Excursions

55 km from Kottayam, 20 km from Thodupuzha)This is another picnic spot located in the midst of the beautiful hillocks near Kanjar. It is easily accessible from Palai in Kottayam district

This idyllic hill station with its velvet lawns, exotic flora and fauna and the cool mountain air is a rare experience

(22 km from Munnar) It's a lush green carpet of tea plants. A trip on the splendid reservoir is an unforgettable experience. The Tata Tea Plantation surrounds the Anayirankal Dam.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/siddhi/319351979/

Kumily is the junction town straddling the Kerala Tamilnadu border just north of park boundary. It 's a busy place full of spice shops, located about 4 Km from Thekkady. The boat trip in the lake are the standard way of seeing the Sanctuary. The standard two hour boat trips available. Jungle walks can also be interesting.

Elathur is one of the small villages on the Calicut in India. Although, it may not be for everyone these small villages are definitely the remnants of the rich Indian Culture and tradition. Elathur is a very small village in which about 7000 people live there. However, Elathur is a very beautiful town as it has a lake that borders it on one side and on the other side; Elathur is bordered by a river. Thus, this unique composition allows Elathur to be a very well sought out place that must be seen by travelers who come to India for its rich heritage.

Beypore is one of the small villages on the coast of India in the district of Kozhikode. The Beypore used to be called Vaypura by the locals that lived there. The small coastal village was named "Sultan Pattanam" by the famous Sultan Tipu. Beypore has a historical significance as it was one of the historic ports where trading commenced between the Middle East and Asia. Thus, Beypore Port was a very significant port in the history of the region. The small town was also known for building wooden ships in its small ship yard.

Only three kilometers east of Alleppey is the village of Karumadi. There is a large black granite statue there that is very famous. This sculpture is known as the Karumadi Kuttan. This statue is a left over remnant from the days that the Buddha religion was very popular in the region. Historians say that this black Buddha was carved in either the 9th or 10th century. Nowadays, Hindu is the more popular religion to belong to, but that does not change the beauty of this Buddha statue.

The sprawling 16th century Gopalgad fort, near the coastal village of Anjamvel, is about 10 km from Guhagar. Originally built by the Siddis, it was seized by Emperor Shivaji in 1660. The fort is mostly in ruins now. The view of the sea is breathtaking from the top of the cliffs where the fort is built. Some of the walls of the fort go right down to the sea. There is a lighthouse at the end of the stretch along with two temples.

There is another picturesque beach at Budhal, about 25 km from Guhagar along the Hedvi road. Budhal itself is a small village with a very small population. The peaceful looking waters can be dangerous at times, especially in the rocky areas. Near the beach there is a Shiva temple with a lofty ‘Deepamaal’ at the entrance.

150 km from Ratnagiri is Velneshwar which has a beautiful beach and allows for various water sport activities. There is also an old Shiva Temple here that is frequented by pilgrims.