Tiger tours Itineraries in different N. Park of India
Periyar Tigers Park
General information
Total Area
55 sq km
Best time to visit
October to June
Accommodation
Hotels & Restaurants
Nearest Town
Kumily (4 km)
How to get there
Rail-Kottayam (114 km), Air-Cochin (200 km),
Species found
Elephants, Gaur, Sambhar and even tigers,Sambhar, Bison, Spotted Deer, Tigers, Leopards, Malabar Flying Squirrels, Stripe necked Mongooses.
Periyar, in Kerala, is the best-known wildlife sanctuary in south India. Though billed as a tiger reserve, Periyar is really famous for its wild elephants, 100-year-old artificial lake and its setting in the beautiful thickly forested Western ghats. This is not your best shot at spotting the Bengal Tiger considering there are less than 40 of them that inhabit an area of 777sq.km but there’s plenty of other game like the Nilgiri langoor, Nilgiri tahr, bison, deer, antelope and about 700 elephants to make the trip worthwhile.
The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary at Thekkady in Kerala, is one of the 16 Project Tiger Reserves in India. About a century ago, a British engineer, Col. J. Pennycuick, chalked out a plan to dam the Periyar River, subsequently, a dam was constructed in 1895. This resulted in the adjoining forests being granted protection, by the Maharaja of Travancore. The 55 sq km reservoir and the surrounding forests, provide protection to the animals within. Today, Periyar is undeniably, one of the most impressive wildlife sanctuaries in the world.Although an excursion on the splendid artificial lake is the standard way to experience the sanctuary, you can also walk around with the local guide in a small group. Wild Elephant herds come to the lake to frolic in the water.
Other attractions of the sanctuary are the Sambhar, Bison, Spotted Deer, Tigers, Leopards, Malabar Flying Squirrels, Stripe necked Mongooses, etc. There are over 260 species of birds here, including Nilgiri Wood Pigeons, blue-winged Parakeets, White bellied Tree Pies, laughing Thrushes and Fly CatchersThe terrain is basically hilly, and the only flat areas of the sanctuary are the grasslands, at the edges of the lakes. Impregnable forests and open grasslands make for a sustaining environment, for both the carnivore and herbivore population of the reserve
Periyar is famous for its pachyderm population, which is around 800 in number. Periyar is probably one of the few places, where one can observe the elephants in their natural surroundings, uninterrupted, and approach to within 20 metres of them, fearlessly. Unlike their African counterparts, Indian female elephants have no tusks. Very few of the all - bulls, too, have tusks, a sad comment on the intense level of poaching in the country. Apart from elephants, the other animals to be seen in the sanctuary are gaur, wild pigs, sambar, barking deer, mouse deer, dhole (Indian wild dog) and very rarely, a tiger. There are, now, an estimated 40 tigers here. Four species of primates are found at Periyar - the rare lion-tailed macaque, the Nilgiri langur, common langur and bonnet macaque. Periyar also happens to be the habitat of the elusive Nilgiri tahr, which is rarely to be see.
Entry Requirements
Entry permits to visit Periyar are available at the Wildlife Information Centre (near the boat jetty) in Thekkady. For foreigners, the permit costs Rs 50, and it’s valid for five days. Charges for guided tours of the sanctuary and for boat trips, are extra.
For the hotels, Cars bookings & other tours, please visit our other websites:-
Tiger tours
Itineraries in different N. Park of India
