Periyar Wildlife Park

100- year -old artificial lake and its setting in the thickly forested Western ghatsWelcome to Periyar.

Tired of having the usual breakfast? Then feast with the elephants, tigers and the langurs!

Periyar is one of the oldest sanctuaries in India and was established in the verdant stretches of Kerala in 1895. Spread in an area of 777 sq. km , the park is well enveloped by the dense evergreen forests and cool Periyar Lake. Also named as Thekkady Wildlife Sanctuary, the park is one of the finest of its type in South India and attracts a large number of tourists to the Park. The tourists can explore the wild sights of the park by boat cruises in the early morning or evening hours.

History
The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1934 as the Nelliampatty Sanctuary. After its enlargement in 1950, the sanctuary was named as the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary was declared a tiger reserve in the year 1978 under the Project Tiger Plan . The Periyar Tiger Reserve attained the status of a national park in 1982 (The first notification to make the core area (30,500ha) of the tiger reserve a national park was issued in 1982).

Flora & Fauna
Flora : The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is marked by tropical evergreen forest in the deeper valley, while the semi evergreen forest are found at intermittent intervals. Since the terrain of the park is mostly hilly, there are only few patches of level lands. These lands consists of marshy grasslands.

Fauna : Though a Tiger Reserve, it is not an easy cup of tea to spot a Tiger in this park because of their fewer number. Nonetheless, Tigers remain the prime attraction of the park. Apart from it, other animals that are found in the park include Elephants, Tigers, Otters, Nilgiri Langurs, Common Langurs, Bonnet Macaques, Lion Tailed Macaque, Malabar Squirrel, Wild Boar, Sambar, Barking Deer, Mouse Deer, Nilgiri Tahr, Dhole, porcupines, Gaur and Sloth Bears. As far as the reptiles are concerned, Pythons, King Cobras, variety of snake species and Dark Monitor Lizards are found in the park area.

Birds : An estimated 200 varieties of bird species are found in the park. The lake area is the prime destination for spotting a majority of birds. Most prominent among these birds are Darters, Cormorants, Ospreys, Kingfishers, Racket Tailed Drongos, fish owls, Kites, Great Hornbills, Gray Hornbills, Hill Mynahs, Grey Herons, White Egrets and Orioles.
Straight Stuff
Location: Kumily, Kerala
Total Area: 778 sq. km
Declared As: A National Park in 1982.
Visiting Season: October to June
Baits: Elephant, Tiger and Leopard
Entry Fee: Rs. 50

Accommodation
Wanna be among the wild ambience, no problem we have wildlife resorts in Periyar in aplenty...

• Spice Village
• Hotel Taj Garden Retreat
• Lake Palace Hotel

How To Roll In
Air : Kochi (Cochin) at 200-kms or Madurai in Tamil Nadu at140-kms are the nearest airports from Periyar.
Rail : Kottayam at 114-kms is the nearest railhead from Periyar.
Road : Kumily, the nearest town from Periyar is well served by both state and private buses from Kottayam, Ernakulam and Madurai in Tamil Nadu.