Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary Kerala

Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Southern Western Ghats of Palakkad District of Kerala and is considered as one of the most protected ecological portions of the area. Covered across a total area of 643.66 sq km, the core area of the sanctuary is 390.89 sq km while the rest 252.77 sq km accounts as buffer area. The sanctuary is situated 135 km from Palakkad town and next to the Annamalai Wildlife Sanctuary to the east in Tamil Nadu. To its north lies Nemmara Forest Division, to its south is Vazhachal Forest Division and the Chalakudy Forest Division lies to its west. The altitude range varies between 300 m and 1438 m.

KarimalaGopuram at 1438 m(southern boundary), Pandaravarai at 1290 m (north), Kuchimudi, VengoliMalai at 1120 m (eastern boundary) and Puliyarapadam at 1010 m (west) are among the major peaks that lie in the sanctuary. There are three man-made reservoirs making a combined area of 20.66 sq km and include Parambikulam, Thunacadavu (Thunakkadavu) and Peruvaripallam.

The sanctuary experiences wet tropical climate with intense monsoon ? from both south-west and north-west monsoon, with an average annual rainfall of 1600 mm. The temperature varies from 15 degree Celsius to 32 degree Celsius.

Though the weather remains cool and enjoyable throughout the year, it is best to avoid the monsoon due to heavy rainfall and bad road conditions. The best time to go for an exploration of the sanctuary is between the months of October and March when the weather is the most pleasant for jungle safari and other activities.

The sanctuary is very well protected and not much human interactions are allowed on daily basis. This results in an amazingly lush flora and fauna. The sanctuary inhabits 36 different species of mammals, 16 species of amphibians, 268 species of birds, 61 species of reptiles, 47 species of fish, 221 species of butterflies and more than a thousand species of insects.Asian Elephant, Gaur, Royal Bengal Tiger, Spotted Deer, Sloth Bear, Panther Wild Dog, , Sambar, Barking Deer, Common Langur, NilgiriLangur, Malabar Giant Squirrel are some of the most common animals spotted here in the sanctuary.

Among the 268 species of birds, 134 are listed are rare and 18 species are endemic to Western Ghats. Lesser adjutant stork, broad-billed roller, grey-headed fish-eagle Peninsular bay owl, great pied hornbill, darter, little cormorant, black eagle, black-capped kingfisher, great Indian hornbill, and black woodpecker are few of the ones worth mentioning. There are 221 species of butterflies among which 14 are rare and endemic. 7 of 47 species of fish are enlisted as endangered species and 17 more are endemic to Western Ghats.

The flora of the sanctuary is rich with 1438 species of flowering plants categorized under 704 genera and 136 families. There are 81 species of orchids and 50 endangered medicinal plants which you would get to see nowhere else.