The Forest Department of Kerala has opened its own floating barge at Vellpara and now offers trekking facilities for the tourists on everyday basis, making the Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary a hotspot for wildlife enthusiasts in coming time. A special tourist boat named Kolumban, which can carry 20 people at a time, has already come. Ticket counter-cum- eco shop is also being constructed at Vellapara.
P.R. Suresh, Warden, Idduki Wildlife Sanctuary informed that the sanctuary has opened for the tourist for the very first time. Exploring the verdant green surroundings and meeting the exotic wildlife of Idukki is going to be an amazing experience. As the preparations progress, another boat will also be bought and other facilities such as a resting place, a cafeteria and a children’s park is also be set up here.
The Eco-Development Societies (EDCs) has taken up this tourism project of Idukki Sanctuary in the form of an income-generating activity that us going to help the local communities, mainly the area’s tribal communities.
As the reservoir water in this area is placid, and boat service is going to be to Vairamani islet. If one is lucky, a tourist can spot Sambar deer, Wild Elephants and other exotic animals. One of the prime attractions was the sandy islet that was made in the reservoir at the time when water was on a descending style. The lush green patches that are still unexplored are going to offer lovely views. The boat-landing station was linked by a well-maintained road and was located at a distance of half a kilometer from the Thodupuzha-Puliyanmala State highway.
Suresh further added that different kinds of tourist package are going to be developed after looking at the trend of arrival of the tourists. All the packages are going to sustainable to the environment of the forest and would be eco-friendly. EDCs is going to give the right to run the several tourism-related activities at Vellappara.
He further informed that there are going to be 2 kinds of packages- light trekking and hard trekking in the forest. While the first one will be of 4 hours, the second one will be of 6 hours. For accommodation, eco-friendly cottages are going to be built for the tourists in the second phase, along with an interpretation center.
Currently, boat services in the Idukki reservoir at the time of the festival season and special occasions when the dam can be visited by public are offered by the hydel tourism department of the Kerala State Electricity Board. This has also lead to a gradual growth in tourists visiting Cheruthoni.
Sandwiched between popular tourist destinations of Munnar and Thekkady, it has bonus points. The Hill View Park managed by the District Tourism Promotion Council here is a place to enjoy nice views of the reservoir. Cheruthoni receives a decent amount of footfall at the time the dam is open for public. The Forest Department also presumes that during peak season tourists from Thekkady also comes here and there is a rush for boat tickets too.
If a tourist interested in a boat journey crossing the forests is not accommodated in Thekkady, he is going to get another chance here. The tourism project of the sanctuary is going to be opened on 19th December by Forest Minister Thiruvanchur Radhakrishnan.