Thenmala is the first planned Eco tourist center in India, on the Kerala – Tamilnadu border, which lies on the Western Ghats.

The facilities at Thenmala include Boating, Tope-way bridge walking, trekking in the mountains, and a musical fountain. The office includes motorboats and coracles (Kutta Vanchi). Coracle hiring charges are 100 rupees.

The office of the Wildlife warden is situated close to the ticket counter.

Shenduruney Wildlife Sanctuary in Thenmala is famous for its wild animals. There is a Deer Park or Deer Rehabilitation Center at the Eco-Tourism site. There is also a butterfly park and museum here.

There is also an Elevated path, which originates from the deck plaza and passes through the canopy of large trees, which ends up on the old Shenkottah road. This walkway provides an aerial view of the whole area, including the flora and fauna. Listen to the songs of the wind and birds, its melody, while walking through the elevated walkway!

A few kilometers from Thenmala lies the Kerala – Tamilnadu border with its superb river view, greenery, scenic railway line, etc. Palaruvi waterfalls are situated near Thenmala.

How Do I Go to the Thenmala Eco-Tourism Site?

It takes around an hour to reach the Thenmala  Eco-Tourism site from Punalur town, the nearest major town at around 20 kilometers. The entry tickets can be bought at the ticket counter on NH 744 roadside.

NH 744 starts at  Kollam and passes through Punalur, Shenkottai, Rajapalayam, etc, and ends at  Tirumangalam (near Madurai). NH 744 was earlier known as NH 208.

Punalur railway station is the nearest major railway station in operation. The 113-year-old meter gauge line connecting Kollam with Sengottai, which was constructed in 1904, is now converted into a broad gauge line. The one and only railway tunnel in Kerala, the Kottavasal tunnel between Aryankavu station in Kerala and Puliyara station in Tamilnadu, is on this route. This inter-state railway tunnel has a length of 906 meters. The other tunnel in Kerala near Kottayam railway station is now closed to traffic, and a new line has been laid parallel to the tunnel, a little away from the tunnel. The work was completed in June 2022, and trains are running through the new line. (The news of tunnel caving in given in the last link is 9-year-old news as of 2022, and those issues were fixed.)

There is a railway station close to the Eco-Tourism site called Thenmala Railway Station. Quilon and Chenganoor are the nearest major railway stations on the Palakkad – Ernakulam – Thiruvananthapuram broad gauge railway line.

Thenmala is in the Kollam District of Kerala is around 72 Kilometers from the capital of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram.  Thiruvananthapuram International Airport is the nearest one to Thenmala. Madurai International Airport is around 190 kilometers distance.

Pathanamthitta town is around 39 kilometers distance. Another major town is Kollam, the district headquarters of Thenmala, around 48 kilometers away. Homestay is available at Pathanamthitta for tourists at affordable rates.

Shenkottai Town is another major town, at around 30 kilometers distance.

Suspension Bridge at Punalur

Suspension bridge at Punalur (the blog writer can be seen walking on the bridge)

There is a historic suspension bridge at Punalur town over River Kallada. It was constructed in 1877 and is now converted to a park with benches on both ends of the bridge. It is closed to traffic. You can walk over the wooden floor of the suspension bridge or hanging bridge (Thooku Paalam in the local language, Malayalam).

This historic suspension bridge is at the heart of the town. It is on the opposite side of the Punalur KSRTC Bus station. There is a concrete bridge near the Suspension bridge which carries vehicular traffic. You can see the railway bridge over the river from the suspension bridge.