Thekkady (Periyar)
Spice hills around a dammed lake in tiger country
A Thekkady tour pairs a 26 sq km lake in the 777 sq km Periyar Tiger Reserve with Kumily's spice plantations and a hill temple in Idukki.
Overview
Thekkady is the visitor base for the Periyar Tiger Reserve, in Idukki district of Kerala's Cardamom Hills, about 4 km from the plantation town of Kumily. A Thekkady tour works from September to March, and the place suits wildlife watchers, families and anyone curious about how spices are grown and traded.
The reserve covers 777 sq km of forest, of which about 360 sq km is thick evergreen cover. At its centre is a lake of roughly 26 sq km, created when the Mullaperiyar dam across the Periyar river was completed in 1895. Deer, bison and elephants come down to this water, so a boat trip is the standard way to watch animals from a distance. The reserve's own booking portal also lists trekking, bamboo rafting and nature camps, and tribal hamlets lie inside the forest. The name comes from the local word for teak.
Outside the forest, the story is spice. Cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger and vanilla grow on the slopes, with tea and coffee alongside them. Kumily is the trading centre: its shops sell spices, visitors can walk through working plantations, and a cardamom auction is counted among the town's distinctive experiences. Some estates take guests overnight. Temperatures run from about 13 C in December and January to about 30 C in April and May, and the heaviest rain falls with the south-west monsoon from June to September.
One site here opens only once a year. The Mangala Devi Kannagi temple stands at 1,337 m on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border inside the reserve and is open on the Chithra Pournami full moon in April or May, when pongala is offered. Visitors travel a 12 km forest track by jeep and need prior permission from the Wildlife Warden at Thekkady.
For arriving, Madurai airport is about 136 km away and Kottayam, the nearest railhead, about 114 km. The route from Kottayam climbs National Highway 220 through Mundakkayam, Peermede and Vandiperiyar to reach Kumily. Cyclists take the same road in the Tour of Thekkady, a Gran Fondo that ends in Thekkady after a long climb from Kottayam.
Known for
A 26 sq km reservoir where deer, bison and elephants come to drink
Happening soon
Updated Oct 23, 2026Tour of Thekkady (6th edition)
sportsA Gran Fondo cycle ride from Kottayam to Thekkady, with a 152 km race and a 167 km tour over roughly 3,500 m of climbing.
Chithra Pournami at Mangala Devi Kannagi Temple
festivalUsually on the Chithra Pournami full moon in April or May. The 2026 festival was on 1 May. No official 2027 notice found; a calendar site puts the full moon on 20 April 2027.
The one day a year the hilltop Mangala Devi Kannagi temple in the Periyar Tiger Reserve opens to pilgrims, with pongala offerings and jeep access from Kumily.
Reach out to us for the confirmed datesThekkady Flower Show (Pushpamela)
seasonalUsually opens in early April and runs for about a month, into early May. The 2026 edition, its 18th, ran from 2 April to 3 May.
A six-week flower and plant show at Kallarackal Ground in Thekkady, run by the Thekkady Agri-Horticulture Society with the Kumily Grama Panchayat, with tens of thousands of potted plants on display.
Reach out to us for the confirmed datesQuick facts
Mild for the hills, with temperatures from about 13 C in December and January to about 30 C in April and May, and heavy rain from the south-west monsoon.
Madurai Airport (IXM), about 136 km. Cochin International Airport is the other option.
Kottayam, about 114 km
Kumily lies on National Highway 220, which links it to Kerala and Tamil Nadu via Mundakkayam, Peermede and Vandiperiyar. Buses serve Kumily.
Book boat trips and forest activities through the reserve's official online booking system rather than on arrival, since quotas and timings are set by the forest department
Plan the Mangala Devi temple only around its annual Chithra Pournami opening, and obtain permission from the Wildlife Warden at Thekkady first
Bring a light jacket for December and January mornings, when temperatures fall to about 13 C
Packages that visit Thekkady (Periyar)
All packages →
4D / 3NThekkady Periyar Wildlife Stay
A Thekkady wildlife stay: three nights by the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala, with a lake boat trip, a forest walk and spice plantations. Fly via Madurai.
Thekkady (Periyar)Wildlife & Nature
5D / 4NPeriyar and Madurai: Spice Forests to Temple City
A five-day Periyar and Madurai tour package: Thekkady's lake and spice hills in Kerala, then Madurai's Meenakshi Temple in Tamil Nadu.
Thekkady (Periyar) → MaduraiWildlife & Nature
6D / 5NKerala Hills, Spice Trails and Backwaters
A Munnar Thekkady Alleppey tour package: six private days of tea hills, spice plantations and backwaters, with Cochin airport transfers.
Kochi → Munnar → Thekkady (Periyar) → Alleppey (Alappuzha)Hill Stations & MountainsPlan a trip to Thekkady (Periyar)
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