Hunt another Wildlife Wonder at Periyar National Park

We were in the search of a distant place, away from the humdrum of city life. I along with my wife and children decided to head on to Periyar National Park that has been long pending in our list of must visit destinations in India. We had to fly Kerala to visit this spectacular wildlife destination. Soon we were at our destination and settled for a hotel to shed off the fatigue. 

Periyar National Park

Lying in the Idukki district of Kerala, Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is a zestfully protected wildlife destination in India. It houses 40 good numbers of tigers. Snuggled between the Cardamom hills and the Pandalam hills in the Southern Western Ghats, the park enticed us at very first sight. We felt like being in a destination where all you could see was the panorama of nature in its full bloom.

Kumily is the nearest town centre that lies at a distance of 4 km away. The hills were enveloped by dense evergreen and moist deciduous forests that provide a thick cover. Though we could not sight the tigers yet we came across various animals. The animals we saw there were leopards, elephants, deer, bison and numerous birds. My children enjoyed the sights of playful Nilgiri Langur, hanging around that kept them entertained for few minutes.

The time was to return and our stomachs were pleading for dinner. We went to restaurant and ordered fish curry and local cuisine with the well-known flavour of Kerala.

Leopards in Periyar

Next day we delighted ourselves with a full day trek through terrain that encompasses dense valleys, swamps, open grasslands and woodlands. My wife Ketthy could not stop herself taking a boat ride across the lake and I had to accompany her. Unlike others we could not see many wildlife species but we enjoyed spotting few of them.

Ketthy loved nature walk which she enjoyed while I was taking pictures of rare animals. Moreover, we also visited the nearby tribal village to learn about their culture. As it was our Kerala tour so how could we miss out the much talked about Ayurveda massage. Various therapies and treatments offered at the finest Ayurveda resorts in Kerala are worth to experience. We selected a rejuvenation package of Ayurveda and that was the best part of our wildlife tour to Kerala.

Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary: Beauty of Wild Nature

Since my childhood the thought of wild adventure in jungle remained a matter of fascination for me. And every time I saw the world of wild creatures in various cinemas, books, magazines and newspapers my childhood fascination increased manifold. The wild roaming among the wild flora and fauna of jungle came true with my friend's invitation from Kerela. My friend is a forest ranger and is posted in the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. 

Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary

The invitation was so prompting that without a second thought I rushed to this place. The two days of exhaustive journey took me to the entrance gate of  the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. Here, I felt the refreshing beauty of nature with sweet aroma of wild flowers and cacophony of various birds. Beside all this I saw my childhood friend waiting for me in an open Jeep. On our way to guest house he briefed me about this place. 

The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is located at Thekkady, 4 km from Kumili in Idukki district of Kerala.  Situated on the banks of the Periyar Lake, it is one of the most famous wildlife sanctuaries of India. This sanctuary is known for its  dense evergreen, moist deciduous forests and savannah grasslands surroundings. According to the census of the forest department this Sanctuary  has around 40 tigers, 20 leopards, 900 elephants and 280 gaurs and a wide variety of other wildlife. The reserve is also known for the Lion-tailed macaque, the Nilgiri langur, the Malabar giant squirrel, porcupine, wild dog, sloth bear, jungle cat, sambar, palm civet, wild boar and jackal. Approximately 180 species of birds are spotted in this National Park. 

The two day stay in a guest house with the ambience jungle is beyond description. Here morning is greeted in the numerous tones from various bird species and evening with beautiful sunset. The silence of night is broken by numerous unrecognisable sound from various animals. The sight of wild animals in their natural habitat is full of fascination and thrill.

Next day my friend guided me through various interesting spots of this sanctuary. The view of flora and fauna was so much engrossing that it made me speechless. The outstanding beauty of nature and wild animals in their natural habitat is beyond imagination.

I wished to visit the tiger reserve of this sanctuary but it was not allowed at that time by the sanctuary authority. But my friend promised me to take me there for tiger sighting on my next visit. I generously thanked him for his support. To some extent I was satisfied with this short tour which kindled my fascination into burning desire to explore more wildlife destinations.

Next morning my friend dropped me at the Idukki railway station and from there I boarded the train to Delhi. Throughout my train journey the sights of wildlife which I saw in the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary raced through my heart filling it with great joy.