The periyar wildlife sanctuary

Lying close to the plantations, in the rich jungles of Periyar in Thekkady is one of the world's most fascinating natural wildlife reserves – the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, spread across 777 sq km, of which 360 sq.km is thick evergreen forest, the Periyar wildlife sanctuary was declared a tiger reserve in 1978. The splendid artificial lake formed by the Mullaperiyar dam across the Periyar River adds to the charm of the park. This is the only sanctuary in India where you can have the unique experience of viewing wildlife at close quarters from the safety of a boat on the lake. The greatest attraction of Periyar, however, bare the herds of wild elephants that come down to play in the lake. You can also see wild Elephant, gaur, sambar deer, tiger, jungle cat, sloth bear and wild boar which can be sighted from the boats also 265 species of birds including migrants the hornbill, stork, woodpecker, kingfisher, raptor, cormorant, grackle etc.

Kumily

4 kms from thekkady this plantation town, closely associated with thekkady, is situated on the outskirts of the periyar sanctuary. An important shopping centre and spice trade centre.

Murikkady

5 kms from thekkady. Washed in fresh spice scented air, murikkady is a panorama of cardamom, coffee and pepper plantations.

Vandanmedu

25 kms from thekkady, this is one of the world's largest auction centres for cardamom. A walk through the sprawling cardamom plantations of vandanmedu is a heady experience

Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary

The Idukki Wildlife sanctuary is located in Kerala, India and is spread over an area of 77 square kilometers. This wildlife park includes the regions of Udumpanchola and Thodupuzha districts of Kerala, India. The Idukki wildlife park in Kerala, India came into existence in the year 1976. There is a picturesque lake located within the Idukki wildlife sanctuary that is worth visiting during your wildlife tours to this wildlife sanctuary. The Idukki wildlife park is covered with dense deciduous and evergreen forests that provide a natural habitat to a number of animals such as wild boars, jungle cat, bisons, elephants, wild dogs, deer and bears.

While on wildlife tours to the Idukki wildlife sanctuary one gets an opportunity to spot various species of snakes such as the cobra, krait and the viper and quite a few non-poisonous ones. This wildlife park is home to a number of birds such as woodpecker, black bulbul, jungle fowl, laughing thrush, myna, kingfisher and peafowl.

This wildlife park and sanctuary is situated close to the Idukki Arch Dam.

The terrain at the Idukki wildlife sanctuary is characterized by steep mountains, valleys and hills. The artifical lake that is the Kizhakkilachimala Lake adds to the scenic beauty of this lovely wildlife sanctuary. The vegetation at this wildlife park consists of dense forests that include tropical evergreen forests, tropical semi-evergreen forests, meadows and leaf shedding forests. Some of the commonly sighted trees in the region include white pine, kuntherekkapine, vayana, bhadraksham, pali, cheeni, rosewood and meadows of rolling grass.

The perfect time to visit the Idukki wildlife sanctuary for wildlife tours is during the months of December to April.