Periyar National Park and Tiger Reserve

The Periyar National Park and Tiger Reserve is situated high in the ranges of the Western Ghats, amidst in the biautiful Cardamom hills in Kerala. This
beautiful piece of land is a home for an impressive variety of wildlife.Periyar wildlife sanctuary is a place known for it's geomorphology, diverse wildlife and beautiful landscape with a pictursque lake at the heart of the sanctuary. Apart from the calm, pristine lake and wild life, Periyar gifts it's visitors an adventurous journey in it's lush tropical forest. It is an excellent place for trekking, sailing on a bamboo raft down the Periyar Lake and the Periyar tiger trail.The Periyar lake is the waterhole for the animals. Periyar wildlife sanctuary is divided into three regions ; the core area, the buffer area and the tourism area. Visitors are allowed only to the tourism area.This splendid biodiversity is encircled by 26 sq.km Periyar lake and the Mullaperiyar dam. This is the only sanctuary in India where the wild elephant can be observed and photographed at close quarters.Periyar National Park Kerala is a veritable paradise of elephants.And it is the Elephants in Periyar which make excellent wildlife watching.


History of Periyar;

A dam was constructed across the Mullaperiyar River in 1895.The resultant lake and its surrounding forest area were abundant in wildlife. Then this spot became the hunting reserve for the Maharaja of Travancore. Later it became the Nellikkampatty Game Sanctuary. This place is consolidated as Periyar Wildlife
Sanctuary in 1950. The main events happened here are given below;
1895 - Construction of Mullaperiyar Dam
1899 - Formation of Periyar Lake Reserve.
1934 - Formation of Nellikkampatty Game Sanctuary
1950 - Consolidation as Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary.
1978 - Declaration as Periyar Tiger Reserve.
1982 - Preliminary notification of the core area as National Park.
1991 - Brought under Project Elephant.
1996 - India Eco development Project launched.
2001 - Reorganized as two Divisions, Periyar East and Periyar West


General Information;

Best Time to Visit Periyar :The best season to visit Periyar wildlife sanctuary is from the months of October and June.

Location;Kumily, Kerala,15 km from Munnar.

Main Wildlife Found ;Elephants, Tiger, Nilgiri Tahr, Nilgiri Langur

Coverage Area ; 777 Sq.Km. Core: 350 Sq.Km. Periyar Lake 26 Sq. Km, Forest Cover360 Sq.K.M.

Former Name ;Thekkady Wildlife Sanctuary

Languages Spoken ; Malayalam,English

Nearest Town - Kumily (4km), The entry point to the reserve is Thekkady.

Visiting hours: 7:00 am to 6:00 pm .

Climate ;This place enjoys a pleasant climactic conditions . The temperature in this place varies from 15 degree Celsius in the winters(October to March) to a range of 21°C to 24°C in the summer(April-June). During the monsoon (July-August), it ranges from 19°C to 21°C.

Thing to note; Avoid visit to Periyar during monsoon time. The heavy rains will lead to the stay of animals inside the forest itself. If the visitors really want to see animals , visit during summer as animals can be spotted near lake,drinking water.


The Great bio-diversity in Periyar;

Vegetation :
Periyar enjoys a wide variety of vegetation. There are more than 1800 flowering plants including 171 grass species and 143 species of orchids. The only south
Indian conifer podocarpus wallichianus grows here. Rain forests, grass like vegetation, broad- leafed plants dominates the park. Orchids, rosewood, teakwood,bamboo, eucalyptus, ferns- the tourists are sure to be enamored by the verdant splendor. Three hundred and fifty species of plants reared in the sanctuary, have healing properties.

Wildlife Population :
Mammals - This place is a home for wide variety of mammals.35 Species of mammals are present here. This includes The Wild Elephant, Tiger, Panther,
Wild Dog, Gaur, Sambar, Barking Deer, Wild Boar, Sloth Bear, Malabar Giant Squirrel, Lion-Tailed Macaque, Civet, Leopard, Nilgiri Tahr, Nilgiri Langur etc.

Reptiles - The reptiles present here include King cobra, Viper, Krait, a number of non poisonous Snakes, lizards,Bicoloured Frogs, Tortoise and Crocodiles.

Birds- 320 Species of birds are present here. The great Indian Hornbill, Peafowl, Brahminy kite and black - Winged Kite. Aquatic birds Like Darter,
Little Cormorant, Kingfisher ,Thrushes,darters, and Black - Necked stork . Flocks of migratory birds visit Periyar every year and this make Periyar a real heaven for tourists.

Periyar has a collection of rare flora and fauna. The Atlas moth is one example. This is the largest moth in the world.Other species include Nilgiri Langur, the liontailed macaque, leopards, tigers, etc.



Other Attractions near to Periyar;

Kumily : This growing towns is situated just 4-kms from Periyar. The town is also well equipped with the excellent hotels and resorts for accommodation.

Cardamom Hills : Periyar and Kumily are the best places to offer a view of Kerala's Cardamom hills.

Boat Cruises : The boat cruise in Periyar is the best way to explore the wild life in Periyar.Many boating options are available for the visitors, including renting one's own boat. This trips may enable the visitors to spot Elephants, Wild Boar, and Sambar Deer by the water's edge. The early morning trip is the best option to maximise the chance of meeting Periyar wildlife.

Tribal villages ;The tribal people are expert fishermen and farmers. Some are still engaged in the traditional practice of collecting honey of dangerous hill bees. The tree dwellings present there are very fascinating.
Tribal Heritage Museum , Connemara Tea Factory and spice gardens ,Kottayam (117 km) and the temple town of Madurai (140) km) are some other options for the visitors



How to Reach;

Air : Kochi at 200-kms and Madurai at 140-kms are the nearest airports from Periyar.
Rail : Kottayam at 114-kms is the nearest railhead from Periyar and Ernakulam is about 130 km.
Road : Kumily, the nearest town from Periyar is well served by both state and private buses from Kottayam, Ernakulam and Madurai in Tamil Nadu.
The park is well connected by bus service from the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram (271 km), as well as the cities of Cochin (200 km), Kottayam (117 km)and Madurai (140 km).



Community based ecotourism;
People oriented and park centered community based ecotourism is the hallmark of Periyar Tiger Reserve. Here in Periyar, each people doing their works is contributing their self to the developlent of this place. This is conducted by local people and they take the responsibilities to check the decaying of this place .



Where to Stay;
Forest rest houses in Periyar includes Periyar House, Aranya Niwassituated in the park's tourist complex area. The Lake Palace at Eddapaliyam was once the royal residence of the Maharaja of Travancore is also available.There are many accommodations available in the town according to every budget.

Contacts;
tourism@periyartigerreserve.org Tel. 91 4869 224571
General Info : mail@periyartigerreserve.org
website;http://www.periyartigerreserve.org/

Field Director (Project Tiger)
Office of the Field Director
S H Mount, Kottayam - India-686 006
Tel: 91-481-2311740
e-mail:fd@periyartigerreserve.org

Deputy Director (Periyar East)
Periyar Tiger Reserve
Thekkady, Kerala, India.- 685 536
Tel: 91-4869-222027
e-mail: dd@periyartigerreserve.org

Deputy Director (Periyar West)
Periyar Tiger Reserve
Peermedu, Kerala, India.
Tel: 91-4869-232010
e-mail: ddwest@periyartigerreserve.org


Assistant Field Director
Periyar Tiger Reserve
Thekkady, Kerala, India.
Pin: 685 536
Tel: 91-4869-222027
E-mail: afd@periyartigerreserve.org