Travel and Leisure

The southern part of India is blessed with a state rich in natural beauty and cultural heritage called Kerala. Listed as one of the ten paradises of the world by the National Geographic Magazine, Kerala being bordered by the lovely Blue mountain ranges in the East, and Arabian Sea to the west, Kerala has a lot of forests and a famous beautiful 600 miles of sea shore that gives a beautiful contrast of beautiful terrains.

Kerala, belonging to the tropical region, the climate is humid throughout the year. Monsoon in this region lasts for about 8 months, and one can expect rain any day. This typical climate is the reason why the forests in Kerala are tropical wet evergreen in nature. There are also deciduous highland forests in the mountainous regions of the Nilgiris.

The forests of Kerala act as host to thousands of species of trees and plants. Rosewood, Teak, Mahagony, Cassia, large varieties of Bamboo, Cardamom, Pepper etc are seen in abundance in the forests. There is a Teak museum in Nilambur, Malappuram district. Marayur in Idukki district is famous for Sandalwood.

The major trees in Kerala are Teak, Rosewood, Mahagony, Bamboo, Cassia and plants like Cardamom, Pepper are also prominently found in the forests of Kerala. Marayur in Idukki is a famous Sandalwood forest. Rare and endangered animals like Nilgiri Tahr (Eravikulam), Tiger, Spotted Leopard, Elephants, Lion tailed Macaque, Indian Sloath bear, Bison and Grey Langur are found in Kerala forestsThe major reptiles seen in the forests in Kerala are viper (Anali) king cobra (Rajavembala), python, cobra, ghariyal, Indian Alligator, many rare species of tortoises and turtles etc.

The forests in Kerala are sometimes compared with the Amazon due to its rich biodiversity. Because of this reason, there are six National parks, two biosphere reserves and fifteen wildlife sanctuaries in this state.

The National Parks in Kerala are Eravikulam, Periyar, ANamudi, Mathikettan Shola, Silent Valley, and Parambikulam Shola. The two biospheres in this small state are Nilgiri and Agasthyamalai. Periyar, Neyyar, Parambikulam, Wayanad, Peechi-Vazhani, Idukki, Chimminey, Peppara, Chinnar, Shendurai, Mangalavanam, Aaralam, Mangalavanam, Culannur, and Kurinjimala ara a few of the wildlife sanctuatries. Thattekad bird sanctuary, which was a favourite destination of Dr, Salim Ali is the only bird sanctuary in Kerala.

Many hotels and resorts all over Kerala provide lodging and accommodation to tourists. Tourists can select tour packages of their choice and visit the beauty of the Nature of Kerala.