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Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary Tour
The
Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary is spread in an area of 55 sq.kms and
located on the western slopes of the Western Ghats. This wildlife
sanctuary is the northern most wildlife sanctuary of Kerala,
established in the year 1984. The sanctuary borders the Central
State Farm at Aralam.
The prime attractions of the place are the Forest coast tropical
evergreen and west coast semi evergreen forests. There are about
490 hectares of teak and eucalyptus plantations within the forest
area.
The
common trees found in the semi evergreen areas of the sanctuary
are Cinnamomum
Zeylanicum, Hopea parviflora, Largestroemia lanceolata,
Xyliaxylocarpa, Mallotus, and Philippinensis.
One can find a variety of animals and birds in the Western Ghats
with different kinds of deer, boar,
elephant, and bison. You can also sight Leopard, jungle cat and
various types of squirrels at the Aralam
Wildlife Sanctuary.
The Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary comes under the Wayanad Division
with headquarters at Sultan Bathery.
The sanctuary is under the direct charge of an Assistant
Wildlife whose office is at Chathiroor near Irutti.
Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary Tour
Located at Devikulam taluk of Idukki district Kerala, Chinnar
Wildlife Sanctuary is a well-known reserve that extends over an
area of over 90 sq km. Recognized as a wildlife sanctuary in
1984, it lies in the rain shadow region of the Western Ghats. As
a result, Chinnar gets only about 48 rainy days in a year during
the months of October and November when Northeast monsoons are
at work.
Apart from being the habitat of the endangered giant grizzled
squirrel in India, the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is home to
tigers, elephant, bonnet macaques, gaur, Kraits, spotted deer,
spectacled cobras, sambar, turtles, vipers, little cormorants,
darters and black eagles. The place is also ideal for boating
and trekking.
The sanctuary abounds in a variety of trees, including the
unique thorny scrub forest with Xerophytic species. The flora of
the sanctuary comprises dry deciduous forest, thorny scrub
forests, high sholas and wet grasslands. It is, indeed, a
reservoir of tranquil greenery ensconced the verdant valley.
Among the species of flora include Acacia arabica (Karivelam),
Acacia leucofolia (Velvelam), Santalum album (Chandanam),
Anogeissuslatifolia (Mazhukanjiram), Elaeocarpus recurvatus (Bhadraksham)
and Strobilanthus kunthianus (Neelakurinji).
The rippling topography with breathtaking spectacle of craggy
rocks adds to the scenic grandeur of the sanctuary. Best Season
to visit the sanctuary is from December to April. As far as
accommodation is concerned, private lodges are available at
Marayoor, Munnar and Udumalpetta. You can also find
accommodation in the government guesthouses at Munnar and
Udumalpetta.
Eravikulam National Park Tour
Eravikulam Wildlife Sanctuary is a sanctuary set up for the
preservation of the endangered Nilgiri Tahr. The park has the
largest known population of Tahr's existing in the world and
also shelters Atlas Moth, Elephants, Sambhar's, Gaurs,
Lion-tailed Macaque, Nilgiri, Langur, Tigers and Leopards.
Spread across an area of 97 sq. kms, the Park exhibits the
breathtaking natural splendor of rolling grasslands and exotic
flowers. Anamudi, the highest peak south of Himalayas, towers
over the sanctuary in majestic pride.
The Eravikulam (15 kms from Munnar) is situated in the Devikulam
Taluk of the Idukki District. The park lies along the high
ranges of the western coast in the Munnar Forest Division of
Idukki district in Kerala. It is situated on the border of
Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the north where it extends as the
Annamalai National Park. The mountains covered with the rolling
grasslands and high level sholas is breathtakingly beautiful.
This Park spread over an area of 97 sq. km, was established to
protect the Nilgiri Tahr also known as the Nilgiri Ibex.The
Rajamala is the natural habitat of this rare mountain goat. Half
the world population of the endangered Nilgiri Tahr (Hemitragas
hylocres) lives here. (Around 1317, according to the 1991
census). It was declared as a sanctuary in 1975. Considering the
ecological, faunal, floral, geo-morphological and zoological
significance, it was declared as a National Park in 1978. The
Park is divided into 3 regions - the core area, the buffer area
and the tourism area. Visitors are allowed only to the tourism
area which is in the Rajamala region. Trekking facilities are
available here. Anamudi (2694 m), the highest peak, south of the
Himalayas, is situated in the south of the Park.
Besides the Nilgiri tahr other important fauna are elephant,
leopard, tiger, malabar civet, sambar, barking deer, nilgai,
langur, phyhon etc. The birds found are imperial pigeon, grey
jungle fowl etc.
Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary Tour
The
Neyyar reservoir is easily navigable and extends 9.06 sq. km.
The vegetation varies from tropical wet evergreen to grasslands.
The Agasthyakoodam hill, 1890 metres high, lies in the premises
of the sanctuary. Elephants, gaur, sloth bear, Nilgiri tahr,
jungle cat, wild boar, Nilgiri langur etc. are seen. A crocodile
rearing centre, deer farm and lion safari park are the main
attractions
The vegetation varies from tropical wet evergreen to grasslands.
The Agasthyarkoodam hill, 1890 metres high, lies in the premises
of the sanctuary.
Declared as a sanctuary in 1958, it is the drainage basin for
the Neyyar River and its tributaries - Mullayar and Kallar.
Periyar National Park Tour
The
Periyar National Park and Tiger Reserve has a picturesque lake
at the heart of the sanctuary. his reservoir meanders around the
contours of the wooded hills, providing a perennial source of
water for the local wildlife.
Herds of elephant and sambar, gaur and wild pigs wander down to
the lake-side and can be observed from the launches that cruise
the lake. In March and April, during the driest period here, the
animals spend a lot of time near the lake and the elephants can
be seen bathing and swimming in the reservoir. A glimpse may be
had even of the tiger during this season, as it comes to the
water.
Among the unusual species found at Periyar are the flying lizard
and the flying snake. With wings of orange or yellow, the flying
lizard is seen as it glides from one tree to the other. The
flying snake is also
brilliantly coloured in yellow and black with a pattern of red
rosettes.
Periyar also harbours the leopard, wild dog, barking deer and
mouse deer. On the rocky outcrops along the lake, monitor
lizards can be seen basking in the sun. Visitors who trek into
the Park often see a python and sometimes even a king cobra.
The lake attracts birds like the darter, cormorant, grey heron
and ibis and they are seen perched on the snags of dead wood
that dot the lake. The great Malabar hornbill and grey hornbill
are often seen flapping their ponderous way between trees.
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