Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
Thekkady is located about 220 km (160 mi) from Trivandrum, 150 km from Madurai City and Madurai Airport, 160 km from Cochin International Airport and 180 km from Kottayam railway station. Thekkady is located near to Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. The sanctuary is famous for its dense evergreen, semi-evergreen, moist deciduous forests and savanna grass lands. It is home to herds of elephants, sambar, tigers, gaur, lion-tailed Macaques and Nilgiri Langurs.
The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is spread across 777 km2 (300 sq mi), of which 360 km2 (140 sq mi) is thick evergreen forest. The Wild Life Sanctuary was declared a Tiger Reserve in 1978. The splendid artificial lake formed by the Mullaperiyar Dam across the Periyar River adds to the charm of the park. The greatest attractions of Periyar are the herds of wild elephants, deers, bisons that come down to drink in the lake. Sanctuary can be accessed through a trekking, boating or jeep safari.
The wildlife lovers and the tourists can enjoy excursion at the zone of the sanctuary and can visit Cradomom Hills and Pandalom Hills that bring the most splendid Kerala's natural beauty along with visiting the town of Kumily which is a growing town to fetch the spice trades in Kerala, which is the major occupation of its residents. Besides, these two fascinations the tourists can also enjoy boat cruising at the famous Periyar Lake. With boat cruising, the tourists can get to visit the wilds of Periyar Wild Sanctuary by the water's edge.
The varied habitat in the sanctuary supports a number of species of terrestrial, aquatic and arboreal animals. Apart from Elephants, other herbivores in the Reserve are Gaur, Bonnet macaque, Sambar deer, Barking deer, Jungle cat, Nilgiri langur, Lion-tailed macaque, Mouse deer etc Wild dog, Tiger, Leopard, etc are the major carnivores seen in the area. Other important animals are Jackal, Pangoline, Porcupine, Indian Giant Squirrel, Bear, small Indian Civet, Mongoose, Wild boar and the Malabar flying squirre.
Places to Visit In Periyar Wildlife Sancturay
- Periyar Wildlife Sancturay
- Thekkady Lake Boating
- Kumily
- Ottagathalamedu View Point
- Kuttikanam Hill station
- Spice Garden Visit