The Western Ghats on its east and
the Malabar Coast on its west, adorned with the emerald ba
ckwaters
and exotic spice plantations, Kerala is blessed with a riotous
variety of flora and fauna. Topped up with indigenous traditional
cultural practices and art forms, Kerala is increasingly gaining
momentum as a popular tourist destination all over the world.
Showered with an eternal sunshine, Kerala- God's own country is a
nature lovers' paradise. The lush tropical evergreen rain forests
still largely miraculously unspoiled in Kerala, support a rich
array of land, marine and avian wildlife.
Wildlife Tours
to Kerala
The evergreen rain
forests of Kerala are home to a large number of large and small
sports. Internationally popular among wildlife enthusiasts and
photographers much of the forest lands in Kerala have been turned
into reserve forests and wildlife sanctuaries for the
conservation of the wildlife in these areas. These sanctuaries and
national parks are thronged by elephants, tigers, leopards,
jaguars, deer, monkeys, Malabar squirrels, hornbills, kingfishers
and many more which make them excellent wildlife vacation sites.
Wild Life
Destinations in Kerala
Chinnar
Wildlife Sanctuary
Located at the Devikulam taluk
of the Idukki district, Chinnar received the status of a sanctuary
in 1984. Stretching over an area of 90 sq. km Chinnar is home to
the endangered Giant Grizzled Squirrel. Owing to its position on
the rain shadow slopes of the Western Ghats, Chinnar just about 48
days of rain during the Northeast monsoon in October November.
Eravikulam
National Park
Close to Chinnar in the
Idukki district, Eravikulam became a national park in 1978. Home
to the endangered Nilgiri Tahr , a mountain goat,
Eravikulam is spread over 97 sq. km area. Heavy rains fall here
during monsoon making the surrounding misty hills a feast for the
eyes.
Kumarakom
Bird Sanctuary
Located around the
Vembanad Lake near the Backwaters, the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary is
a bird watcher's paradise. Migratory birds from as far as Siberia
and also the Himalayas flock here. The Siberian stork, teal,
egret, heron and darter are commonly seen.
Periyar
National Park
Situated at Thekkady
along the Periyar Lake and river, it is one of the best wildlife
sanctuaries in India. Boat cruises on the lake provide exciting
game watching opportunity making Periyar a must see on the
wildlife map of Kerala.
Silent
Valley National Park
In the Palakkad
district of Kerala, Silent Valley is perhaps the last stretch on
genuinely unspoiled rain forest. A prized site for environmental
research and conservation, it forms the core area of the
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Silent valley made its way to
the headlines over the construction of a dam on Kunti River,
threatening to disturb the biodiversity of the region. It was
declared a national park in 1980.
