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Periyar Wildlife Tour

The Perfect Amalgamation of Wildlife and Scenic Beauty.

Periyar is one of the most famous wildlife destinations of South India. It is a protected area and a Project Tiger Nature Reserve located in the Idukki district of Kerala. Periyar is a fabulous destination surrounded by the lofty mountains. Its scenic beauty along with its wildlife species make it a popular tourist attraction, which is visited by tourists from all over the world.

Attractions of Periyar

Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary

Wildlife buffs, Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is a great destination to visit. Being one of the best wildlife sanctuaries of India, Periyar wildlife sanctuary will surely impress you with its wildlife species population. It is also known as Thekkady Wildlife Sanctuary. Sprawling over an area of 777 sq km over the Cardamom hills of Western Ghats, the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary also has a lake. Boating facilities are available here.

FAUNA In Periyar

Mammals

Periyar is a home to around 62 kinds of mammals including the endangered ones. There are around 1000 elephants and 24 tigers in the Park. Other mammals sighted here include gaur, sambar (horse deer), barking deer, mouse deer, Dholes (Indian wild dogs), mongoose, foxes, lion-tailed macaque, the Nilgiri Langur, the common langur, and the Bonnet Macaque. and leopards. The endangered Nilgiri tahr are also found here.

Avian Species

Around 320 avian species have been recorded in the sanctuary such as darters, cormorants, kingfishers, the great Malabar hornbill and racket-tailed Drongos.

Reptiles

The Park provides shelter to around 45 reptilian species including snake, turtle, lizard etc.

Amphibians

There are twenty seven different kinds of amphibians found in the sanctuary.

Fish

The lake in the sanctuary teems with fish like tilapia originally from Africa and the carps introduced from Europe. Apart from this there are 38 different fish types found here.

Insects

The sanctuary is the proud home to a wide variety of butterflies(around 160 kinds).

Safaris

You can enjoy boat safari, jeep safari and elephant safari in the sanctuary.

Best Time To Visit

From October to March

Excursions from Periyar

Nature walks, visit to spice plantations and tea plantations.

Accommodation

There are different types of accommodation options available in Periyar. Some of the known hotels are Spice Village Resort, Hotel Taj Garden Retreat, Cardamom Country Resort and Hotel Arya Niwas.

How To Reach

By Air

The nearest airports are: Madurai in Tamil Nadu(140 km) Kochi (Cochin) at 200 km.

By Rail

The nearest railway station is Kottayam located at 114 km from Periyar.

By Road

Periyar is well connected to the nearest town Kumily, which in turn is connected to Kottayam, Ernakulam and Madurai.