| Anyone who plans to come to Kerala for a holiday | | | | The elephant would be moving through a specific route |
| should definitely include Thekkady in their holiday plan | | | | within the spice plantations. When you go through the |
| and should never miss the elephant ride. A ride on top | | | | spice plantations you could feel the freshness of |
| of the biggest mammal on earth is just an exciting one. | | | | nature. The best time of the day to go for an elephant |
| It's a half an hour ride through the spice plantations of | | | | ride is during the morning or evening, just before |
| Thekkady. All elephants are tamed ones and each one | | | | sunset. The elephants are calm and you never feel |
| has its own name. Normally elephants have an | | | | nervous. Spice plantations always give you a feel of |
| extension with their name which indicates the place | | | | being in a forest. The Huge trees onto which the |
| they come from. These elephants are calm friendly | | | | pepper plants are grown and the lush green |
| elephants and they are adult elephants who are | | | | cardamom plants give you the feel of exactly being in |
| medically fit. There would be a mat on top of the | | | | the middle of the forest. Even during the day, if you |
| elephant, on which you could sit. There would be a | | | | are in middle of a plantation, you could barely see any |
| "papan" who takes care of the elephant and would | | | | direct sunlight. The elephant ride is through the roads |
| walk in front of the elephant who controls the elephant. | | | | which run through the plantations. Also when you are |
| In Kerala there are two "papans' who control the | | | | back after the ride, try feeding the elephant..which |
| elephant, one would be on top of the elephant and the | | | | should be something interesting. Other places where |
| other one who would be walking in front of the | | | | you could go for an elephant ride would be Kodanad |
| elephant. An Indian elephant is smaller than an African | | | | elephant camp, which is very close to Cochin. Never |
| elephant and is easy to tame, compared to the | | | | miss this activity when you are planning a Kerala |
| African ones. | | | | Holiday. |