Place: Thekkady, Idukki District,
Kerala
Nearest Town: Kumaly (4Km)
Best time to visit: October to April
Main attraction: Elephant
Periyar National Park was established in the year
1950 and is named after the Periyar river. Situated in Idukki district, it is
spread over 250sq km. The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary at Thekkady surrounding the
picturesque Periyar lake, near the
Tamil Nadu border in Kerala, was designated a
part of Project Tiger in 1973 and is one of the Project Tiger Reserves in
India.
Periyar national park is famous for its scenic
beauty. It is covered with dense evergreen, semi-evergreen and moist deciduous
forests interspersed with grass lands on the upper slopes. Periyar is probably
one of the few places, where one can observe the elephants in their natural
surroundings. It is very much known for the tusk less elephants. The
animals found in the park are elephant, gaur, sambar, bison, barking deer,
Nilgiri languor, pig, tiger, panther, leopard, sloth, bear, jungle cat, small
Indian civet and Malabar squirrel macaque. There is a variety of birds in the
park including the great Indian hornbill, Indian darter, king fisher, black
necked storks, butterflies etc. The tiger and leopard are sighted when the
forest water holes dry up and these animals come and drink water from the river.
The best months for visiting the park are from
October to April. There is facility for boating. The ideal times for cruise
is the dawn and dusk. Elephant rides and jeeps are also available. The
ride on an elephant is more to see than the boat trip. There is a special
viewing platform inside the forest.
Accommodation:
The KTDC (Kerala Tourism Department Corporation) has three hotels Aranya
Nivas, Periyar house and Edappalayam Lake palace. Advance reservations must be
made to stay in the forest house inside the forest, from where animals can be
seen in their natural habitat. Accommodation is also available at Kumaly. Muckumkal Tourist Home at Kumily (4 kms away from
the Lake) is close to the bus stand, Rolex Lodge etc are reasonable. The Spice
Village (resort) and Hotel Ambadi at Kumily have expensive and attractive
cottages.
How to get there
Air : The nearest airports are Cochin
(200
km) and Madurai
(140 km).
Rail : The nearest railhead is Kottayam
(114km)
Road: Thekkadi is connected by bus service from Thiruvananthapuram
(271
km), Cochin (200 km), Kottayam (114 km), and Madurai, Tamil Nadu
(140 km). Forest
Department operates bus services between Kumily and Thekkadi.
Contacts
-
Field Director, Project tiger Kanjijunzhi,
Kottayam
-
The Wildlife Preservation officer, Periyar
Tiger Reserve, Thekkadi, Kerala-685536
Phone-2027 Kumily
-
The Chief Conservator of Forest (WildLife),
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala-695014
Phone-322217
