The
Palakkad Parambikulam wildlife sanctuary is spread over an area of 285
square kilometers over the lush green Anna Malai hills. The undulating
landscape of the sanctuary provides the perfect set up for a wildlife
sanctuary to thrive in its fullest. Several rivers drain the rocky
terrain also lending a mystical touch to the sanctuary. The Kerala
Parambikulam national park has a thick cover of bamboo, rosewood and
sandalwood trees. In fact, Parambikulam had an abundance of teak stands
at one point of time. The national park also has patchy grasslands along
with marshy spots, thus giving it the complete essence of a natural
forest.
Parambikulam has a varied wildlife that include species of wild animals
like leopards, wild dogs, sloths, crocodiles, civet, tigers, elephants,
wild boar, barking deer, spotted deer, monkeys, langurs, porcupines and
macaques. Parambikulam boasts of around 140 species of rare and exotic
birds. It is said that this sanctuary has the largest population of the
Indian bison also known as the Gaur. The sanctuary can be visited
anytime during the year but it is best to avoid visiting during the
monsoons. There are two watchtowers for getting a better view of the
sanctuary and also for game watching. They are located at Anappadi and
Zungam.
How to Reach
Air
Located at a distance of 55 kilometers, Coimbatore airport is the
closest to this sanctuary.
Rail
The nearest railway station is at Palakkad, at a distance of 125
kilometers.
Roads
The sanctuary is easily reachable by roads as Palakkad is well
connected by a wide network of roads.