Periyar Wildlife

A lovely place to visit while in Kerala is the Periyar wildlife sanctuary, 114 km from Kottayam. Spread over the hilly districts of Idukki and Pathanamthitta. At the heart of the 777 sq. km large sanctuary is a beautiful lake formed by the Mullaperiyar dam built over the Periyar river. The lake is the life source for the inhabitants of the sanctuary.

Periyar is a Tiger Reserve, and has a large elephant population and herds of gaur, sambar, wild pigs, mouse deer, Malabar flying squirrels, stripe-necked mongoose and barking deer. 320 varieties of colorful birds throng the lake and the rest of the deciduous forest, the most visible ones being blue-winged parakeet, Nilgiri wood pigeon, white-bellied tree pie, smiling thrushes and flycatchers darters, kingfishers, hornbills, cormorants and racket-tailed drongoes. Forty-five species of reptiles ranging from monitor lizards to pythons and cobra snakes have also been sighted.

In and around Periyar are interesting spots for tourists to visit. Kumily could be used as a base for visiting the sanctuary just 4 km away. A trek up the Cardamom Hills, homage to the Lord at Sabarimala and boating in the Periyar Lake, with a good chance to sight wild animals on the water’s edge are some of the activities you could indulge in.

The Periyar Wildlife sanctuary borders the state of Tamil Nadu, and is 40 km from the town of Madurai.