Thekkady is located in the Iddukki district of South Indian state, Kerala. Thekkady is situated towards the lower end of the state and close to the borders of the adjacent state, Tamil Nadu. The place is about 60 kms from the central Idukki and exists as a wonderful tourist place featuring hill stations, plantations and wildlife sanctuaries.

The pride of Kerela and a testimony to nature's splendour and human innovation, the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is situated on the banks of the Periyar lake - an artificial lake, at Thekkady. Here the high ranges of the Western Ghats are clothed in dense evergreen, moist deciduous forests and savannah grass lands. Below this thick green canopy roam herds of elephants, sambars, tigers, gaurs, lion tailed macaques and Nilgiri langurs.

The best time to visit Thekkady is between the months of September to March.

The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, spread over 777 square kilometres is a very famous wildlife reserve and one of the largest in India. Periyar Lake, an artificial reservoir, is the cynosure at the reserve. The core area of the park constitutes a national park. The sanctuary supports great many species of woodland, aquatic and arboreal animals. The sanctuary is dominated by dense forests, open fields at many places and waterways. The fauna supported by the park includes elephants, tigers, leopards, sambhar deer, wild boars, bears, wild dogs, bison, gaurs, flying squirrels, civets and snake species.

Kumily is a small plantation town about 4 kms from Thekkady which is a famous shopping centre and a leading spice plantation site in the state. The town supports plantations including pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, tea and coffee.

Periyar Lake lies within the sanctuary area. The boat cruise in the Periyar Lake is one thing you shouldn't miss at Thekkady. The boat cruises often have encounters with elephant herds crossing the lake, gaurs, bison, wild boars and many other species.

The Nature Treks and Bird Watching Treks started by the Forest Department at Periyar Sanctuary are wonderful exercises amidst the rich bio diversity of the park. The guides for these treks happen to be some selected and trained local tribes men who know the place well. The Pandikuzhi area, some 5 kms from Thekkady, also offers great trekking experiences.