I remember visiting this place many years ago with a large group of family members. All I had was snapshots of the place in distant memory!! So... when a leisurely visit home with my parents and bro around called for some change, Pichavaram was the closest and obvious choice. Unlike the earlier trips illustrated on this blog, this one was sans my hubby.
My parents, my bro and I started off after a healthy ragi porridge breakfast on a Friday morning hoping to be there by 10 to escape the afternoon heat. Little did we realize that the place infact opens as early as 7 am! The sun was out by 10 am but the heat bearable - we chose the 2 hour boat ride. We had to curse our luck though for leaving back the camera at home. The rower was an enthusiastic localite providing lots of information on the place. The speed at which he was throwing botanical names of species around embarassed the ignorant us.
Pichavaram is the only other mangrove forest engulfed backwater location in India (the other one being in the WB/Orissa region). Once upon a time it was the haven for smugglers who got in goods from foreign countries illegally through this place - post the famous MGR movie Idhayakani, Pichavaram developed into a famous tourist spot removing its tainted image forever.
Pichavaram lake is vast and sublets branching out of the main lake makes it very scenic. The narrow sublets are engulfed with mangrove trees on either sides giving a cozy and cool feel to the tourists. The water level raises and subsides every 6 hours with the varying inflow from the sea. A 4 hour ride on a normal boat / 2 hour ride on a motor boat would take the visitor all the way upto the beach but considering the weather we decided to stick to the lake. Fishermen were aplenty trying their luck with the fishes and prawns in the water body. When the water level is at its lowest, the lake is hardly 3-4 feet deep. The eco system has gotten affected post Tsunami though there were no high tides or loss of lives.
More than the vast lake, I thoroughly enjoyed the ride through the sublets and the chutku halts under the shades of mangrove trees on the side. The place also offered immense scope for photography and all I had was a 2MP Samsung mobile to experiment with (very unfortunate!) - will try to upload few of those. The ride left us with a very pleasant feeling and I resolved to visit the place more often!
Tips & Tricks:
- A place worth visiting especially for those residing in a 100 km radius from the place. Ideal months to visit - Dec / Jan and ideal time would be as early in the morning. Once the sun starts spreading its shine, it might get sweaty and irritating.
- The place seems pretty safe but keep away from wearing expensive jewellery as the rowers can take people to any unfamiliar nook and corner of the lake.
My rating: 6.8/10
