THATTEKKAD: With an eye to tap the tourism potential of the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary also known as Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary, Forest department is planning to introduce new tourism programmes and packages here.
According to Manu Sathyan, Assistant Wildlife Warden of Thattekkad Wild Life Sanctuary, the revival of tourism in Thatttekkad is intended for the benefit of the people living in the nearby areas.
“We would be starting a self-guided bird watching programme in the tourism package for common people. The tourists coming here can trek for several kilometers through the forests in Kootikal area where wild animals do not enter. Department would be placing sign boards for people who trek alone without the assistance of guides.
Tourists would be permitted to access view tower while trekking. They can watch some of the rare species of birds here. Similary, a butterfly park will opening shortly which will open to public access. An orchidarium will also be introduced where the visitors can see wild and hybrid orchids.
Visitors also can watch animals in the rehabilitation centre. We are also setting up a garden of medicinal plants here. The interpretation centre is being renovated and would be opened to public after the work. For accessing all these places, `25 would be charged per head,” he said.
Similarly, there are more tourism related programmes at the proposal stage. These include boating activity which was closed after the infamous Thattekkad boat tragedy incident in 2007.
Boating activity will be operational during the summer when water bodies near the forest areas would be filled. During the rainy season when shutters of Bhoothathankettu dam is opened, the water near Thattekadu would dry down.
Another major tourism project is night stay at glass tower near the lake at the buffer area of the forest where wild animals can be spotted. For foreign tourist, one night stay would cost `2000 per head. While for domestic tourist, `2000 would charged for two person.
“The package is very attractive. The package starts with trekking and bird watching at some of the prime locations in Thattekkad. Tourist can spend their entire night at the Glass Tower and they can spot some of the animals near the water bodies. The can return the next day by around noon,” a forest official said. The forest department is also planning to start tourism programmes to some of the core areas of Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary.
“The tourism programmes would be introduced in two phases. As part of introducing the next two phases, we have permission from the government. There are several home stays outside the sanctuary which are provide tourism packages including facilities for bird watching. The birds in the sanctuary can be seen in the plantations areas by the tourists who visit the sanctuary to watch them.
“So we decided to start tourism programmes here for generating revenue and helping the people residing near the sanctuary,” Manu Sathyan said.
It was in the year 1983, Thattekad Bird Sanctuary was declaration was announced. The sanctuary has an area of 25 sq km. The sanctuary was named after famous ornithologist Dr Salim Moizuddin Abdul Al known as the “Birdman of India”. The sanctuary is home for more than 500 different species of exotic birds. Leopards, elephants, sloth bears and porcupines are also spotted here.