Access
Fly to Cochin and drive to Periyar (200 km).
AIR :The nearest airports are at Kochi (Cochin) and Madurai. Kochi
has an international airport Nedumbassery (200 km/4 hr), connected by daily
flights to Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, Delhi, Kozhikode, Mumbai, Chennai.
From Middle East:
Oman Air - Connects Kochi, Mumbai, and Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram
with Muscat
Iran Air, Saudia Arabian Airlines - Serves Chennai, Kochi, Mumbai and Delhi
Qatar Airways - Serves Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai, Hyderabad
Gulf Air - Serves Kochi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi,
Thiruvananthapuram, Kolkata
Kuwait Airways - Serves Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai, Chennai,
Delhi
Emirates - Serves Mumbai, Kochi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Delhi
From South Asia:
SriLankan Airlines - Serves Bangalore, Bodh Gaya, Chennai, Delhi,
Kochi, Mumbai, Tiruchirapalli and Thiruvananthapuram. New destinations
planned are Hyderabad, Kolkata and Ahmedabad.
Silk Air - Connects Kochi, Thiruvanathapuram and Hyderabad with
Singapore
RAIL : The nearest major rail junction to the Periyar National Park
is Kottayam (119 km/2 hr), connected to Delhi through the Kerala Exp., to
Mumbai through Kanyakumari Exp., to Bangalore through Kanyakumari Exp., and
Chennai through Trivandrum Mail and Trivandrum Exp.
ROAD : The nearest major bus terminus is at Kottayam (119 km) though
Kumily, the nearest town (4 km), which has a bus stand with buses coming in
from both Kottayam and Madurai. Kochi has KSRTC buses plying long distance
and on interstate routes. Additionally, the interstate buses from Karnataka
and Tamil Nadu connect Kochi to other parts of India. NH-17
(Ernakulam-Mumbai), NH-47 (Kanyakumari-Salem) and NH-49 (Kochi-Madurai) are
highways that connect Kochi with the rest of the country.
The best bet is to travel by train/ air to Kochi or Madurai and then by
road to Thekkady. Alternatively, one could take a train to Kottayam and
drive the rest of the way. If traveling from other places within Kerala, the
KSRTC buses are a safe bet.
