Established
in 1950 , the national park is named after the famous Periyar river of the
Idduki. Spanning over an area of 250sq km, the Periyar National Park is
situated in Idukki district. The Periyar National Park at Thekkady was
declared under Project Tiger in 1973 and is one of the most famous Project
Tiger Reserves in India. Periyar National Park is popular for its
picturesque beauty, the national park is covered with dense evergreen,
semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests interspersed with grass lands on
the upper slopes.
Location of Periyar National Park :
Periyar is located in the Idduki district. The nearest airports are Cochin
(200 km) and Madurai (140 km). The nearest railhead is Kottayam (114km).
Thekkadi is connected by bus service from Thiruvananthapuram (271 km),
Cochin (200 km), Kottayam (114 km), and Madurai, Tamil Nadu (140 km). Forest
Department operates bus services between Kumily and Thekkadi.
Wildlife at Periyar National Park :
Periyar national park is popular for housing elephants in their natural
surroundings. It is very much known for the tusk less elephants. Other then
elephants, Periyar tiger reserve houses the gaur, sambar, bison, barking
deer, Nilgiri languor, pig, tiger, panther, leopard, sloth, bear, jungle
cat, small Indian civet and Malabar squirrel macaque.
Chirpy Birds :
There
is a variety of avifuana species in the park that includes the great Indian
hornbill, Indian darter, king fisher, black necked storks, butterflies etc.
The tiger and leopard are sighted when the forest water holes dry up and
these animals come and drink water from the river.
Entry into Periyar National Park :
Entry permits to visit Periyar are available at the Wildlife Information
Centre (near the boat jetty) in Thekkady. For foreigners, the permit costs
Rs 50, and it’s valid for five days. Charges for guided tours of the
sanctuary and for boat trips, are extra.
Best seasons :
The best seasons to explore the park are from October to April. There are
various ways available to explore the park - such as boating, elephant and
Jeep rides rides. The ideal times for boat cruise is the dawn and dusk. The
ride on an elephant is more to see than the boat trip. There is a special
viewing platform inside the forest.
