Travelling has been something close to my heart forever. The entire process of planning, the anticipation, the window gazing during the journey, the people I meet, the mesmerizing places I visit, and of course the amazing cuisine I get to taste: travelling is a complete package of small joys and large surprises which allows me to rejuvenate myself. However, the fast paced life and long office hours renders even a short vacation quite a distant dream. I was meeting my cousins after almost 3 years. We decided that mulling over this wasn’t benefitting anyone, so we made an impromptu decision to go on a one day trip to the Chimmini Wildlife Sanctuary. It seemed like quite a great choice which would offer us peace from this rapidly moving world.
The Travel Plan
As I stay in Cochin, I am well- acquainted with a lush green vacation as in almost every part of Kerala, rightly known as God’s Own Country. Kerala is always quite an affordable option and this impromptu plan was made on a beautiful monsoon morning. So we just packed our bags and began. The Chimmini Wildlife Sanctuary is in Thrissur, which is 56 kms from Cochin International Airport and 36 km from Thrissur town. Now, me being a car person wanted to drive through those beautiful roads, but I was so tired of driving all the time, so all we decided to rent a car in Thrissur with an expert driver.
The Terrific Drive
NH544 is an absolutely beautiful toll road from Cochin to the town of Thrissur. The metro work might cause a bit of an issue enroute, however, we had an amazing time listening to some classical masterpieces and melodies the entire way. The drive is one and a half hours long and is quite comfortable.
The route also has many small hotels where we found some amazing authentic Kerala food; we enjoyed the smell of milky coconut and the crackling of the fish fry on a rainy day. The cab driver’s service was amazing, and the locals were also quite welcoming and helpful.
The Amazing Time at Chimmini Wildlife Sanctuary
We reached the area Chimmini Wildlife Sanctuary around 10am and walked into a hotel to freshen up and have some food. Chimmini Wildlife Sanctuary is home to many species of endangered birds and animals, and honestly, I don’t know why more people have not explored this place. It’s open from 6 AM to 6 PM, so it perfectly meets the need of a one day trip. The entry fee is just Rs.10 for adults and an extra Rs.25 if you want to take photographs. It was quite refreshing to visit a forest; the greenery and the sound of the birds were extremely calming. We saw elephants, sambars, Gaur’s, a variety of birds and butterflies and sloth bears. Actually, if one visits at specific times posted by the Forest Department, there are trekking or rafting expeditions conducted by them which are quite famous.
By the time we finished our sight-seeing, it was around 2 pm. We grabbed a quick lunch and proceeded to the Chimmini Dam. The Chimmini dam offers a package of adventure sports like bamboo rafting, butterfly safari and nature walks. Even though it is an artificial dam, the beauty of it is no less mesmerizing than a natural one. We partook in a bamboo rafting session, which was quite exciting. We also felt very safe as the instructor was very understanding. It was 5 pm by the time we finished our adventures and we proceeded back to our hotel.
The Experience was Worth It!
As soon as we reached the hotel, we grabbed some snacks to have for the return journey. We started from the sanctuary at 7 pm and reached Cochin around 9pm at night. The short weekend was clearly packed, but I’m glad I got to reconnect with nature and my adventurous self. It wasn’t even that tiring because I made a choice to book a reliable and licensed cab in Thrissur. Make a choice for yourself today and gift yourself a great mini-vacation!
