The Bannerghata National Park project comprises the National Park, the Safari Park with a Herbivore Safari and a Lion Safari, Picnic Corner, Crocodile Farm, Serpentarium, Pets Corner, and a Museum besides a Park of pre-historic animals.

The beautiful Suvarnamukhi stream running through the park, originates in the Suvarnamukhi hills. These hills spread out to a huge rock, about a kilometre long. The Champaka Dharna Swamy temple built in the Dravidian style of the Hoysala age, lies at the foot of the rock. The temple enshrines an image of Vishnu with his consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi. The Suvarnamukhi hill also houses a small shrine dedicated to Narasimha, and two kms away is the Suvarnamukhi pond. The waters of this pond are believed to have curative powers.

This National Park is a treasure house of exotic species of wildlife and a great variety of flora. The flora of the place is very rich and beautiful with huge green trees providing shade and shelter all through the year. The forest type of the park is mostly moist deciduous teak forest.Tree species in the park include Anogeissus latifolia, Schleichera oleosa, Terminalia tomentosa, sandal, neem, T. arjuna. Grewia tilaefolia, Santalum album, tamarind, chujjullu, Shorea talura, Emblica officinalis, Vitex altissima, jalari, Wrightia tinctoria, Randia sp. Zizphus sp. and Albizzia sp. Bamboos are common in the park, the dominant species being Dendrocalamus strictus. A small area of the park has plantations of Eucalyptus, Bauhinia purpurea, Samanea saman and Peltphorum pterocarpum.

Suvarnamukhi stream which originates in the Suvarnamukhi hills, runs through the park adding to its beauty. These hills are spread out to a huge rock, about a kilometer long. At the foot of the rock is the famous Champaka Dhama Swamy temple, built in the Dravidian style of architecture, belonging to the Hoysala age. Water in Suvarnamukhi pond (two kms away) is believed to have curative powers.

Silent Valley National Park is situated in the Palakkad district of Kerala. Silent Valley in Kerala is considered India’s last area of tropical evergreen rain forest and is a precious biodiversity resource, which you can visit on tours with Kerala Backwater. Threatened by the construction of a dam across the Kunti River, which flows out of Silent Valley National Park, during the 1970’s, Silent Valley was rescued as a result of an agitation by environmentalists and conservationists in Kerala.

Silent Valley has a very eventful history in comparison to the other wildlife parks in the country. The local name for the park is Sairandhrivanam (the forest in the valley) and had been a centre of hot debates and protests in the decades of the 70’s and 80’s of the 20th century. The history of the park goes way back to 1888 when the region was declared a reserved land under the Forest Act and later notified as a Reserved Forest by the Government of Madras in 1914.

The Silent Valley National Park has an area of 90 sq km is located in the north eastern corner of the district. It rises abruptly to the Nilgiri Plateau in the north and overlooks the plains of Mannarkkad in the south.

The park became the focal point of India’s s fiercest environmental debate in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when the Kerala State Electricity Board decided to build a dam across the river Kunthi which runs through the valley. Since then a long-term conservation effort has been undertaken to preserve the Silent Valley ecosystem.

The sanctuary is located about 50kms. north east of Thiruvananthapuram city in Nedumangad taluk of Thiruvananthapuram district between longitude 76°40′ and 77°17′ east and latitude 80°7′and 8°53′ north. General topography of the area is hilly with elevation varying from 100 m to 1717m. Rainfall and other climate factors are similar to that of Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary. There are 13 tribal settlements in the sanctuary. Eleven are in Athirumala section and two are in Thodayar section.

Peppara Wildlife sanctuary consists of Part of Palode reserve (24sq.kms) and part of Kottoor reserve (29sq.kms). The total area of the sanctuary is 53 sq.kms. The total water spread of the reservoir is 5.82 sq.kms.

Three major forest belts characterize the flora of the Peppara National Park. These are: southern hilltop tropical evergreen forests that occur mostly on the hills with an altitude of above 1000m, west coast semi- evergreen forests that found atop the hills with an altitude of 150 to 1050m and southern moist mixed deciduous forests found in the lower slopes of the hills and cover more than 60% of the area.

The Neyyar sanctuary is spread over the Southeast corner of the Western Ghats, and covers a total area of 128 sq kms.

The Neyyar reservoir is easily navigable and extends 9.06 sq. km. The vegetation varies from tropical wet evergreen to grasslands. The Agasthyakoodam hill, 1890 metres high, lies in the premises of the sanctuary. Elephants, gaur, sloth bear, Nilgiri tahr, jungle cat, wild boar, Nilgiri langur etc. are seen. A crocodile rearing centre, deer farm and lion safari park are the main attractions.

The sanctuary stands out for the stark beauty of its rolling grasslands and sholas, spread over 97 sq. kms of unblemished natural splendour. Anamudi, the highest peak south of Himalayas, towers over the sanctuary in majestic pride.

Eravikulam National Park is 15 km from Munnar. A sanctuary for the endangered mountain goat of South India, the Nilgiri Tahr ( Hemitragus hylocrious), the Eravikulam National Park stands out for the stark beauty of its rolling grasslands and sholas, spread over 97 sq km in the Rajamalai hills.

This sanctuary was established specially for the preservation of Nilgiri Tahr, one of the most endangered animals on the planet. Now the number of tahrs has increased and they constitute the largest known population of tahrs existing in the world. In addition to tahr, the park houses elephants, sambars, gaurs, lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur, tigers and leopards. Accommodation and board facilities are available at Munnar.

Eravikulam is situated in the south Indian state of Kerala in the higher altitudes of the Western Ghats. The park extends from the latitude 9°40′ in the North to the longitude 77°20″ in the East. A part of the Idukki district, Eravikulam is very near to the scenic hill station of Munnar. Many tourists visit Kerala for its natural and wildlife bounty.

Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuary is located on the highway connecting Mysore and the hill station of Ootacamund (Ooty). It takes 2½ hours to reach Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuary from Mysore and about 3 hours from Ooty. The nearest rail junction is Mysore (65 km) and the nearest international airport is the software Mecca of Bangalore (204 km).

This is a good destination which can be added for almost all the tours starting from Bangalore and heading towards Ooty and Kerala. You can easily make a circuit covering Nagarhole, Bandipur, Mudumalai and B R Hills which are the prime jungles of the area.

Bandipur is 80 km from Mysore, and a similar distance from Ooty, and takes 2 ½ hours by road. Mysore is further connected to the rest of south India by train, while a narrow gauge train comes to Ooty from the plains station of Mettupalayam. Mettupalayam has train connections to a number of other towns in Tamilnadu. Once you’ve got to Mysore or Ooty, you can take a bus or hire a car or taxi to get to Bandipur.

India Wildlife Tours offers online booking for wildlife tours to the Bandipur National Park located on the Mysore-Ooty Highway in Karnataka, India. For details please enter your query in the form provided below.

Manjira Wildlife Sanctuary includes nine small islands, occupied by marsh crocodiles, turtles and aquatic birds such as herons, storks, teals, ducks, geese, king fishers, moon hens, jacanas and kites. Fishes and invertebrates are also seen. The sanctuary has an environmental education center with a museum, library and an auditorium. Boats are available for the tourists to visit around the sanctuary for bird watching.

Boats are in operation to take the visitors around the sanctuary for bird watching. Binoculars and books on identification of birds are also available. The films of birds and animals are also shown everyday on 16-mm projector.

Painted Storks, Herons, Coots, Teals, Cormorants, Pochards, Black and White Ibises, Spoon Bills, Open Billed Storks etc.

Boats are in operation to take the visitors around the sanctuary for bird watching. Binoculars and books on identification of birds are also available. The films of birds and animals are also shown everyday on 16-mm projector.

The Thattekad Sanctuary, also known as Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary is located in the Kothamangalam Taluk of Ernakulam district on the northern bank of the Periyar river. Close to Munnar along the lower reaches of the Western Ghats, the sanctuary attracts nature lovers especially bird watchers in droves. Thattekad was developed by the untiring efforts of India’s birdman Dr Salim Ali.

This coastal road trip starts with Kasargod’s virgin beaches, the unexplored backwaters and Kerala’s largest fort at Bekal, an exhilarating 4-km ride at India’s only drive-in beach and a quick peek at Parassinakadavu Reptile Farm. While you visit Thattekad & Kumarakom Bird Sanctuaries and Pathiramanal Island, cruise on Vembanad (India’s largest freshwater lake) and take a backwater boat trip from Alleppey to Quilon.

This bird sanctuary, a peninsular land of 25 sq. km is covered with deciduous forests and plantation of rosewood, teak etc. Rare birds like the Crimson-Throated Barbet, Bee-eater, Sunbird, Shrike, Blackwinged Kite and the Night Heron are also commonly sighted.

Periyar and Kumily are the most convenient points from which visitors can easily explore Kerala’s beautiful Cardamom hills. Guide will approach you at offers of trips via jeep or taxi to the hills and if you can get a group together, these trips work out as a good travel value.

The Periyar Widlife sanctuary is spread across 777 sq km, of which 360 sq km is thick evergreen forest, the Periyar Wiild Life Sanctuary was declared a Tiger Reserve in 1978. Noted for its geomorphology, diversity of wildlife and scenic beauty, the Reserve attracts visitors all over the world and is one of the world’s most fascinating natural wildlife reserves.

In the lap of the mountains, the Periyar wildlife sanctuary’s environ is like a canvas of many shades. The fresh air of the moist deciduous forest gives one a chance to experience the peace and serenity and long to return for more. The best season to visit Periyar wildlife sanctuary is from the months of October and June.

Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary ia 110 km from Palakkad. Sprawled across 285 sq. km, the Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary is home to rare wild animals. Parambikulam has one of the largest population of gaur (bison). Sambar, spotted deer, jungle cat, lion-tailed macaque, common otter, sloth bear etc. are the other inhabitants. There are also a few tigers and leopards.

Parambikulam has one of the largest population of gaur (bison). It is also a home to elephants, sloth bears, wild boars, sambhars, chital tigers, panthers and crocodiles. There are also bonnet macaques, spectacled cobras, kraits, vipers, turtles, darters, little cormorants and black eagles.

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.