Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary

Does anyone know whether we are liable to see wild life in the monsoons during August. We are staying in Thekkadi? in Taj Garden Redsort. Any hints.Thanks India mikers

njot sure about the monsoons, however was there in March of 2007, and didn't see anything, other than couple of birds and maybe one odd species.

Was there in late December and saw a wild pig! It was so exciting being amongst the 500 other tourists like myself in the early morning freezing air on the lake.

If you want to see wildlife, go to Wayanad in the north of Kerala and the adjacent preserves in Karnataka. These are can't miss sites with far less tourists and no Kashmiris selling Shahtoosh and Pashmina.

For a true Periyar experience opt for one of their eco tourism programme.
http://www.periyartigerreserve.org/

Ronak.

I was there in the last week of May 2008 and also previously, also in the month of May. I saw plenty of wildlife during several treks, boat rides and on the whole day bamboo rafting programme - elephants, wild boar, bisons, giant squirrels, deer, nilgiri langurs, lion tailed macaques [not this time], a cute looking weasel type of creature, birds, butterflies, insects and several wild orchids. In August it will be the end of the monsoons, consequently the forest will be extremely lush and dense making sightings a lot more difficult. Expect to see a better variety of butterflies & insects than say in May, but lesser of the larger mammals. Nilgiri langurs, Giant Squirrels and Wild Boar are virtually guaranteed as you can see them just off the road going upto the boat jetty. Watch out for the leeches which will be in abundance in August. The website given by Shahronakm is the official site of the sanctuary which has comprehensive details of all their programmes. I recommend the Nature Trek which is approx 3hr duration. If you dont get put off by the leeches, only then attempt a longer programme such as the Bamboo Rafting [8hrs]. A boat ride, KTDC or Forest Dept. is also nice but you may not necessarily see much wildlife as the animals do not have to come to the lake for water in this season. Nonetheless, it is a very scenic ride.

There are several short trails going off the main rd to the jetty. If you walk from the main entrance along the main rd, you will see them. These trails can be explored without guides, and mostly lead down to the lake shore. We stayed inside the sanctuary at the Periyar House and did several of these during our stay, at various times of the day. We found these as rewarding as the guided treks. Look out for the huge Southern Birdwing butterfly [Troides Minos], the largest in India, which will be around in abundance in August. They are black and mustard, as large as a small bird. You are also sure to see the beautiful blue Paris Peacock, Blue Mormons and Red Helens. And of course, the monsoon wildflowers will be out in their full glory.

Another wonderful but lesser known area close by, is the charming village of Chellarcovil. Go to Valley View plantation next to the Forest Dept. property for a magnificent view of the huge waterfall over the rock face, which will be in spate in August, and a small but very pretty completely organic spice plantation run by a knowledgeable young man Kuriakose and his family. Kuriakose is more than happy to take interested visitors for short treks to excellent view points abutting his property. The plantation areas of Puliyanmala and Vandanmedu are also nice for walking. Let me know if you want more details.