Ecotourism activities in the Athirappilly-Vazhachal sector to start in a phased manner

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

After losing much of the peak tourism season days and revenue as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, ecotourism activities in the Athirappilly-Vazhachal sector would start in a phased manner.

The tourism facilities at Vazhachal were resumed on New Year’s Day while the activities at Athirappilly were launched right away after the local body polls. The entry of tourists to the destinations will be allowed on a limited basis this time.

On a given day, only 2,000 visitors will be allowed at the site. Of this, 1,000 tickets will be allotted online and the remaining half can be bought at the ticket counters at the site. Each visitor will be allowed to stay at the site for one-and-a-half hours. Tickets would have to be booked at www.athirappillyvazhachal.com and the payment needs to be made at the counters.

The road running through the forest area between Vazhachal and Malakkapara has also been opened for vehicles. However, travelers might not be able to freely access Tamil Nadu areas through the route. For reaching the Tamil Nadu side, they will need to get travel permission by registering on the State e-portal, said the forest officials.

Due to the pandemic, tourism activities are being permitted as per the health protocol. Members of the Vana Samrakshana Samithis and visitors would have to follow the rule at the sites, said S.V. Vinod, Divisional Forest Officer, Vazhachal.

The areas close to the tribal hamlets at Vazhachal, Pokalappara and Sholayar were closed down earlier after they were declared as containment zones with few tribespeople testing positive for the virus.

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