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Periyar Tiger Reserve
On a beautiful morning, we woke up early and left for a place we never heard of before. This place is named Periyar Tiger Reserve in Thekkady is one of the 27 tiger reserves in India. The full name is Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary and it’s a Tiger as well as an Elephant reserve. It stretches over 925 square kilometres and it’s the largest wildlife protected area in Kerala.
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As some of you might know, tigers are my favourite animal and imagine my excitement when I heard we are in a tiger reserve!! I was like OMG, I might see a tiger in the wilderness!! OMG, OMG, OMG, Periyar Tiger Reserve LET’S EXPLORE!!
Yes, I was super happy and very excited as you can imagine. First we took a group photo in front of a gigantic tree and minutes later we were already on a boat. It was a nice double deck boat, surrounded by beautiful scenery with fog rising above the lake. Great start I thought to myself!
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What did we spot?
Seconds after we left the dock, we spotted a sounder of wild boars to our left on the shore. Excitement was high, even thought they were far away! It looked promising, spotting animals already at the beginning. Next we should see some tigers and elephants I thought to myself!
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Our next sighting was a surprise to me. I didn’t expect to see otters here at all. Otters are definitely one of my favourite animals too. I even wrote my final thesis about them. They were so playful, going in and out of the water. Beautiful sight and that’s just the beginning!
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We continued with our boating on Periyar Lake and scenery was getting more and more spectacular! Tree trunks rising out of the water, surrounded by lush forests on both side of the lake. Now and then we’d spot a sounder of wild boars and some cormorants.
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Lake Palace
Towards the end of our Periyar Tiger Reserve boating experience, we stopped at Lake Palace. This beautiful resort in the middle of Periyar Tiger Reserve used to be summer palace of the King of Travancore. To get here you need a 20 minutes boat ride from the park entrance. It’s a beautiful and tranquil place, worth staying at for sure!
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Our last stop that day was to visit to Periyar Tiger Reserve headquarters. Director of the reserve greeted us and explained the vision for the park! I wish them all the luck with future projects to come!
So this was my experience in Periyar Tiger Reserve! Boating is just one of many different ways to explore this beautiful reserve. You can go hiking, bamboo rafting, jeeping, etc. Just check out their page Periyar Tiger Reserve and explore the many options they offer!
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Are you interested in Kerala Backwaters? Read more here – Alleppey – Night In A Houseboat
This post is part of a sponsored post I’m writing about Kerala, India. I was part of Kerala Blog Express Season 4, and all opinions are my own! You can check our moments on social media if you search #tripofalifetime , #keralablogexpress and #liveinspired!
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Hello, I really enjoyed your blog, so I have nominated you for the Liebster Award!
You can read through the rules and my post here:
https://www.thecloudtraveler.com/liebster-award
Thank you so much! I really appreciate this!
Fabulous pics! Periyar has always been on my list of must-visit places. You tempt me to plan a trip Now! 🙂
Thank you! Yes Periyar is amazing. You should definitely go there.
I Loved reading your review .
Stunning pictures !!!
It will be helpful if you can clarify, how i could reach from Coimbatore?
Apart from cabs and taxis ?
Any idea about trains or nearest railway station or bus stand?
Hello. Thank you so much. Unfortunately i was there as a part of organised press trip so we didn’t have to worry about transportation. i’m really sorry.
Recently I was in Kerala and I had a boat ride experience at Periyar. I so agree it is a beautiful lake and a must do thing in Thekkady. Glad you loved Kerala.
Yes it’s absolutely amazing and a must do in Thekkady. I’m happy you liked it too!