Thekkady Travel Guide & Tips

Stay in Thekkady:

The places to visit in Thekkady are a little far away from one another and dispersed around the countryside, thus figuring out where to stay is a bit of a tricky proposition for the average traveller. Tourist maps of Thekkady are available online to help you decide where to stay. A large portion of where to stay depends on what the tourists are looking for from their visit.

If you want to visit the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, staying close to it is ideal. Also, it is important to knowwhether you want a luxurious resort or something more homely. Luxury resorts and homestays are both available in this tourist oriented area. Thekkady tourist maps are also available and can be procured at some resorts with good tips and knowledge from the locals to be obtained as well.

Food in Thekkady:

Influenced by both the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the local food in Thekkady has dishes from both cuisines and sometimes combining the two to create something wonderful. The local cuisine of Kerala is found here, so the beautifully spiced meat and seafood can be found here along with delicious idli, dosas and appam. There is no particular special food of Thekkady with the combination of the two cuisines giving the food here it’s unique taste. Some of the nice restaurants to eat at in Thekkady include the Bamboo Cafe, the Spice Garden Restaurant and the Thekkady cafe.

Weather in Thekkady:

Weather in Thekkady is relatively pleasant throughout the year thanks to the heavy forest cover in the area and the preserved natural environment. In summers, the climate of Thekkady tends to get a little hotter and more humid as well with the temperature reaching 36 degrees, but mornings and evenings still tend to be pleasant during this time. Thekkady is at it’s best during the winters, with the climate being ideal for hikes and treks and such. The temperature stays between 15 to 24 degrees, making it ideal. Rainfall in the region is quite heavy but the monsoon has it’s own romantic charm in this area.

Local Customs in Thekkady:

The local language of Thekkady is Malayalam which is spoken through the entire state. However, the literacy in Kerala is quite high and Thekkady being a tourist destination, the locals mostly do understand English as well. There are a number of small festivals celebrated in Thekkady during the winters with the Sabarimala Temple Festival and the Thaipusam festival being two of them. The most famous of the festivals of Thekkady is the Chithra Purnami celebrations which take place in the summer and is the only time that the Mangaladevi temple is open to devotees.