hill stations

munnar &  mattupetty
Munnar, famous for its cool climate and tea plantations, is situated at the confluence of three mountain streams. This beautiful hill-station boasts of picturesque towns, colonial bungalows, vast tea plantations, wildlife sanctuaries and excellent holiday facilities. Among the exotic flora found in the forests here is the Neelakurinji. This flower which covers the hills in blue once every twelve years, will bloom next in 2006 AD. Anaimudi, the highest peak in South India, is in these hills. 133 kms from Cochin, the trip to Munnar by bus takes nearly 4 hours.
Around 13 kms from Munnar, Mattupetty is famous for its highly specialised dairy farm - the Indo Swiss Project. Exotic cattle, rose gardens and the dam with boating facilities are the prime attractions. Topstation and Kundale are the other attractions in the area. Devikulam, Chithirapuram, Rajamala, Peermade, Nelliyampathy, Attappady, Wayanad, Lakkidi, Vythiri, Ponmudi are the other hill-stations.

wildlife

periyar wildlife sanctuary, thekkady

One of the best wildlife reserves in India, the Periyar Wild Life Sanctuary is more popular as a tiger reserve. Animals like the wild elephant, antelope, sambar, bison, spotted deer, leopard and wild boar abound. A boat ride across the magnificent Periyar lake is the best way to experience the sanctuary. Kumily, an important spice trade centre, lies on the edge of the sanctuary. The 190 km journey from Cochin to Thekkady takes around 6 hours by bus. Season is from September to May (open throughout the year).

eravikulam national park, munnar
17 kms from Munnar, the park provides close viewing of the Nilgiri Tahr, Nilgiri Langur, Sambar, Gaur and the Lion-tailed Macaque. More than half the world population of the endangered Nilgiri Tahr is found in this sanctuary. Season is from November to April.

silent valley national park
This 9000 hectare national park is supposed to be the only surviving portion of evergreen forests in the Sahya Ranges. Vehicles go only upto a distance of 24 km from the park, and the rest of the way has to be covered on foot. There is a huge, hollow tree in the park which can hide about 10-12 people in it.

parambikulam wildlife sanctuary
130 kms from Palakkad, the entry to this park is via Pollachi in Tamil Nadu. The sanctuary is home to animals like the elephant, bison, sambar, tiger, panther and a lot of other winged animals. It is also inhabited by quite a few hill-tribes like the Malayars, Kadars and Maithuvans. Accommodation and boating facilities are available at Parambikulam. The sanctuary is open from 0700 to1800 hrs.

bansura project, padinjarathara
25 kms from Kalpetta, a spread-out sanctuary and park with trees that flower throughout the year are the prime attractions. A mini hydel project with the largest earth-dam in India and the second largest in Asia is being built here.

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