Kerala, with its abundance of forested mountains, lavish valleys and tropical evergreen jungles, gushing rivers, lakes and waterfalls combined with the torrential constitutes to the most blessed state with natural resources. The wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in the state are home to a large variety of common, rare and exotic species of plants, herbs, animals, birds, insects, reptiles and mammals forming rich collection of flora and fauna by providing perfect habitat for housing them.
These parks and sanctuaries help in preserving the abundance of wildlife as well as in conservation of their natural habitat and the environment. These abodes of stunning wilderness attract tourists to be in the midst of nature and catch a glimpse of the wild animals in their majesty. While on a wildlife tour, one can go for trekking along green pastures, jungle safaris by jeeps or on elephants to watch wildlife at close quarters. Wildlife Photography, nature walks, camping and bird watching are some of the exciting activities to be undertaken by the enthusiast.
Silent Valley national park, Parambikulam wildlife sanctuary, Periyar and Thekkady wildlife reserves are some of the better known wildlife destinations in Kerala. Kumarakom, Thattekkad and Kadalundi are renowned for avian wildlife in the state.
Kumarakom Bird sanctuary near Kottayam town is widely famous for distinct variety of migratory birds and wetland birds such as Indian Darter, Little cormorant, different species of egrets and herons, white ibis, several species of kingfishers adding to attraction is scenic beauty of Vembanad lake that will let you view waterfowl like pin-tailed duck, garganey teal, spot-billed duck, birds of prey like osprey, marsh harrier, steppe eagle, etc.
Silent valley national park near Palakkad district of North Kerala is a unique preserve of tropical evergreen rain forests which is a real nursery of flora and fauna, some of which are exclusively found over here only. The Silent Valley is a rich storehouse of biodiversity with more than 1000 species of flowering plants which include about 110 species of orchids, more than 34 species of mammals, about 200 species of butterflies, 400 species of moths, 128 species of beetles of which 10 are new to science, about 150 species of birds including almost all the 16 endemic birds of southern India forming the largest collection of Western Ghat biodiversity.
Ldukki wildlife sanctuary in ldukki which is one of the richest green areas of central Kerala is covered by an enchanting canopy of tropical ever-green and deciduous trees surrounded by enchanting Periyar Lake. In Ldukki district only, the pride of Kerala the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is situated on the banks of the Periyar Lake. The high ranges of the Western Ghats in dense evergreen and moist deciduous forests host rich wildlife constituting herds of elephants, sambars, tigers, gaurs, lion tailed macaques and Nilgiri langurs.
During the ride, one can spot a range of wild animals, water birds, common reptiles and rare insects at close range. The Western Ghats are home to wildlife species such as elephants, tigers, sambars, wild boars, stags, peacocks, gaurs, leopards, langurs, flying foxes, cobras and so on. These large varieties of species freely roam about in their natural abode and contribute to the ecological equilibrium.
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