Periyar Lake, Kerala, India

4James M 5:00 PM Jan 24, 2020

Morning Boat ride review
Morning Boat ride review There are many unbalanced reviews on here, some say there are no animals or it’s a rip-off. This is a nature reserve and seeing animals is all about chance and the weather conditions. If you go into this park expecting to see every animal you imagine you would see on a safari, you will be disappointed. Morning Boat ride 7:30 start. This seems to be the most popular option by far. There are pros and cons. The pros: What will hit you as soon as you arrive, even before boating, is the stunning location & views The views on the boat do not disappoint and make great photographs The water & scenery are peaceful The boat is safe, clean and organised Comfortable ride Cons: Some reviews say it lasts 2 hours, ours lasted 1:30 but we picked up 2 different sets of people. In total we probably were on the safari for 1:20 the safari feels quick It was difficult to see the animals due to being far away from the shoreline during the majority of the ride. There is an off-road approach to the boat & The ladder/stairway to the boat is slippery and steep. That could be difficult for some people You will need to wear appropriate shoes and hold on to the rails Tips We visited 26th January, early morning is quite cold in Kerala, you will need a jacket. Visit during the early morning or cooler evenings, the animals are more likely to be out. You need to pay for entrance into the park, a bus ticket and the boat ride. For foreigners it’s more expensive but still very cheap The bus ticket and entrance into the park can be purchased from a location 15 mins away. I can’t remember the name of it, however it’s not hard to get to. The boat tickets are bought at the reserve and you are not guaranteed a ticket for the morning ride. Best to wear dull coloured clothes, some activities will not allow you to wear bright colours Many other activities are available too, best to plan ahead rather then on the day.

4HMN19 5:00 PM Apr 13, 2020

Serenely beautiful
For the best chance of seeing wildlife you need to be there in the early morning. Unfortunately, by the time tickets were bought, bus transfer from car park taken and next boats ready to go it was 7.30 and I suspect we had missed the best of the animals coming down to drink. Certainly I had expected to see more wildlife than we did. However, the lake was lovely in the morning light. There are different size boats and ours was one of the larger ones. Tickets give your seat numbers; best to try for upper level and at the side not middle for best views. You must wear the life jackets but they are bulky and not entirely comfortable as well as impeding peoples view between heads. The crew do a good job of making people stay seated which helps with viewing from the inside seats. They also offer to take photos for you through their binoculars and from the best vantage points.