Boating in Chennai: Chetpet Eco Park

I have written about my Chetpet Eco Park boating experience before. That was 3-years ago. So I thought why not revisit the park now and see what new amenities have been added for tourists, so this blog post. Let’s start with a short overview video of the Chetpet Eco Park. 

The first striking difference I noticed was the addition of new paintings and information boards. These are really beautiful. I saw a few stone models/sculptures too, but I have seen them during my previous visit. 

Last time, there was a small food court near the children’s play area. But this time, they have made a (separate) larger food court on the second floor of the building where the vehicle parking is located. There were a few food stalls serving South Indian/North Indian food, and there were other stalls for pizza, ice creams & western food. 

There is a new 3D theater now. I think they charged around sixty rupees per head to show a short 3D movie (maybe 20 minutes long). It’s good – similar to the ones you find in exhibitions and theme parks. They are also constructing a new globe-shaped building nearby, which may house an aquarium. Not sure, though. 

The water in the lake has slightly decreased, but boating is going on as usual. They charged us around 60 rupees per head for a 20-minute boat ride around the lake. This time, we went in a pedal boat, unlike the row boat that we got last time. One staff member accompanies us on a pedal, another pedal has to be managed by one of us. I think four people can go in a boat. The pedal boats come with a small roof though. 

Other things were same as our previous visit. Just make sure not to carry any food items or camera – they will ask you to deposit them in the ticket counter for the park. We can take photos/videos on our mobile phones though.

They charge Rs. 25 per head for entering the park, and that’s sufficient if you want to just walk around the park and access the children’s play area. I have to mention that the kids’ play area has been enhanced with beautiful wall paintings. There is paid parking space available for both bikes and cars. 

The biggest advantage of this place is, it is easily accessible for a short picnic/trip as it is located in the heart of Chennai city. If you have the time to travel to ECR, there is another boating venue which is larger and has more boats. 

Destination Infinity

Here is our Boating Experience/Travelogue Video with more images and videos from Chetpet Eco Park ->