Periyar National Park

Periyar National Park is a protected area in the Western Ghats of Kerala centred on a large reservoir known as Periyar Lake. It conserves a mix of evergreen and moist deciduous forest and supports a range of wildlife including Asian elephant, gaur, sambar deer and smaller mammals.

The park is best experienced by boat trips on the lake, which concentrate wildlife sightings along accessible shoreline habitat, and by guided forest walks in designated zones. The reserve also forms part of larger regional conservation efforts for Western Ghats biodiversity.

Originally created to protect the animals and forests around the lake, the protected area has been expanded and managed to balance conservation with regulated tourism. Its status as a wildlife reserve has led to ongoing scientific work and species monitoring.

Periyar lies in central Kerala in the southern Western Ghats; the main tourist and administrative access is via the Thekkady area, with the nearest major city being Kochi to the west and Madurai to the southeast.

• Wildlife viewing: The protected area combines forested hills and a central lake, and is best known for boat safaris on the lake for sightings of wild elephants, sambar deer and other large mammals.
• Visitor access: The main visitor access point is the Thekkady area; guided treks and authorised boat trips are the primary visitor activities to reduce disturbance to wildlife.

What to See #

• Periyar Lake: Periyar Lake, the reservoir at the heart of the protected area, used for boat-based wildlife viewing and forming the park's focal water body.
• Thekkady: Thekkady village on the park boundary that functions as the main visitor centre and gateway for boat safaris and guided wildlife walks.