For more info read our blog post : More info about Thekkady To watch wild life closely, you need to go for boating through the Periyar River. Wild animals, forest areas of Periyar sanctuary and Mullapperiyar dam from long view can only be seen during this boating. Vehicles are not allowed inside the sanctuary for sightseeing. Boating in Thekkady has fixed timings and the guest need to be personally in the queue to get tickets. You need to give your personal details as well as show ID card while taking this ticket. Depending on season, the rush for boating varies. In peak seasons, there might be heavy rush, so try to be in queue at least 3 to 4 hrs before the departure time. Thekkady has lot of activities/shows running in the evening. If interested, you can watch Kalarippayattu (martial arts of Kerala), Kathakali, Magic show, musical fountain, tribal dance etc. You can also go for Ayurveda massage, Elephant ride, Elephant bath, Elephant shower, Spice plantation tour etc. You can plan for boating through Periyar River as well above activities if you have one night stay at Thekkady. Unless you are interested in adventurous activities, don’t stay for more than 2 nights there. If you are opting for two night’s stay, you can relax on the second day enjoying the wilderness of Thekkady.. If you are an adventurous person, this is the place for you. Plan for 2 or 3 nights at Thekkady and you get to do all sorts of adventure activities here. You can consult with your tour operator in Kerala or your Taxi service provider for more details. You can go for Gavi tour which includes full day Jeep safari, trekking etc., bamboo rafting, eco-tourism, nature walk, night patrolling etc. Go through the details for these activities and fix the number of days you want to stay at Thekkady. From Thekkady you can move to Alleppey, Munnar, Cochin, Madurai (Tamil Nadu), Kodaikkanal (Tamil Nadu). Again Kovalam is not a good idea as there will be lot of traveling. Very recently we have found a website where you can do online booking for boating at Periyar. Though we have not tried this, one of our guest did it themselves. Thought of sharing that website here.