Parambikulam Tiger Reserve

‘Parambikulam Tiger Reserve’ which is in ‘Parambikulam wildlife sanctuary’ with its panoramic landscape that is really beautiful and peaceful. The meandering streams, extensive water spread of the reservoir, rhythmically cascading waterfalls, rolling green hills and valleys and wealth of biodiversity is one of the prominent places situated in Kerala. It is in the ‘Chittoor’ taluk of Palakkad district, Kerala.
However, ‘Parambikulam Tiger Reserve’ is among the top 10 well managed Tiger Reserve situated in India. The tiger reserve also hosts many capacity building training programmes (conducted by Parambikulam Tiger Conservation Foundation in association with other organisations). However, the sanctuary has 3 man-made reservoirs: Parambikulam, Thunakadavu (Thoonakkadavu), and Peruvaripallam. It is in a combined area of 20.66 sq. km. here. The Thuvaiar waterfalls empty into one of the reservoirs, making it one of the most scenic places in India.

Attraction

The Tiger Reserve has many reasons to attract people. It is the home of 4 different tribes of indigenous peoples (including the Kadar, Malasar tribe, Muduvar, and Mala Malasar) settled in 6 colonies. Parambikulam Tiger Reserve implements the ‘Project Tiger scheme’ along with various other programs of the ‘Government of India’ and the ‘Government of Kerala’. People from tribal colonies (inside the reserve) are engaged as guides for treks as well as safaris, and are also provided employment through various eco-tourism initiatives.

The sanctuary has an incredible biodiversity of animal life, including mammals (39 species), birds (268 sp.), amphibians (16 sp.), reptiles (61 sp.), fishes (47 sp.), and invertebrates (over 1,200 species). Even the ‘Parambikulam’ is referred to as the ‘state capital for the massive gaur’ by wildlife experts. Besides, you can enjoy here:
Mammals like the lion-tailed macaque, Indian gaur, Nilgiri tahr, Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, Indian elephant, wild boar, dhole, etc.
Reptiles like king cobra, Kerala shieldtail, Travancore wolf snake, Travancore kukri snake, Cochin cane turtle, Travancore tortoise, Indian day gecko. Etc.
47 species of Fish have been recorded at Parambikulam,
Birds like lesser adjutant stork, Sri Lanka bay owl, grey-headed fish-eagle, broad-billed roller and great pied hornbill, and 268 avian species as well.
It homes at least 28 tigers as well.
Furthermore, the sanctuary has a variety of trees mainly sandalwood, teak, neem, and rosewood. This place is absolutely blessed with natural resources.

History

The tiger reserve was established in part in 1973 and 1984. It is in the Sangam range of hills between the ‘Anaimalai Hills’ and ‘Nelliyampathy Hills’. However, Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary was declared as part of the ‘Parambikulam Tiger Reserve’ on 19 February 2010. The Western Ghats, Anamalai Sub-Cluster (including all of Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary) has been declared by the ‘UNESCO World Heritage Committee’ as a World Heritage Site.

Inside/Outside Views

Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, which eventually includes the erstwhile Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, is a 643.66 square kilometres spread protected area in Palakkad district and Thrissur district of Kerala state. The whole Wildlife Sanctuary, which had an area of 285 square kilometres in total. This is the wildlife reserves and national parks that majorly comprise biodiversity.
Here, around 28 tigers are residing in this Tiger Reserve. Apart from the tigers, you can also come across peacocks, leopards, elephants, sambar deer, spotted deer, porcupines, bison, and Nilgiri Tahr. There are also both common and rare plant species and various types of birds, mammals, fish, butterflies, reptiles, and amphibians that you can find here amidst the lush greenery. A rare species of frogs known as ‘Parambikulam Chilappan’ can be seen only at this Palakkad reserve.

How to Reach

By road: It is situated in Kerala’s ‘Palakkad’ area. From the busy area of Palakkad, the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve is almost 70 kms away. Kerala is well connected with other major cities like Kolkata, Midnapore, Chennai, Siliguri, Delhi, Ghaziabad, Mumbai etc. of the country. And from Palakkad city, you will get local transports to reach the site.

By air: The closest airport, ‘Coimbatore International Airport’ (which is an international one), is almost 90 kilometres away from this area which is in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. You can visit this place from outside of India. Apart from that, there are airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata or Lucknow with direct flights in Kerala through ‘Cochin International Airport’, Kerala. From the airport, you can easily get local transports to reach the site.

By train: The closest railway station from the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve is only 80 km away at the ‘Palakkad Junction.’ This station is well connected with major areas of the country. From the station, you will get local transport so that you can reach the site.

FAQ

Que- 01: Is this place safe to visit?

Ans: Yes, it is safe to visit.

Que- 02: Is photography allowed inside the place?

Ans: Yes, you can take photos of this place. You can bring your camera with you.

Que-03: Best Time To Visit Parambikulam Tiger Reserve?

Ans: The tiger reserve is a year-round destination. However, monsoon (June – August) is not an ideal time to visit Parambikulam. As a result, October – March is highly preferred by tourists because of the pleasant weather conditions.

We wish you a safe journey!
Happy travelling!