Pichavaram

When we talk of Mangrove forests in India, it is Sundarbans which comes to our mind immediately. But there is one such forest in Tamil Nadu - Pichavaram, Chidambaram. It can be reached from Chennai in about 4.5 hours. If you are travelling nearby Chidambaram or Kadalur, I would suggest adding Pichavaram to your plan. Otherwise, spending a whole day exclusively for it may be too much of a travel. 

Mangrove Forest of Pichavaram

After attending a friend's wedding at Chidambaram, we started towards Pichavaram. We passed numerous farm lands and reached the boating area. The weather was bleak and dashed any hope of taking photos with blue skies. Now, comes the ticketing part. You can take the boats for 30 min, 1 hour, 2 hour etc... And the boats could be hand-rowed, or motorised**. I have attached hourly rates - you can work out the math. 

** I would suggest taking a hand-rowed boat since it has less impact on the already fragile ecosystem. 

Hourly Rates @ Boat House, Pichavaram

Tip - Do not encourage in bribing the boatsmen with extra money. They would lure you with opportunity to see the very inside of the forest, but I think the normal 2 hours boat ride itself would cover it. (We ended up paying INR 400 for 4 people extra)

Owing to The Sun hiding beneath clouds, we had a very pleasant ride. It must be hot during summers as there are hardly any shades. Rowing amidst those tree roots submerged in water, navigating through small canals and the simple joy of being surrounded by lush greenery was the highlight of the boating. There were no birds, having gone in the off-season. Peak would be Nov to Jan for bird sighting.

Further away, is Bay of Bengal

Navigating small waterways, Pichavaram

I tried rowing a boat and failed miserably! It takes certain talent to skilfully use the oars. After passing numerous canals, we came to the end of a two hour ride. There is a watch tower and park next to the boating area (if you are interested). Having visited Pichavaram, I am curious to see Sundarbans and its famous tiger reserve, hopefully soon. :) 

Local fishermen