Summer is almost knocking at the door and we all start looking out for new spots to chill out. Let me take you to one such place that is not only serene but also quite adventurous. Actually it depends totally on you how you would like spend time on this splendid place. It is Muttukadu Lake which is just 35 kilometres away from the city Chennai. It is located on the way to Mamallapuram. You must be wondering what is special about this lake. Let me assure you that it will be a satisfying experience for you because it is not just a lake here you can enjoy thrilling boat and scooter rides operated by Muttukadu Boat house which started here in the year 1984 with as little as six boats only but today it is a full-fledged adventurous boat riding centre with quality services. You will find here their eco friendly building with bamboo plated roofs. There is a cafeteria with stone benches with the scenic view of lake.Whenever you go for such excursion places your major concern is safety. You must be pleased to know that here visitors’safety is of prime importance and it is proved by the fact that since its inception in 1984 not a single casualty is recorded and so now you can take a sigh of relief and look forward for a happening day here. There are life jackets available here and each one who wants to ride on the boat must wear the life jacket. It is compulsory to wear life jackets and if someone resists or refuses to wear one, authority does not allow him to ride and refund his money back. For the safety of visitors the lifejackets are checked every day for any defects. You can see a lifeguard on each boat and there is a separate rescue boat with driver and a lifeguard. If you want to know about water scooters then let me tell you that tourists are not allowed to drive the water scooter. There is a trained driver for every scooter and two persons can sit with the driver keeping in mind the safety of tourists. The Lake’s depth is between three to six feet with water spread over about 235 acres of space. At one side the Bay of Bengal is there while at the other side is the Buckingham canal. The location itself is quite a crowd puller as the tranquil environment attracts most of the peace seeker visitors here. The boathouse offers a variety of boats for rides. It includes imported water scooters, speedboats, etc.You can imagine the popularity of this place by the fact that it sees around 3000 to 5000 visitors on Saturdays and Sundays. The department of Ocean Technology of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras has designed the motorboats used here in the Muttukadu Boathouse. The TTDC situated at Mudaliarkuppam operates the boat house. This place is situated about 55 kilometres away from Mutukaddu on the way to Pondicherry.Apart from thrilling water rides you can also look forward to enjoy clean beach island with calm waters and clear air. The beach here is quite magnificent and less crowded so you can enjoy the beauty of nature in a quiet atmosphere. The beach is very clean because travellers are not allowed to litter here or consume hard liquor. Another attraction at this place is Pelicans. You can see flocks of Pelicans in and around the lake because they make their nests on thorny trees in the lake and can be seen in good numbers from October to February. It is a real pleasure to watch them closely enjoying the nature and weather.Some people complain about the boat drivers that they ask for tips after the ride and say it is compulsory, it is really unfortunate if after paying the charges for the boat ride this tip does not look good. Boathouse authorities must take action against this wrong practice if they want their visitors to have a satisfying and pleasant experience.Muttukadu Lake Chennai Boating Timings :Muttukadu Boat House opens at 9.00am and closes at 5.00pm.Muttukadu Lake Chennai Boat House Price :Speed Boat – Rs 450Power Boat – Rs 300 RUCHI MAHAJAN