Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
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STD Code: 0486 Periyar
is South India's most popular wildlife sanctuary. It
encompasses 777 sq km, with a 26 sq km artificial lake, created by
the British in 1895. It's home to bison, antelopes, sambar,
wild boar, langur, some 750 elephants and an estimated 35
tigers. The mountain scenery on the road up, the lake curise
and a jungle walk make for an enjoyable visit, though it does get
busy on weekends. Bring clothing that's warm and waterproof. |
Periyar - Orientation &
Information
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| Kumily,
4km from the sanctuary and the closets town, is a small, touristy
strip of hotels, spice shops and Kashmiri emporiums. Thekkady
is the center inside the park with the KTDC hotels and boat
jetty. When people refer to sanctuary, they tend to use Kumily.
Thekkady and Periyar interchangeably, which can be confusing.
"Periyar" is used to refer to the whole park.
There's a Wildlife
Information Center in Thekkady. You can change money at the
State Bank of Travancore behind the bus stand, have an oily massage
at the Ayurvedic Hospital or visit a spice garden.
The post office is
near the park entrance and there are numerous STD/ISD kiosks.
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Visiting the Periyar
Wildlife Sanctuary Park
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| Admission
to the park costs Rs. 60 for foreigners and Rs. 10 for each
subsequent visit, so keep your ticket with you every time you
visit the park.
Two-hour boat trips
on the lake are the usual way of touring the sanctuary. Entry
to park doesn't guarantee a place on the boat. If you miss
out, hang around and pursue other possibilities - a place may
miraculously appear. Boat tickets cost Rs. 40/80 on the
lower/upper deck in the large KTDC craft, or Rs. 15 in the more
decrepit Forest Department craft. There are five KTDC cruises
a day (7, 9.30 and 11.30am and 2 and 4pm) and four Forest Department
cruises (9.30 and 11.30am and 2 and 4pm). The first and the
last departures offer the best wildlife-spotting prospects.
It's better to get a small group together (the smaller the better)
and charter your own boat. They're available in a variety of
sizes from Rs. 600 per cruise for 12 person boat. Tickets for
video cameras cost Rs. 25 from the Wildlife Information
Center. Don't forget to get one; they're strictly policed.
Guided jungle walks
depart at 7.30 am, 10 am and 2 pm for about three hours and costs Rs.
60 per person. May visitors find these disappointing due to
the lack of information and the often large and noisy groups.
For walks further into the park guides can be arranged from the
Wildlife Information Center. Leeches are very common after
rain.
More serious
trekking can be organized at Theddady and Thiruvanantpuram.
The best time to
visit the sanctuary is from September to May. Although the hot
season (February to May) may be less comfortable with other water
resources drying up more animals go to drink at the lakeside.
Thekkady - Places to
Stay and Eat
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If you offer accommodation
and dinning services near Thekkady and want to be listed on
our website for free, click
here.
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Getting there and Away
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All buses originating
or terminating at Periyar start and finish at Aranya Nivas,
but they also stop at the Kumily bus stand, at the eastern
edge of town.
At least 10
buses daily operate between Ernmkulam and Kumily (Rs. 57, six
hours) and buses leave every half hour for 114 km trip to
Kottayam (Rs. 38, four hours).
At least two
direct buses daily make the eight-hour trip to
Thiruvanathapuram (Rs. 86). Another goes to Kovalam
(nine hours) and another to Kodaikanal, in Tamil Nadu (6.5
hours). Only private buses go to Munnar (Rs. 41, 4.5
hours). They leave Kumily in the morning (from 6 to
9.45am).
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Getting Around
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Although Kumily
is 4km from Periyar Lake, you can catch the semi-regular bus
(almost as rare as tigers), take an autorickshaw (Rs. 35 plus
Rs. 5 at the entrance for the auto), hire a bicycle for Rs. 25
per day, or set off on foot; it's a pleasant , shady walk into
the park.
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