keralatourism.blogspot.com: Parambikulam.....

Parambikulam : (10°28′N 76°50′E ) is located in the Palakkad district of Kerala state, south India. Established in 1973, the Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary is in the Sungam range of hills, sprawling over 285 km². It is at a distance of 135 km from Palakkad town and is situated adjacent to the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu. The Western Ghats, Anamala Hills Sub-Cluster, including all of Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary has been considered for selection as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Besides being an abode of elephants, wild boar, sambar, gaur, crocodiles and a few tigers and panthers, Parambikulam has a rich diversity of flora and fauna. Trekking in the forest is allowed with prior permission. Boating is available at the reservoir.

Located adjacent to the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary, the 285 km² stretch of forest known as the Parambikulam Sanctuary is one of Kerala’s prime wildlife reserves. Parambikulam lies in the Anamala Hills, south of the Palghat Gap in the Western Ghats. The area is hilly and rocky, drained by several rivers, including the Parambikulam, the Sholayar and the Thekkady.

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. However, most of them have now been replaced by Teak plantations. Little remains of the original Teak forests, other than the famous Kannimara teak tree, allegedly the largest tree in Asia. It is located about 5 km from Thunakadavu. Parambikulam wildlife sanctuary was declared as a tiger reserve on 19/2/2010.

Visitor Information

Visitors are allowed into Parambikulam between 7 am and 6 pm. No vehicles may leave the park after 6.30 pm. The entry fee is a paltry Rs. 0.50. Depending on the vehicle, the entry fee can be between Rs. 5 (for light vehicles) and Rs. 10 (for heavy vehicles).
Permits are issued by the Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) at Thiruvananthapuram, the Field Director, Project Tiger at Kottayam and the Divisional Forest Officer at Parambikulam.
There is a tree-house in the Reserve Forest area in Thoonakkadavu, the headquarters of Parambikkulam. It has to be booked in advance. The Rest Houses of the State Forest Department at Thoonakkadavu, Thellikkal and Elathode offer comfortable lodging.
Parambikulam is open throughout the year, but should be avoided during the monsoon. Between June and August, the monsoon rains lash Parambikulam, making hillsides unstable and causing slush, mosquitoes, dripping roofs and other inconveniences.