30 km from Ernakulam, on the high ranges of the Sothern bank of the Periyar River lies Kodanad, a fascinating and charming semi rural village. This beautiful place in Kerala is well known for its elephants and it is the high ranges around this place which is the training ground for the elephants. Elephants here are trained for safaris and provided with saddles for riding. This place is also well known for the beautiful river banks and the side walks along the riversides which give a magical and refreshing experience to the visitors on Tour to Kodanad. The Eco Tourism campaign of the government recently added Kodanad in its list of eco tourism destinations.  Kodanad is situated on the south bank of river Periyar, about 42 kilometers east of Kochi (Cochin) city and 12 km to the east of Perumbavoor town. From the Cochin International Airport you travel to Kalady and from there to Perumbavoor. Before you reach Perumbavoor, you turn left and travel about 5 kilometers to reach Kodanad, the elephant training center.
Before 1977, elephants were captured from the nearby Malayattoor forests and trained at Kodanad. Capture of elephants was banned in that year and Kodanad center does not engage in capturing elephants any more. The Kodanad center now focuses on training elephants.