Thenmala Adventure Zone Activities Photos and Details - Kerala Eco Tourism Spot

Photos from the Adventure zone of Thenmala eco tourism project, Kerala, India. The major tourist attractions here in Adventure zone of Thenmala are, Forest Canopy Elevated walkway bridge, Nature trails through the forested hills, rock climbing, mountain biking, river crossing, Burmese bridge walk, boating in the forest pond, rapelling etc. There is a place where you can do some bow and arrow practice but by the time we visited, it was out of order.

You shouldn't miss this adventure spot of Thenmala ecotours, even if you are not much adventurous. Being adventurous helps you to get the most out of this eco tourism location of southern Kerala. For a Nature tourist the canopy walkway and Nature trails will be an experience with chances to watch the nature, birds and the mighty forest trees closer walking towards them.

After verifying the tickets you will be entering right into a museum here. A descriptive display of all the types of rope knots used during rock climbing like adventure sports and also by Surgeons, Fishermen, rescue professionals, sailors etc. From the knot museum you will move on to the Canopy Walkway or Elevated bridge of the adventure zone, a must visit here.

From canopy bridge you can either walk to the top of the hill and traverse through the nature trails or select a more adventurous way to go down to the forest pond through a rope (valley crossing), exactly the same way you have to cross the river using ropes. The above photograph is the starting point of the elevated walking bridge which rises up through the forest  tree canopy. The information board says, "Resemble Canopy Walkway. The canopy bridge hangs suspended over the forest floor". Specifications of the bridge is gives as, Length of the Bridge: 120 meter, Number of Steps: 109, Number of tree canopies: 11 big trees. The platform of the bridge is done with of wooden planks paved over steel structure,very similar to the old hanging bridge of Punalur.

Am gonna walk up through the bridge to the top of trees, what about you giving me company.

Kerala's Eco-tourism Canopy Walkways- Canopy Watch Bridge of Thenmala, Kollam District

 




This is the view of the bridge that winds up between the trees, snapped from some what,a quarter length up. What you can get is a close encounter with the forest trees and the flying and jumping tree top wild life.Canopy walkways were used for studying the flora and fauna by watching them closer by researchers. Present days are time of canopy cranes for the same purpose. Wonder if they using tree houses too for living in the forest canopy while research.

Huge canopy hanging bridges are still existing through rain and tropical forests, mostly intended for tourism and recreation. Some of the famous eco tourism canopy walkways are the Canopy walk bridge of Amazons, Dhilinza forests, and some of them seen in South African forests. The longest and highest canopy walkway is in Taman Negara, a hanging canopy walk which may swing as you walk.

The canopy bridge here in Thenmala winds through the big forest trees to the top of the hill and connects you to the pathway that extends through the hill there.You can continue your nature walk through the trails of nature winding through the hilltop after getting there through this bridge.You can access the rock climbing spot from there. And to the nervous ones, don't be afraid as the bridge won't swing as you walk for it's a fixed steel structure over pillars. The canopy bridge has resting platforms and viewing points in between. Being with a group you have amazing chances for taking memorable photos here posing in between the green lush of dense forest trees.

Forest Pond and Fiber boats @ Thenmala Ecotourism Adventure Zone

 

The calm and quiet small forest pond seen at the valley below the canopy walking bridge. In the manual a lotus pond is listed here in the adventure zone which is said to have many water plants. think this is the one, but the water plants or lotus not present while we visited.

Adventure Attractions like Burmese bridge, bow and arrow target practice, photo point rock, river crossing, valley crossing etc are concentrated around this pond. A spider net  for tourist adventures was present, seems removed temporarily. Some pedal and row boats are seen in the pond and a lady is there to manage the boating activities here. some of the boats resembling the shape of basket boats of Hogenekkal river journey.

Picnic Games@ Adventure Zone

Another thing we saw around the pond was a place for doing a group play called Trust fall. One of you has to jump from an elevated steel standing point trusting your friends group standing below to catch you.from falling. Hmm you can take your chances in breaking own bones, if curious to check your friends trustworthiness. The game itself turned a little adventurous huh..

 
Burma Rope Bridge @ Adventure zone

The rope bridge model of Burma, which is meant for the adventure tourists coming to this adventure zone.

The tourist information board near to the bridge says:- the bridge is of 30 meters long and what it 's written there about the bridge is, "Burma bridge is a body balancing activity of ropes on the obstacle course that link two ground structures. Burma bridge usually has a large thick rope to support feet and two smaller ropes on either sides for holding hands. We organize these adventure sport activities keeping in mind all the safety measures".

Eventhough the real Burma bridge has only a rope to walk, here they have provided sticks to support the feet.. Hmm may be giving an opportunity even for grannies to have some adventures here.

If you watch closer you can see a cable extending through the top of the pond. That's the one used for river crossing adventure here. When we visited the place authorities were doing some routine checks in the river crossing gears and as it was nearly the end of the day, minutes before closing the Adventure zone.So couldn't check how the experience of river crossing will be.

The whole place is drenched in the beauty and calmness of the forest around and if you a nature tourist you will be preferring to excavate the nature trails through forests more than any other activities here. The sign boards in nature trails are interesting, ceramic arrows fixed in walking trail side rocks or on the nature trails itself.

The eco tourism points coming under the Thenmala eco tourism project is scattered throughout the forests here in the southern part of Western ghats. So many waterfalls are there deep inside and also in the outer circles of the forests around Thenmala, like the famous waterfalls of  Palaruvi. You should visit Thenmala if you a tourist or traveller who loves adventure, trekking, nature, mountain biking or someone who want to disappear into the forests and relax with nature from the daily busy life. Along with natural attractions many tourist activities are planned here for the needed tourists everyday like forest camping, trekking by the ecotour authorities.

Ticket Rates @ Thenmala Adventure Zone.

Tickets to enter the adventure zone is to be taken from the eco tourism main office functioning near Thenmala Parappar dam jsut 700 metres away from here. Rates are, INR 20 per Adult. Foreign Tourists have to pay a little more than regional people. Other than the canopy walking bridge and knot museum, you have to pay extra at corresponding points in adventure zone. Mountain biking-INR 20 per hour, Rock Climbing and Rapelling-INR 100, River Crossing-INR 30, Burma Bridge-INR10, Boating INR-40 etc.

Adventure Zone Working days and Time

Thenmala adventure zone is working on all days from 9 am to 5:30pm

Tour Attraction Adjacent:- Adjacent to the Adventure zone what you can visit is some fish aquariums maintained by Kerala malsya fed.

Oh we have to rush to the leisure zone now, time is already 5:15 pm now and the Thenmala Sculpture Park (leisure zone) will be closing by 6:30 pm. Lots to walk and see there. Hope you will be interested to see the sculptures there. Just stay glued, pixelshots, the travel photo blog of Kerala coming back here with those photos ASAP.

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