Tourists swarm Parambikulam to experience the mystic forests

Muthalamada: Parambikulam Tiger Reserve has been attracting tourists galore, especially during the vacation season. Hundreds of people, both from inside and outside Kerala are swarming the place to visit the beautiful woods.

However, the number of tourists is restricted on public holidays as the facilities are often overwhelmed. So, many return disappointed, without seeing the fabulous sights at Parambikulam.

The safari that begins at 8 am closes in the evening. It lasts for three and a half hours. The forest department has arranged six safari vehicles to take the tourists into the forests.

Two vehicles can accommodate up to twenty five passengers while up to forty passengers can travel in the remaining four vehicles each. The tourists are accompanied by a guide from the tribal community who explains the unique features of the forest. Those who reach in private vehicles should stop at Anappady and proceed further in these safari vehicles.

Entry would be restricted when the vehicles are full. Meanwhile, huge crowds were reported at the Topslip area which is part of the Anamala tiger reserve in Tamil Nadu. You could spot wild animals like deer, bison and elephants at many places including the Sethumada check post which is part of the Anamala tiger reserve. A herd of six wild elephants had blocked the traffic for over half an hour, on Monday evening, close to the tribal temple at Anapady.

30 new bird species
Around 30 new species of birds were recently discovered in the reserve, which already had around 260 species, across its area spread in Thrissur and Palakkad. Different species of vultures, great horbills, kingfishers, egrets and more were found in the area.

The sanctuary also has around 12 species of leopard, reptiles and the like. An earlier survey had shown that the sanctuary has around species of butterflies.