Imagine the sight of a herd of wild elephants lumbering through dense forest or wading into beautiful lakes against the backdrop of God’s own country, Kerala. The Periyar National Park, is perhaps one of few places where elephants are seen in their pure natural surroundings. Spread over 350 sq. km area characterized by impregnable forest and open grasslands between steep hills, the park is also one of the chosen Project Tiger Reserves in the country.

The existence of a picturesque lake at the heart of the park serves as the base for meeting most of the wild inhabitants of the area, even the tiger is sometimes spotted by the waterside. Scores of playful wild elephants by the lake tend to offer the most unique sight to visitors. The marshy areas with tall grasslands along the lake provide both excellent cover and nourishment to this breed of large mammalian species.

It’s not that Periyar is meant for elephants only. The park is rich with a wide range of wild inhabitants that include the leopard, wild dogs, barking deer, nilgiri langur, bonnet macaque, sambar, porcupine, squirrels, gaur(Indian bison), wild boar and sloth bear including the tiger. Amongst the reptiles a trekker can have the chances of spotting pythons, king cobras and flying lizards. More than 250 species of birds occupies the moist vegetation of Periyar. Some of the these birds include the blue winged parakeets, flycatchers, darters, cormorants, ibises, gray herons, kites, orioles, wood pigeons and kingfishers.

Unlike many national parks, Periyar National Park is best explored by boat. The evergreen water reservoir presents excellent boating spot for tourist. Spotting the elephant family, wild boar and samber by water edge while riding on a boat is exciting. October to June is the best period to visit the place. A distance of 200 km separates the park from the Cochin Airport. Good accommodation facilities could be arranged in the forest rest houses and KTDC hotels inside the park. There are also a number of hotels available in the nearby towns.