Introduction:
Kerala, the land of mountains, rivers,
lakes, backwaters, has numerous national parks and
Sanctuaries. The enchanting green forest with elephants,
tigers, wild dogs, sambars, gaurs, leopards, and many
indigenous and water birds gives the tourist a rare
sight.
Silent Valley National Park
The Silent Valley contains India's last substantial
stretch of tropical evergreen rain forests and it
is perhaps the only vestige of a near virgin forest
in the whole of the Western Ghats. Elephants, tigers,
wild dog, flying squirrel and lion-tailed macaque
are found here.
Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
The most renowned destination is the Periyar Wildlife
Sanctuary at Thekkady, one of India's major sanctuary
areas. The drive to Thekkady itself is enchanting
as the road winds through tranquil countryside, rich
plantations and thick jungles.
The Periyar sanctuary offers a lovely and comfortable way to see the animals via boat rides on the man-made lake, which the wildlife areas encircle. In addition to the wild life, there are water and land birds galore here, and one can sometimes find dedicated bird watchers setting in for one or two weeks of serious observations.
Thattekad Bird Sanctuary
This bird sanctuary is a peninsular land of 25 sq.
km. Formed between the branches of River Periyar.
The rivers are rich in fishlife and are shallow for
most of the year. The avifauna includes both resting
indigenous birds and water birds. The most notable
of the indigenous birds are Malabar grey hornbill,
grey jungle fowl, heron, egret, jungle myna, wood
pecker, rose winged and blue winged parakeet. Rare
birds like Ceylon frog-mouth, rose billed roller etc.
are also seen.
Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary
Wildlife at Parambikulam This bird sanctuary is a
peninsular land of 25 sq. km. Formed between the branches
of River Periyar. The rivers are rich in fishlife
and are shallow for most of the year. The avifauna
includes both resting indigenous birds and water birds.
The most notable of the indigenous birds are Malabar
grey hornbill, grey jungle fowl, heron, egret, jungle
myna, wood pecker, rose winged and blue winged parakeet.
Rare birds like Ceylon frog-mouth, rose billed roller
etc. are also seen.
Parambikulam is endowed with luxuriant vegetation. It has one of the largest population of gaur (bison). Sambar, spotted deer, jungle cat, lion-tailed macaque, common otter, sloth bear etc. are also seen. There are also a few tigers and leopards.
Facilities for boarding and lodging are available at the sanctuary. There are forest rest houses at Thunacadavu, Thellikkal and Elathode. Motor transport and boat cruise can be arranged on requestThe Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary of Tamil Nadu lies adjacent.
Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary
The sanctuary is situated just above the arch dam.
An area of 70 sq. km. of forest land in between the
Periyar and Cheruthoni rivers form an excellent habitat
for wildlife. Elephants, bisons, bear, wild boars,
sambar etc are found in this area. The lake on the
three sides of the sanctuary offers a panoramic view
to the tourists.
Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary
Proximity to Eravikulam National Park and Anamalai
Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu makes Chinnar rich
in wildlife. This sanctuary is easily accessible from
Udumalpet in Tamil Nadu and Munnar in Kerala.
Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary
Elephants, sloth bear, sambar, mouse-deer etc. are
found in this sanctuary. It is also rich in avifauna
and reptiles. This sanctuary is easily accessible
from Kannur.
Silent Valley National Park,
Wildlife Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary
Peppara is accessible from Vithurai on Thiruvananthapuram
- Ponmudi road. This sanctuary with its rich fauna
and birds is emerging as a big attraction to wildlife
enthusiasts. It is spread over an area of 53 Sq. km.
on the Western Ghats. This is dotted with large hills
and numerous hillocks with forests and Eucalyptus
plantations. Elephant, Sambar, Leopard and Lion tailed
macaque are commonly seen.
Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary
The Neyyar reservoir is easily navigable and extends
9.06 sq. km. The vegetation varies from tropical wet
evergreen to grasslands. Agasthyakoodam of 1890 metres
elevation is in this sanctuary. Elephants, gaur, sloth
bear, Nilgiri Tahr, jungle cat, wild boar, Nilgiri
Langur etc. are seen. A crocodile rearing centre,
deer farm and lion safari park are the main attractions
near the dam site.
Peechi - Vazhani Wildlife
Sanctuary
It lies in the catchment areas of Peechi and Vazhani
dams in Trichur District. Peechi, the headquarters
of the sanctuary is 15 km by road from Trissur.
Nagarhole Wildlife Sanctuary
It is 40 km from Mananthavady. There are no bus services
to Nagarhole from Mananthavady, only jeeps and trucks
are available. There is a PWD Rest House, Forest Rest
House and Forest Inspection Bungalow at Mananthavady.
The reservation authorities are the District Collector,
Waynad and the DFO, Mananthavady. There are also mid
range hotels and an Indian Coffee House here. From
Cannanore, Tellicherry and Calicut there are frequent
buses to Mananthavady.
Heritage
Culture 
