You might've gone on a jeep safari, or explored a forest on a horseback or atop an elephant, or hiked around by foot. However, in Pichavaram - which lies about 70kms from Puducherry - you'll go exploring the forest on a boat. That's because the forest in question is not a conventional one, but a mangrove forest that lies on a coastal region by the Bay of Bengal.
Mangroves are salt-tolerant complex and dynamic eco-systems of plants and small trees, that occur in tropical and subtropical inter-tidal regions. The Pichavaram mangrove forest is spread across an area of 1100 hectares, about 40% of which is covered by waterways, a 50% by forest vegetation and the rest by salty sand and soil. There are over 400 water routes through which to get around the forest.
Rowed boats as well as motor boats are available to go around exploring the forests.
