Periyar National Park Kerala

Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area near Thekkady covering an area of 925 sq. km. 350 sq. km of the core area was declared as the Periyar National Park in 1982.

It is an elephant and tiger reserve located high in the Cardamom Hills and Pandalam Hills of the southern Western Ghats. The Pamba River valley is a beautiful scenic valley seen from here. About 75% of the entire protected area is covered of natural evergreen or semi-evergreen rain forest with tall tropical tree species going upto a height of 40 to 50 meters. The forest consists of 13% damp leaves forest, 7% of Eucalyptus plantation and 1.5% of grassland. The remainder (around 3.5%) of the protected area is covered by the Periyar artificial lake and the Periyar River and Pamba Rivers.

Elephants at Periyar National Park

  The animals of the Park are elephants, tiger, Mouse deer, Malabar giant Squirrel, Indian Porcupine, Small Indian Civet, Sloth bear, gaur, Bison, sambar (horse deer), barking deer, mouse deer, Dholes (Indian wild dogs), mongoose, foxes, Nilgiri Tahr, Langur, leopards etc. There are about 350 species of birds in the park including darters, cormorants, kingfishers, the great Malabar Pied Hornbill and racket-tailed Drongos. The reptiles are of about 45 kinds consisting of snakes, turtles, python, cobra and lizard species. About 38 types of fishes are found here and about 160 species of butterflies.

The flora consists of about 2000 species of flowering of which the rare ones are Hopea parviflora, Dipterocarpus indicus, Palaquium elliptium, Veteria indica and Myristica dactyloides.

The wonderful artificial lake formed by the Mullaperiyar Dam across the Periyar River adds to the glory of the park.  This is the only sanctuary in India where you can have the excitement of viewing wildlife very closely from a boat on the lake.  Herds of wild elephants come to the lake and river which is a major attraction.

The most important attraction in Thekkady is the Periyar National Park, which is located in the banks of artificial Lake of Periyar. The National Park is covered with green grasslands and dense forest covers. The wildlife present here include Indian tigers, elephants, lion tailed macaques, gaurs, deer, sambar. Boat cruises are arranged by the forest department that takes visitors around the lake for two hours from 7.00 am to 4.00 pm. Elephant Safari rides are also available for visitors. Timings for the ride are from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm for half an hour.

In the buffer zone there is also the temple of Sabarimala, which is visited by a number of pilgrims annually.

The best time to visit the park is in the summers as during the monsoons wild animals do not come out in search for water. The months of March and April are the driest months when animals can be seen near the Lake. 

The Periyar Tiger Trail is an exciting facility offered by the forest department to provide a unique opportunity for visitors to explore the wildlife deep into the forest. It is managed and organized by the guides who are well-versed with the forest and are experts in wildlife. The team consists of 5 tourists, 5 guides and 2 forest department officials. There are two types of programs offered, such as 1 night and 2 days or 2 nights and 3 days covering a distance of around 35 km. Team members trek through the forest during the day time and stay inside the tents at nights.

Food is cooked in the forest using vegetables and fruits available in the jungle. This is a unique and thrilling life time experience to come across wild animals such as giant squirrels, elephants, sambar, sometimes even tigers.

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