View the Wild Life at Periyar Tiger Reserve at Thekadi in State of Kerala in India

If you are fond of viewing wild life in thick, lush, and green forests, then, Periyar tiger reserve located at Thekadi in the State of Kerala in India is the ideal place for you to visit. India is a country that is full of the animal's sanctuaries in the middle of the thick forests. Periyar tiger reserve is one such place that is very famous and popular in India. Thousands of visitors visit this place every year from all over the world. The park's name is based on the river Periyar that flows through this thick forest.

Periyar tiger reserve is spread in the area of around 800 square kilometers. This reserve was the hunting place during the British rule. The kings of Travankor were regularly visiting this forest for the hunt. There is an old palace of the maharaja here in the forest. Though, it has been now converted in to a museum that has all the specimens of this area. The best time to visit this reserve is during the winter months from October to March. Periyar tiger reserve is well connected through all the three ways of transportation. The nearest airport is Madurai that is only around 80 miles away from this tiger reserve. There are regular daily flights from Mumbai and Delhi for Madurai. If you want to travel by train, Madurai again is the nearest railway station. The other railway stations of Kottayam, Theni, and Cochi are around 90, 36, and 115 miles away respectively from this well known reserve.

This reserve is only around 66 miles away from Munnar by road and is very well connected by the state transport buses from all the major cities of South India. Kumily is the base place where you can stay comfortably in either private hotels or the KTDC hotels that are run by the Kerala state government. If you want to stay close to the nature and the forest, hotels like Aranya Nivas, Lake Palace, and The Periyar house are available, which are also operated by the Kerala State. These hotels can provide you a good double room at the rate of around Rs.2400 ($60) per day. You can book your hotel accommodation in advance by contacting any office of KTDC situated in all major cities of Kerala State. The above stated hotels have restaurants of their own that serves authentic South Indian food delicacies. The park remains open for the visitors from 6am to 6pm on all days.

You can see all sorts of wild animals here. However, the wild elephants moving in a large group are the specialty here. Periyar tiger reserve supports around 60 species of mammals, 45 pieces of reptiles, 30 species of amphibians, 40 species of fish and 150 species of butterflies. You can also see many dangerous animals like lion tailed macaque, fruit bat and the most rarely seen Nilgiri Marten. The tigers, which are pride of this reserve, are generally not seen. However, we were able to see the foot prints of tigers in the forest. If you are lucky, you may be able to see the tigers also. The forest tours can be done in two ways. The first is in open Jeep moving at a slow speed through the forest roads. However, as the noise of the jeep may distract the animals, the better option is to take safari tour in the boat that moves silently in the Periyar River. The early mornings and the evenings are the best times for taking such jungle tours. The trained guides are easily available here who can really help in spotting the animals of your choice.

For the people loving adventures, and who want to catch a glimpse of the animals in their natural state, the forest department has designed various programmes like nature walks, tiger trail, hiking in the forest, bamboo rafting, and the bullock cart rides. Such programmes can give you the real feel of the forest and the nature. You may plan to stay for around 2 to 3 days here at this park to cover all the major attractions offered here. Make sure to carry your hunting shoes, good binocular, camera with sufficient spare films, the proper mosquito's protectors, and the suitable clothes for the stay in forest. The mineral water for drinking purpose is easily available here at the restaurants. There are some other site seeing spots also located here. Sabrimala, the temple of Lord Ayappa is situated in the western side of the reserve. The other interesting place can be the remains of the ancient Mangaladevi temple in the Northern side of the reserve.

You must visit Periyar tiger reserve to enjoy the beauty of thick forest, amazing wild life, and the stay, very close to the Mother Nature. This shall certainly help you to forget all the hassles and the tensions of day to day life, at least for some time.