Picking up from where we left… we were in Pondicherry.
We headed out of Pondicherry and drove along the coastline; Pichavaram is about a 100Kms or a 2.5hours drive south of Pondy. We started early at around 7am and with a brief breakfast stop at Ananda Bhavan, we comfortably reached our destination by 10 in the morning. Thankfully, the weather was perfect for our day's plan; it was mildly sunny in the morning and grew a tad bit cloudy by the time we made it to the mangrove forest.
Fun facts on Pichavaram..
As you follow the coastline southwards from Sunderbans, you will find yourself at another expansive mangrove forest, albeit little known, by the Bay of Bengal. Sprawling over 1100 hectares, Pichavaram in Tamil Nadu is among the 4 mangrove forests in India and also ranks high for being among the largest mangrove forests in the world. Full points to Kamal Nayak for his Manorama gyaan!
The watery labyrinth hosts close to 51 islets and the disarrayed creek connects the Vellar and Coleroon estuaries. A motorboat or rowboat ride through the narrow backwaters was of our primary interest.
This mangrove forest, being one among the only 4 mangroves forests in India has gained decent importance and is currently being maintained by the government tourism department; which was yet to resume function due to COVD-19. However, a few local villagers have been operating the services with their own boats; needless to say, we hoped on! Kamal attended to a couple of calls while Shwetha posed for pictures, as the motorboat whirred into the muddy waters. Pradeep continued chatting with the boat owners in Tamil while I curiously dumb-charade-ed my way through, about the possibility of spotting crocs and fish.
Motor Boat Ride
Narrow lanes through the mangrove forest
Both aquatic and avian life thrive in this unique ecosystem. Our boat set sail along the biodiverse expanse as we spotted large schools of prawns and mullets darting across the water surface. Our first stop was at a mucky spot with a large number of shell deposits along the banks; Ezdhil (boatman) warned us fairly as we de-boarded to explore the island. I was not really keen on staying on this grubby spot till I realized that we were dropped off to explore the island with the Bay of Bengal on the other side. Believe me, we were precisely the only 4 souls on the beach! We were completely exhilarated; neither was anyone there to photobomb our clicks nor was anyone existing to stare at us for acting crazy! Our eyes caught unparalleled miles of clean long beach with the greyish blue sky dawning upon the ocean, stretching into the horizon. Burst mode photos, time-lapse videos, slow-mo shots, we did it all!
Estuary at Pichavaram
Ezdhil picked us up from this little piece of paradise after about half an hour and I was now beaming with excitement, the mangrove trail was next on the charts. Our boat glided along the vast water and lean channels less than 5 feet wide. All along the shore, aerial roots projected out of the boggy banks like needles. The landscape is quite primitive, with trees forming a low dense canopy overhead, along with vegetation closing in on both sides; sunlight fighting to filter through the trees. I walked upto the bow of the boat and stared in awe and then swiftly turned to chit chat with my folks; totally bypassing the possibility of getting poked by the spiky roots. The reminder came in just in time for me to swiftly duck down! One has to bend low even to peer deep into the foliage to spot signs of any life; very spooky I must tell you.
The Mangrove Forest - Pichavaram
We were quite starved after all the running wild on the beach. Kamal to our rescue as usual, he navigated us to a very heavily recommended restaurant on Google, but guess what, we could not spot the restaurant after arriving at the directed location. Wonder why? The boys went out for some soul search and returned looking quite doubtful if we were open to a local raw dine-in experience? Hell yeah! Jayaram Hotel has a modest thatched roof with the front porch standing on strong-rooted bamboo pillars. Men, women, and children flocked outside the restaurant for their turn to eat, while the cooks prepared melt-in-mouth Atukku Parata. The hotel's name board is in Tamil and the entrance was hidden by queueing customers, hence the invisibility.
Food prep - Jayaram Hotel
It was finally our turn after a long sunny wait of 20 mins and oh boy! People were crawling all over the place; the interiors were really primeval, enameled dark walls with dimly lit tube lights. We were escorted inside and seated at a corner table, one person rushed in with soap water and sanitizer and another with newspapers to layer the moist table. Banana leaves arrived next, closely followed by a plethora of food, plain rice with a side of palak pappu (daal) and fish in mango pulsu (fish curry in raw mango base). Then the waiter arrived to take our order. Yes! you read it right. The main food order only began now and there was no turning back; it was like we were being fed at a wedding; I could barely breathe! We literally dragged ourselves to the car carrying a truck load of soda to wash down the heavy meal; pushed Pradeep to drive while the rest of us snoozed.
Our platter - (pardon the hands please! It is proof that the food was brilliant)
What is an evening stroll without something to eat or drink, eh? Badam milk, both hot and cold are quite sought-after in Tamil Nadu, we found it better consumed in Pondicherry.
Recommendations-
Try to visit Pichavaram on a mildly sunny and target to reach the spot as early as possible to avoid the scorching sun during the boat ride
The government owned body was closed during our visit due to COVID-19; so enquire before-hand. Or else, just try your luck like we did and I am quite sure you won't be disappointed
Carry a spare pair of clothes if you want to chill much on the beach
Carry enough fluids to stay hydrated as it gets quite sunny and hot
Spoiler alert! Currently there are no designated washrooms to freshenup.
Hotel Jayaram is a must visit eatery, if you are a seafood lover. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.
Expense Summary:
Car fuel
Motorboat ride - INR 2,000 for 2.5 hours approx.