Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE WESTERN GHATS
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Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
04869
South India's most popular wildlife sanctuary,
Periyar
( 224571;
www.periyartigerreserve.org
; Indi-
an/foreigner ?25/300; 6am-6pm, last entry 5pm)
encompasses 777 sq km and a 26-sq-km artificial
lake created by the British in 1895. The vast region is home to bison, sambar, wild boar,
langur, 900 to 1000 elephants and 35 to 40 hard-to-spot tigers. Firmly established on both
the Indian and foreigner tourist trails, the place can sometimes feel a bit like Disneyland-in-
the-Ghats, but its mountain scenery and jungle walks make for an enjoyable visit. Bring
warm and waterproof clothing.
Kumily
, 4km from the sanctuary, is the closest town and home to a growing strip of hotels,
spice shops, chocolate shops and Kashmiri emporiums. Thekkady is the sanctuary centre
with the KTDC hotels and boat jetty. Confusingly, when people refer to the sanctuary they
tend to use Kumily, Thekkady and Periyar interchangeably.
