Periyar National Park - Explore the Beauty of Nature and Wildlife

If you don’t have a wildlife sanctuary on your itinerary for India, then it’s time to add Periyar National Park. This incredible National park is located in Thekkady, Kerala, and the specialty of this place is well-known among the tourists. It’s the best place to explore the beauty of wildlife in the open air.

The Periyar National Park is famous for being an elephant and tiger reserve in this region. It attracts tourists from around the world every year. This place is brilliant to visit at any time of the year and covers around 357 square miles of the land. The rich flora and fauna are fed by two famous rivers in this national park called the Pamba and Periyar.

If you love jungle safari, rafting and other activities related to wilderness, then this national park is the best way to start. The park is located in the cardamom hills surrounded by plateaus, and the park also has a reservoir that helps in constant water supply throughout the year.

Wildlife in Periyar

The Periyar National Park is not just famous for having tigers and elephants, but it’s also home to many incredible animals like Barking Deer or Dole, Wild Pigs, Sambar, Gaur, Mouse Deer, and Tiger. Due to the rich biodiversity of this region, there are around 40 tigers in the Periyar National Park. Few different species are recently added in the park, which are the Nilgiri Langur, the rare lion-tailed macaque, Gee's Golden Langur, Common Langur, and Bonnet Macaque. Apart from these beautiful beasts, this place is also known to be an exclusive home to the Nilgiri Tahr.

Attractions in Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary

There is no doubt that this Wildlife sanctuary is known for its brilliant biodiversity. People close to nature will be overwhelmed by visiting this place because it has so much to offer. Your excursion to this park will be 10 times more memorable if you are visiting in a group or with family. Exploring the beautiful natural habitat of some rare animals will give you unaffordable memories. People visiting this area can also try to visit Pandalom Hills and Cardamom Hills to get the real view of Kerala’s beauty of surrounding nature. There is different safari available in this area where you can take a boat ride to spot the animals by the water edges.

Kinds of Safari in Periyar National Park

If you are wondering what can be the perfect way to explore the wilderness of the sanctuary, then you have many options to try your hands on. You can switch to the Jeep safari or the boat safari depending on what is best suited for your group or family. You can choose between the Jeep safari, elephant safari, and boat safari. If you have taken any advice from your friend who previously visited this park, then they must have already told you about the beauty of going for a boat safari. You are sure to spot some of the incredible animals that reside in the area, and the best way is to find them by the riverside when they come to quench their thirst.

Take small advice and go for the upper deck while booking the tickets for the Periyar Lake cruise, because it will give you a better view of the location. Also, turn up at least half an hour early to get the desired seats. To maximize the chance of spotting wild animals, you must take the afternoon ride of the morning ride.

Safari Timings

Boat Cruise in the jungle for half an Hour

7:25 AM, 9:15 AM, 11:15 AM, 1:30 PM, 4:00 PM (Timings may vary due to weather change or special occasions)

Jeep Safari

Full-Day Safari: Max 03.00 PM Last entry
Night safari: 11.00 PM to 03.00 AM

Elephant Safari

Every day for Half an Hour: 06.00 A.M. to 05.00 P.M.

Interesting Things to Do in Periyar National Park

This beautiful place has a lot to explore and you would love some of these brilliant activities in this area.
• Boat Safari on Thekkady Lake
• Jungle Jeep safari
• Bamboo rafting
• Jungle camping and tree-top stays
• Explore Periyar tiger trails
• Elephant rides
• Visit the spice plantation

These activities will give you brilliant experiences to cherish for a lifetime. However, there are a few other interesting things that you must know about this national park.

Flora - Periyar National Park

There are many conservation programs that happen to preserve the precious species of this region. The authorities run many tiger conservation programs, and some of the researchers stated that there are 49 species of mammals, 28 species of reptiles, 246 species of birds, 22 species of fishes, 8 species of amphibians, and 112 species of butterflies. This beautiful region is considered to be the home for these brilliant species, making it one of the most visited and brilliant places for tourism.

Eco-tourism in the park

The Periyar National park is said to be focused mainly on eco-tourism. The conservation campaign is run and arranged by the locals of this place and it consists of a wide range of activities. You would love to take a nature walk in the forest trails, trekking programs for nature enthusiasts that bring in other brilliant opportunities. Even bird watching is highly preferred by the tourists, apart from these activities, you can also enjoy exploring the border hiking, jungle patrol, Periyar tiger trail, Bamboo Grove, Jungle Inn, and Bullock Cart discoveries.

Other things in the Periyar National Park

You can enjoy visiting the Trial Heritage Museum, Connemara Tea Factory, Mannam settlement, and the ancient Mangala Devi temple complex. These places also give a picturesque view of the surrounding places. You will love to explore the Vandiperiyar town, Chellarkovil waterfalls, Mullaperiyar dam, Ottakathalamedu, and Parunthumppara. These places radiate with peace and harmony, and it's perfect to refresh your stressed mind. Don’t forget the camera to capture the stunning views of the Periyar National Park.

How to Get There

By Air: Kochi or Madurai in Tamil Nadu has the nearest airports from Periyar.

By Rail: Periyar has the nearest railhead at Kottayam.

By Road: You will find this location easy to travel by road because it is well connected to the roadway from private and public buses from surrounding towns.