Your Travel Experience with Finest Journeys
Thekkady Arrival and Spice Plantation Visit
After breakfast, you begin your drive from Munnar to Thekkady, a journey that gradually moves from tea country into an area known for its spice plantations and forested slopes. There is time for short stops along the way before arriving in Periyar around midday. After checking in at the hotel, you have a moment to settle in before the afternoon activities. Thekkady is closely linked with the Periyar Wildlife Reserve and is recognised for its long stretches of hills and farmland where spices grow in abundance. While tea estates remain visible across parts of the landscape, the region is also known for cardamom, pepper, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and turmeric. These plantations form an important part of Kerala’s agricultural identity and are a key feature of many South India itineraries. In the afternoon you join a guided tour of a spice plantation. The walk takes you through terraced plots and small streams where different spices are grown in varying conditions. You can learn how each plant is cultivated and processed, and there is an opportunity to sample and purchase locally grown products. Later in the evening a cooking demonstration is arranged at the hotel. The chef prepares two Kerala dishes, one vegetarian and one non vegetarian, followed by a relaxed buffet dinner.