Varayadumotta, a place to see Zebra in Kerala

Varayadumotta  is situated in the vicinity of Peringammala Village and placed at about 26 kilometers from the village, in the Thiruvananthapuram district of the state of Kerala. Next to Rajamala you can see Nilgiri Tahrs in Varayadumotta in Kerala. If you can see, photograph and mingle easily with Nilgiri Tahrs at Rajamala, you cannot even see them clearly here. They run and hide when they hear human sounds.

You will be able to see elephants only early in the mornings or after dusk. In the daytime they will hide inside the Shola Forests.

Places to Visit around Varayadumotta
Ponmudi
Kallar
Meenmutty Falls

Best time to visit Varayadumotta - October to March

How to Reach Varayadumotta?
If you are travelling by air, Thiruvananthapuram is the nearest international airport, located at about 44 kilometers away. You can take either a cab or a bus which goes to Ponmudi to reach Varayadumotta.
If you are travelling by rail, Thiruvananthapuram Central is the nearest Junction. You can either take a cab from there or take the bus to Ponmudi.
If you are travelling by road, from thiruvananthapuram, you can take the highway to go Ponmudi, on the way take deviation to Golden Valley at about 44 kilometers and reach Mottamoodu. You will be trekking for the remainng 6 kilometers.

Accommodation Facilities at Varayadumotta
Ponmudi  KTDC Golden Peak
Tel : 0472 2890225
Mob : 8381388525
If you are travelling by Bus, you can get down at Golden Valley. The nearest Bus stations are Nedumangad  and Vithura. You can get KSRTC buses plying to Ponmudi from Thiruvananthpuram ( Thampanoor ) and Nedumangad.

Silent Valley National Park, Palakkad

Silent Valley Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in Kundali Hills on the well known Western ghats of India. This pristine region is known for its rich biodiversity, the lush green tropical forests, hills and Valleys interspersing each other, rivers of Palakkad altogether make the Silent valley an unforgettable choice for the family vacations.

About Flora and Fauna in the SanctuaryThe park is also known for its rare and unique herbs and plants that grow here, as well as the wildlife found in the Silent Valley, like tigers, Elephants and lion-tailed macaques.

Silent Valley is situated in the Palakkad district of Kerala, is surrounded by other reserve forests like Attappadi Reserve Forests to the East, the Palghat and Nilambur forest divisions in the West and South and the Nilgiri Forests in the Norths. This is a hot spot for the rich biodiversity and a treasure trove of rare flora and fauna. The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve with the Silent Valley National Park as its core area, was created in 1986.

About the wildlife Park
Silent Valley National Park was called Sairandhrivanam (the forest in the valley) in the earlier days. There is a legend connecting this name to Sairandhiri ( Draupadi, of the Epic Mahabharatha), the wife of Pancha Pandavas when they were hiding in alter egos for the last one year of their Vanavasam period of 14 years,without anyone recognizing them.

You can find teak, rosewood, amla, bamboo and semal in these forests as well as tropical hill forests, temperate forests and grasslands.

Travel tips
For Accommodations you can choose Hotels, Resorts and Home Stays in the Palakkad town and the roundabout areas.

Inspection bungalow at Mukkali 
There are 3 double rooms , a suite and a dormitory available at the Silent Valley National Park
Double rooms -   3 Nos
Suite at  Rs. 300/person/day , Rs. 400/day(double occupancy) and Rs. 450/day(treble occupancy)
Dormitory  - Rs. 80/person/day
Bonafide student - Rs. 20/person /day
Foreign Nationals   -  $ 20 dollar/ head / day
Advance reservation is necessary-  Please call  04924-222056  and reserve if you need accommodations
Email: mail@silentvalley.gov.in

Food will not be provided by the Inspection Bangalow. Local hotels are available at Mukkali.
There are two huts available  for accommodation purposes                                                                
Hut – Accommodation only (Maximum 2 persons) - Rs.1000/-
Hut – Accommodation and food - Rs 2000/-
Hut-   Accommodation and Trekking - Rs.2000/-
Hut-full package - Rs 3000/-
Advance reservation is necessary, please call 04924-253225.

How to Reach Silent Valley Wildlife Sanctuary.

By Air: You can reach Coimbatore Airport from the cities of Chennai, Mumbai, Kozhikode, and Madurai easily. The airport of Coimbatore is 155 kms away from the Silent valley. You can take Transport Buses, Cabs and Private vehicles to Silent Valley from there,

By Train: Olavakode / Palakkad railway station is the closest alternative which is 75 kms from the Silent Valley National Park.

Aralam Wild life Sanctuary

Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary is located  at the northernmost parts of the protected area of the state of  Kerala, is near to the Aralam, Kelakamand Kottiyur revenue villages of the south eastern parts of the Kannur district. Aralam Wildlife sanctuary is located in the north western slopes of the westernghats  which is adjacent to the forests of Coorg / Kodagu of the state of Karnataka.  Aralam Wildlife sanctuary has an area of 55 square kilometers.

Climate at Aralam Wildlife National Park
The average rainfall at the sanctuary is about 4000 mm  and the humidity is from 60 - 100%
Chennakannipuzha is the watersource for the wildlife sanctuary
A network of small streamlets joins Cheenkannipuzha at different points  including the chavachithode in the eastern boundary of the Sanctuary, since the sanctuary exhibits slope from east to west. Narikadavuthodu, Kurukkathodu and Meenmuttithodu  which form in the upper reaches  also flow southwards and joins Cheenkannipuzha.
terrain is rugged in most of the places  with the altitude ranging from 60 to 1489 meters above sea level which suggests hilly terrain and steep slopes.


Contact Details for more information
The Wildlife Warden
Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary
Iritty,
Kannur,
Kerala - 670703.
India
Ph: 91- 490-2493160
Email: wildlifewarden@aralam.com


Best Time to Visit Aralam: September to May
Visiting Time: 8 am to 4 pm
Restriction(s): Rainy season and fire season

Accommodations available near the Aralam Wildlife National Park 
IB at Valayamchal  with 2 bedrooms, 2 numbers, @ Rs. 400/Room per day. Cost of Food separately charged and provided if required
Dormitory at Valayamchal  for about 50 persons at  Rs. 50/-head, Cotton floor mats will be provided for sleeping.

PWD Rest House at Iritty
Accommodation for High end tourists, facilities available (private) at Iritty and Peravoo

How to reach the Aralam National Wildlife Park
The nearest town is Iritty which is 20 km away from the sanctuary  and that is the place where the wildlife Warden’s office is situated.
Nearest Railway Station is Thalassery and is located  at a distance of 70kilometers and the nearest airport is Kozhikode karipur international airport, which is 150 kms away.
 The Aralam National Wildlife Park  is accessible by road from Thalassery, Kannur, Wayanad and Virajpet.
 The Assistant Wild life warden's office functions at Valayamchal on the south west corner of the sanctuary. As the bitumen work of road from Odanthodu to Valayamchal was completed visitors can come by any type of vehicle upto the entrance of the sanctuary.
The Nearest fuel filling station is at Iritty where accommodation, medical, communication, taxies etc are available.

Eravikulam National Park

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