The Kerala Backwaters

Kerala - the enchanting tourist destination offers exciting opportunity for the tourists to experience the rustic charm of the state cruising on the traditional houseboats called Kettuvallam. These backwaters of Kerala have loads of natural beauty featuring exotic waterways, riverine estuaries, and pristine lakes that form an intermeshed network of the along the coast of Kerala.

The Kerala backwaters are made up of 900km of interconnected waterways, rivers, lakes and inlets. This network is fed by 38 rivers and is made up of 5 large lakes that are connected by various canals which are both natural as well as manmade. This chain of lagoons lying parallel with the Arabian sea is also called the Malabar coast and extends across almost half of Kerala's coastline. The Kerala backwater offers visitors a quiet, tranquil getaway with the cozy houseboats for tourists to stay in and enjoy the beauty of the backwaters and the small towns near the backwaters.

Nature has showered Kerala with myriad of gifts and probably the best in India. And the scintillating backwaters are one them that sparkle like diamond on the face of this state. They have in fact become the greatest attraction due to their exceptional beauty and astounding tranquility. Backwaters of Kerala have played a major role in boosting up the tourism in the state hence contributing to the national income of India.

Not only these backwaters are the charming, but they also serve as a source of livelihood for the people of Kerala, as major population here depends on the marine life and vegetation. Backwater of Kerala are the series of interconnected waterways, rivers, lakes, inlets and riverine estuaries that form the enmeshed network along the Kerala coast. Some of the famous backwater destination in Kerala are the Alleppey, Kumarakom, Mararikulam, Cochin and Kozhikode.

Wildlife in Kerala : Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary - 73

Fit snugly into the valley between the Anamala ranges of Tamil Nadu and the Nelliampathy ranges of Kerala on the majestic Western Ghats is the Paramabikulam Wildlife sanctuary in Palakkad. It is home to varied wildlife such as bonnet macaque, lion tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur, fox, bear, elephant, gaur, Nilgiri Tahr, spotted deer, sambar, barking deer, wild boar, pangoline, crocodile, varanus, pond terapin, cane turtle, gecko, skunk, chameleon, snakes like king cobra, spectacled cobra, krait, viper, python, green keel back, rat snake, vine snake, etc. Also found hre are a wide variety of fish and birds such as aral, bral, vattudi, thilopia, noovi, mooshu, poochuti, kollottie, exyprius, taral, etc. and darter, little cormorant, black eagle, lesser adjutant stork, black capped kingfisher, great Indian hornbill, broad billed roller, black woodpecker, to name some.

Where to stay:

Governement Rest Houses and private lodges.

How to get there:

Good roads and rails connect the sanctuary with Kozhikode, Mysore and Ooty - all within a 110 kms. radius. The nearest airport is Kozhikode. Sulthan Bathery, Tholpetty and Muthanga are important centers of the Sanctuary.

Contact:

The Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Thiruvananthapuram - 695 014. Telefax : 0471 - 322217.

Divisional Forest Officer, Parambikulam, Thoonacadvau P.O. 678661 via Pollachi, Palakkad, Dist. Tel. : 04253-877233

Related Links :

01. Nature and WildLife of India : WildLife Protection Act 1972 - 1
02. Wildlife in Jammu and Kashmir - 2
03. Corbett National Park (Project Tiger) : Wildlife in Uttaranchal - 3
04. Rajaji National Park - 4
05. Wildlife in Uttar Pradesh : Dudhwa National Park - 5
06. Wildlife in Rajasthan : Bharatpur National Park - 6
07. Wildlife in Rajasthan : Ranthambore National Park (Project Tiger) - 7
08. Wildlife in Rajasthan : Sariska Tiger Reserve - 8
09. Wildlife in Gujarat : Gir National Park and Sanctuary - 9
10. Wild Ass Sanctuary - 10
11. Wildlife in Madhya Pradesh : Bandhavgarh National Park - 11
12. Wildlife in Madhya Pradesh : Kanha National Park - 12
13. Wildlife in Bihar : Rajgir Wildlife Sanctuary - 13
14. Wildlife in Jharkhand : Hazaribagh Wildlife Sanctuary - 14
15. Wildlife in Jharkhand : Palmau Tiger Reserve - 15
16. Wildlife in Jharkhand : Topchanchi Wildlife Sanctuary - 16
17. Wildlife in West Bengal : Sunderbans National Park and Tiger Reserve - 17
18. Wildlife in West Bengal : Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary - 18
19. Wildlife in Assam : Manas Sanctuary and Tiger Reserve - 19
20. Wildlife in Assam : Kaziranga National Park - 20
21. Wildlife in Arunachal Pradesh : Namdhapa National Park (Project Tiger) - 21
22. Wildlife in Orissa : Tikarpara Gharial Sanctuary - 22
23. Wildlife in Orissa : Ushakotih Wildlife Sanctuary - 23
24. Wildlife in Orissa : Bhitarkanika Sanctuary - 24
25. Wildlife in Orissa : Similipal Tiger Reserve (Project Tiger) - 25
26. Wildlife in Orissa : Nandankanan Biological Park and Chandka Elephant Reserve - 26
27. Wildlife in Orissa : Chilika Lake - 27
28. Wildlife in Andhra Pradesh : Nehru Zoological Park and Kwala Sanctuary - 28
29. Wildlife in Andhra Pradesh : Pranahita Sanctuary - 29
30. Wildlife in Andhra Pradesh : Pakhal Santuary - 30
31. Wildlife in Andhra Pradesh : Kinnerasani Sanctuary - 31
32. Wildlife in Andhra Pradesh : Papikonda Sanctuary - 32
33. Wildlife in Andhra Pradesh : Coringa Sanctuary - 33
34. Wildlife in Andhra Pradesh : Kolleru Sanctuary - 34
35. Wildlife in Andhra Pradesh : Krishna Sanctuary - 35
36. Wildlife in Andhra Pradesh : Pocharam Sanctuary - 36
37. Wildlife in Andhra Pradesh : Manjira Sanctuary and Nagarjunasagar - Srisailam Sanctuary (Project Tiger) - 37
38. Wildlife in Andhra Pradesh : Rollapadu Sanctuary - 38
39. Wildlife in Andhra Pradesh : Gunda Brahmeswaram Sanctuary - 39
40. Wildlife in Andhra Pradesh : Sri Lankamalleswara Sanctuary - 40
41. Wildlife in Andhra Pradesh : Pulicat Sanctuary - 41
42. Wildlife in Andhra Pradesh : Kaundinya Sanctuary (Project Elephant) - 42
43. Wildlife in Andhra Pradesh : Sri Venkateswara Sanctuary and National Park - 43
44. Wildlife in Karnataka : Bandipur National Park (Project Tiger) - 44
45. Wildlife in Karnataka : Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary - 45
46. Wildlife in Karnataka : Bhimeshwari Wildlife Sanctuary - 46
47. Wildlife in Karnataka : Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary - 47
48. Wildlife in Karnataka - Nagarhole National Park - 48
49. Wildlife in Karnataka : Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary - 49
50. Wildlife in Tamilnadu : Anamali Wildlife Sanctuary (Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctaury) - 50
51. Wildlife in Tamilnadu : Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park - 51
52. Wildlife in Tamilnadu : Mukkurthi National Park - 52
53. Wildlife in Tamilnadu : Kalakkadu Wildlife Sanctuary (Project Tiger) - 53
54. Wildlife in Tamilnadu : Mundanthurai Sanctuary - 54
55. Wildlife in Tamilnadu : Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary - 55
56. Wildlife in Tamilnadu : Srivilliputhur Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary - 56
57. Wildlife in Tamilnadu : Guindy National Park - 57
58. Wildlife in Tamilnadu : Kunthakulam Bird Sanctuary - 58
59. Wildlife in Tamilnadu : Vallanadu Black Buck Santuary - 59
60. Wildlife in Tamilnadu : Vedanthangal and Karikili Bird Sanctuaries - 60
61. Wildlife in Tamilnadu : Arinagar Anna Zoological Park, Chennai - 61
62. Wildlife in Tamilnadu : Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park - 62
63. Wildlife In Kerala : Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary - 63
64. Wildlife in Kerala : Shenduruny Wildlife Sanctuary - 64
65. Wildlife in Kerala : Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary (Thekkady) - 65
66. Wildlife in Kerala : Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary - 66
67. Wildlife in Kerala : Eravikulam National Park - 67
68. Wildlife in Kerala : Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary - 68
69. Wildlife in Kerala : Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary - 69
70. Wildlife in Kerala : Chimmini Wildlife Sanctuary - 70
71. Wildlife in Kerala : Pecchi-Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary - 71
72. Wildlife in Kerala : Silent Valley National Park - 72