Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary

The Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the rain shadow region of the Western Ghats at Devikulam taluk of Idukki district with an area of
90.422 sq.kms. The undulated terrain with rocky patches enhances the

scenic splendour of the sanctuary. The Marayoor sandal forest and the beautiful Thoovanam waterfalls are located here.

Acacia arabica (Karivelam), Acacia leucofolia (Velvelam), Acacia concinna (Cheevaka), Prosopis juliflora (Prosopis) and Opuntia dillenii (Kallimul) are the flora found in this thorny scrub forests.

Photo courtesy: Dhruvaraj

Common Species found at
Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary

Santalum album (Chandanam), Anogeissuslatifolia (Mazhukanjiram), Tamarindus Indica (Puli), Terminialia arjuna (Nirmaruthu), Pongamia lanceolata (Ventheku), Dalbergia latifolia (Rosewood), Tectona grandis (Teak), Cassia Fistula (Konna), Terminalia bellerica (Thanni), Emblic officianalis (Nelli) etc. are the common species. Apart from these, Rhododendrom nilagiricum (Kattu Chemarathi), Elaeocarpus recurvatus (Bhadraksham) and Strobilanthus kunthianus (Neelakurinji) grown in the high sholas and wetlands. This is the second habitat of the endangered giant grizzled squirrel of India. The other animals found in this sanctuary are Elephant, gaur, panther, spotted deer, sambar, hanuman monkey, rabbit etc.The park is home to more than 225 species of birds including Peafowl, Bulbul, Flycatcher, Kingfisher, Drongo, Bushchats, Hoopoes and other rare species such as the green-billed malcoha.

Reaching There:

By Air – The nearest Airports are Coimbatore and Kochi Airports.

By Rail - The nearest railway stations are are Aluva (200kms) and Pollachi (60kms).

By Road- Frequent bus services connecting the sanctuary with Kozhikode, Kalpetta and Thirunelly are available.

Best Season to Visit: October to March

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