mainly to cover 3 locations Thekkady, Munnar and House Boat @ Alleppey. We got down our train at Kottayam and Reached Kumily by Bus. Altogether the total trip was really great.

Thekkady:

From Kottayam we reached to place called “kumily”, as we do not have direct buses to thekkdy. Kumily the bordering place of TN and Kerala. which is 5 KM from thekkady.

“Periyar Wild Life Sanctuary” in thekkady is not a park, it is a gaurded forest. At the sanctuary there is Periyar Lake, one can go for boating in that lake, you may figure out some wild animals like elephants etc. Even you can go for a nature walk in the forest where you can get chance of looking some wild animals and rare birds. We could not go for nature walk because it required minimum of 5 people. Cost for the Guided walk is around Rs 100 per head.

If you planning to Thekkady, make sure you reach there in the morning because the Sanctuary will close by 4:00 PM.

Munnar

The hill resort has been the place for summer retreat and tea plantations since long.

Digging the past of Munnar reveals the list of tea planters that visited Munnar. With the passage of time the forested and home of wildlife- Munnar has become perfect for tea plantations.

Sites to Visit at Munnar:

• Lavish and splendid tea gardens – You can get guided tours where they will guide the processing of Tea from picking of tea leaves till packing in the factories.
• The Christ Church of Munnar is another landmark of the hill resort. The church has been since the pre-independence days.
• Devikulam Lake - The cool environs attract tourists to this lake. You may even try angling in the waters of the Lake. It is an ideal spot to unwind and relax.

Sites Near By Munnar:

• The Mattupeety Lake which is 13 KM from Munnar is one of the major touris ts attractions around Munnar. It was created by a small hydro electricity dam is flanked by steep hills and woods all around.
• The Top Station is a vintage point around Munnar that offers panoramic views of the lovely landscapes and the valley
• Rajamalai Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary is seventeen km from Munnar offers wondrous vistas of the valley.
• Ernakulum National Park - The park is nineteen km away from Munnar
• For adventurous activity seekers trekking is an option in the sanctuary.
• Munnar - Adventure Sports - You may try fishing in the Devikulam Lake.
• Best option to explore Munnar is a bicycle ride. You can easily hire bicycles in Munnar. There are several bicycle riding routes that are popular with the tourists. At you're your pace you get to enjoy the lovely landscape of Munnar. There are the wondrous valleys, ravishing rivers, tea estates and cardamom and sandalwood plantations that offer spectacular sights.

Munnar - Best Time to Visit:

Munnar is good to visit 365 days a Year. Winters are very cold it may drops to 1 degree Celsius. So, you have to completely cover in woolens.You can avoid traveling during Monsoons(June to September).

Munnar - Where to Stay:

There are several hotels, resorts and lodges that cater to the needs of the tourists with every person budge. Plan and Book your stay well in advance so that you will not waste time in search for accommodation after you reach. Even during Summer you will find difficult to get accomadation.

Good food is also easily available in Munnar. There are several restaurants that offer delicious and hygienic food at reasonable rates. You may take your pick of the cuisines from South Indian, North Indian and the Continental dishes.

Alleppey (Alappuzha)

Alleppey is the best place for Backwater Tourisiam. It is very popular for Kettuvallams where Kettu means tied with ropes and vallam means Boat. There are two travel options for choosing house boat Alleppey-Alleppey round or Alleppey-Kumarakom round trip.

The time you spend in the House boat is around 22 Hrs. i.e Check-in to boat around 12:00 PM and check out will be Next day 10 AM. They will provide you with Lunch, evening snacks, Dinner and Break fast. The boat cruises in the backwaters from 12pm -5.30pm and then it docks at a pre-destinated place. All boats have to dock by 5.30pm as per govt rules. The next morning it again starts at 6am and docks at 9.30 am. The boats have a decent bedroom with an attached WC. Even you have a House Boats with multiple rooms which can accommodate big families up to 10 people.

Distances:

• Kottayam to Thekkady : 142 KM
• Thekkady to Munnar : 106 KM
• Munnar to Alleppey : 160 KM
• Allepey to Kottayam : 130 KM
• Allepey to Cochin : 64 KM
• Alleppey-Kottayam : 29 KM - 3 & 1/2 hours (In Motor Boats Cruise through small canals)

There are many travels agents in Bangalore for Budget Travellers. Make sure to take complete travel plan from them before start so that you will not have any disappointment later.