Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary

Location - in Periyar in the south western state of Kerala in India.
Nearest Town - Kumily is the nearest town at a distance of 4 kms.

About Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
Periyar wildlife sanctuary, one of the best known sanctuaries of India, is located in the state of Kerala, on the high ranges of Wester Ghats. There is an artificial lake right in the middle of the sanctuary which, though initially was only 26 sqkms, is now 55 sq kms. This lake, which was came into existence after a dam was built in the Periyar river in 1895, fulfills the water needs of the animals of the park.

The tropical forests in the park houses a combination of deciduous, semi-evergreen, and evergreen ‘sholas interspersed with patches of grasslands. The topography of the park is such that it has become an abode of numerous attractive wild animals and plants and tourists, on their visit to this area can see them all.

Best Time to Visit
For a tourist, desirous of visiting the Periyar National Park, October to April is the best period. During the months of March and April, which are the dry season, numerous animals can be spotted near the lake. These animals come here, obviously, to drink water and even to get some relief from the hot weather by dipping themselves in the water of the lake. Tourists can watch these animals from a motorboat or a watch tower of the park.

Wildlife of the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
Periyar wildlife is a tiger reserve (there are around 40 tigers in this reserve), as such for a tourist visiting the park, they are a major source of attraction. However, the park is more famous for its elephants, which though can be seen around a lot, are in a danger of getting extinct if nothing is done to avoid it. These elephants are markedly different from their African counterpart as far as their physical characteristics are concerned. These elephants are smaller in size with equally small ears and their back is more curved than the elephants of Africa. Their skin is thick and dry with stiff hairs growing on them. Also their colour are grey and brown.

Fauna
Apart from tigers and elephants, any tourist, on his visit to the park will also come across numerous other wild animals. These include

Gaur, Wild Pigs, Sambar, Barking Deer, Mouse Deer and Dole or Indian Wild Dog. There are also four species of primates (the highest order of mammals including man) found in this park which are the rare lion-tailed macaque, the Nilgiri Langur, Common Langur And Bonnet Macaque. If lucky, tourists can also catch a glimpse of Nilgiri Tahr.

Reptiles
The reptiles in the park include Monitor Lizards, Python and King Cobra. A unique species of reptiles that will definitely surprise and delight the tourists are flying lizard and the flying snake. Both of these reptiles are colourful with their bodies being yellow, black, orange and red.

Avi Fauna
The birdlife of the Periyar wildlife sanctuary is eqaully rich offering a wide variety for tourists to watch. These include Darters, Cormorants, Kingfishers, Malabar Hornbill, Grey Hornbill, Ospreys, Kites, orioles, hill mynas, parakeets and racket-tailed Drongoes.

Trips in Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
Boat Rides - Boat rides in the lake is the best way to see and enjoy the wildlife of the Periyar wildlife sanctuary. Trekking, as an option is suitable for only those tourists who are serious naturalists. For them, forest department makes special arrangements in form of providing local tribal guides to show them the park in detail.

Reaching There

• By Air - The nearest airport to reach Periyar wildlilfe sanctuary is located at a distance of 140 kms in Madurai. There is also an airport at Kochi which is at a distance of 200 kms.
• By Rail - The nearest railhead from Periyar is Kottayam at a distance of 114 kms.
• By Road - The nearest town from Periyar is Kumily which is at a distance of 4 kms. The town is well connected by buses from Kottayam, Ernakulam and Madurai. Cars can also be hired from Cochin and Madurai.