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Lying adjacent to the Annamalai Wildlife
Sanctuary, the 285 sq km stretch of forest known as the Parambikulam Sanctuary is one of
Kerala’s premier wildlife reserves. Parambikulam lies in the Annamalai Hills, south
of the Palghat Gap in the Western Ghats. The area’s hilly and rocky, drained by
several rivers, including the Parambikulam, the Sholayar and the Thekkedy.
Thickly forested with stands of bamboo, sandalwood, rosewood and teak, the sanctuary has
some marshy land and scattered patches of grassland. Parambikulam was once home to some of
south India’s finest stands of teak; most of these, however, have now been replaced
by teak plantations. |
Little remains of the original teak forests, other than the
famous Kannimari teak tree, the largest in Asia. The tree is about 5 km from Thunakadavu,
and is one of Parambikulam’s prime attractions.
Parambikulam’s animal species include many of India’s most prominent mammals:
tigers, leopards, wild dogs, sloth bears, elephants, wild boar, barking deer, spotted
deer, langurs and macaques. Parambikulam is also home to Kerala’s largest population
of gaur. Besides these, civet, chevrotain, pangolin, crocodile, jungle cat, porcupine and
some 140 species of birds are found in the sanctuary. Although the larger cats are few and
far between, gaur, monkeys and deer are fairly common in the sanctuary.
Entry Requirements
Visitors are allowed into Parambikulam only between 7 am and 6 pm; no vehicles can leave
the park after 6.30 pm. The entry fee is a paltry Re 0.50; for light vehicles an entry fee
of Rs 5 is payable, for heavy vehicles, it’s Rs 10.
Permits are issued by the Chief Conservator of Forests
(Wildlife) at Thiruvananthpuram (Tel: 62217), the Field Director, Project Tiger at
Kottayam, and the Divisional Forest Officer at Parambikulam.
Access
The town closest to Parambikulam is Pollachi, in Tamilnadu; it is about 48 km from
Thunakadavu, and there are two daily buses, at 10 am and 5 pm, from the town to the
sanctuary. Pollachi is also the nearest railhead and has train connections to Coimbatore
and Palakkad. Both Coimbatore (88 km from Parambikulam) and Palakkad (97 km from the
sanctuary) are important railway junctions, with a number of trains coming in from even as
far as Delhi. Coimbatore, in addition, has a domestic airport served by Indian Airlines
and Jet Airways. Important towns in Kerala- such as Kochi, Thrissur, Nenmarra and
Kollangodu- are connected by road to Parambikulam.
Touring the sanctuary is possible by boat or jeep; both can
be hired from the park authorities. Alternatively, you can climb one of
Parambikulam’s two watch towers for a bit of wildlife-watching. One tower is at
Anappadi (8 km from Thunakadavu) and the other’s at Zungam, 5 km from Thunakadavu.
Best time to visit
Parambikulam is open throughout the year, but is best avoided during the monsoon. Between
June and August, the monsoon rains lash Parambikulam, making hillsides unstable and
causing slush, mosquitoes, drippy roofs and other nuisances.
Accommodation
Visitors to Parambikulam can stay for a sum of about Rs 200 per night at the forest
resthouses at Thunakadavu (the headquarters of the sanctuary), Thellikal and Elathode.
Another option is the interesting tree house at Thunakadavu; rooms here cost about Rs
300-600 per night. If you’re visiting neighbouring Annamalai, you could stay in the
Top Slip area, the headquarters of Annamalai; the place is about half an hour’s drive
from Thunakadavu and offers a number of accommodation options.
Accommodation can be reserved through the Range Officer,
Thunakadavu. Rooms at the Thunakadavu PWD Resthouse and the Tamilnadu Government
Inspection Bungalow can be booked through the Junior Engineer, Tamilnadu PWD,
Parambikulam.
The nearby towns of Coimbatore and Palakkad, by virtue of
their size and importance, offer a much wider range of accommodation, and are a good base
for visitors to Parambikulam. Rooms in either of the two towns usually cost between a
couple of hundred rupees for basic amenities to around a thousand or slightly more for
fancier accommodation.
Further information about Parambikulam can be obtained from
the Wildlife Warden at Thunakadavu or the Divisional Forest Officer, Teak Plantation
Division, Thunakadavu Post, Parambikulam, Palakkad District, Kerala. |
