Kanthalloor

A veritable land of fruits and vegetables, Kanthalloor sports farms full of ripe apples, plums, pomegranates etc. not commonly seen in Kerala.There is no need for any one to go to Ootty or Kashmir to see the cultivation of apples.

At 5000 ft above sea level, Kanthalloor offers congenial atmosphere for the cultivation of apples. Although its skin is a bit thick, the Kanthalloor apples are rather sweet. The cultivation is done with minimum use of chemical fertilizers.

Guava, gooseberry, orange, eggfruits, peach, passion fruit etc are grown a plenty here.

KONNI-Chirapunji Of The South

Konni, a forested village in the State of Kerala in South India, situated on the banks of the mighty Achencoil River has a long and rich history of man-forest interface. Konni is about 100 kms away from the capital city of the state. Vast expanse of forests of Western Ghats in the background is crisscrossed by numerous streams and rivulets. The forests, repository of rich biodiversity were constituted in to Konni Reserve Forests and Achencoil Reserve Forests by the Maharaja of Travancore way back in 1897 and 1901 respectively, which are among the oldest reserve forests in the State.

The acres of thick forest with wild animals has now made Konni emerge as another tourist spot for safaris and trekking. The animals make the forest safari very exciting. It is called the Chirapunji of the south for its abundant rainfall.

Periyar wild life sanctuary

Peryar Wild life Sanctuary is located in Idukki in the beautiful and picturesque state of Kerala. Its about 160 miles from Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) and is near the Kerala- Tamil Nadu border. It lies on the Western Ghats and is aprroximately 4000-5000 ft above sea-level. Periyar has a picturesque lake at the heart of the sanctuary formed by the Mullaperiyar Dam across the Periyar River, adding to the charm of the Park. The construction of this dam in 1895 resulted in the adjoining forests being granted protection by the Maharaja of Travancore. This is the only sanctuary in India where you can have the unique experience of viewing wildlife at close quarters from the safety of a boat on the lake.

The greatest attraction of Periyar are the herds of wild elephants that come down to the play in the lake. Apart from Elephants, the other animals to be seen in the Periyar sanctuary are gaur, wild pigs, sambar, barking deer, mouse deer, Indian wild dog and very rarely, a tiger. There are, now, an estimated 40 tigers here. Four species of primates are found at Periyar - the rare lion-tailed macaque, the nilgiri langur, common langur and bonnet macaque. Periyar also happens to be the habitat of the elusive nilgiri tahr, which is rarely to be seen.
The birdlife comprises of darters, cormorants, kingfishers, the great Malabar hornbill and racket-tailed drongoes. The reptilian population boasts of monitor lizards that can be spotted basking in the sun, on the rocks along the lakeshore. Visitors who trek into the Periyar national park often see a python and sometimes even a king cobra.

PARAMBIKKULAM

Parambikkulam is an oasis of tranquil greenery nestled in a valley between the Anamalai ranges of Tamilnadu and the Nelliyampathy ranges of Kerala. The Parambikkulam Wildlife Sanctuary here spreads over an area of 285 sq km on the Western Ghats.
The sanctuary offers an exotic experience of the rare fauna of Kerala. Quite a few hill tribes, like the Malayars, the Kadas and the Muthuvans also live in the jungles of Parambikkulam. The fauna here include bonnet macaques, Nilgiri langurs, lion tailed macaques, tigers, spectacled cobras, kraits, vipers, turtles, darters, little cormorants and black eagles.
The sanctuary also has a variety of trees mainly teak, neem, sandalwood and rosewood. The oldest teak tree 'Kannimari' stands tall here.
Boat cruises can be arranged in the Parambikkulam Reservoir. Trekking in the sanctuary is possible with the permission of forest officials. There is a tree-house in the Reserve Forest area in Thoonakkadavu, the headquarters of Parambikkulam, which has to be booked in advance. The Rest Houses of the State Forest Department at Thoonakkadavu, Thellikkal and Elathode offer comfortable lodging.

Silent Valley

Located 40 km from Mannarkkad, Silent valley is Extremely fragile, a unique preserve of tropical evergreen rain forests lying above the equator and the forest strip which causes the summer rains in Kerala. The Silent Valley National Park has an area of 90 sq km is located in the north eastern corner of the district. It rises abruptly to the Nilgiri Plateau in the north and overlooks the plains of Mannarkkad in the south. The core of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve is the Silent Valley National Park. Despite its name, the Silent Valley (the clamour of Cicadas is conspicuously absent here) echoes with the sounds of teeming wildlife. The denizens of this sprawling habitat of endangered virgin tropical forests include rare birds, deer and tiger.

Ponmudi

Ponmudi (61 km from Thiruvanathapuram city): An idyllic hill resort with narrow, winding pathways and cool, green, wooded environs, Ponmudi are located 915 m above sea level. Along with a variety of beautiful mountain flowers, exotic butterflies, small rivulets, springs and the deer park nearby, this hill station also has excellent trekking trails.

Munnar

Munnar is the most famous hill station in Kerala famous for the misty mountains,Neelakurinji a flower that blooms only once in 12 years and covers the entire mountain ranges in a shade of blue and also Nilgiri Thar, a very rare an endangered species.

Thenmala

Located about 72kms from Thiruvananthapuram, the State Capital of Kerala, the southern most State of India. Thenmala is a small village at the foothills of Western Ghats and predominantly a forest area. The famous Shenduruney Wildlife Sanctuary is the most important ecotourism resource of Thenmala Ecotourism. This Wildlife Sanctuary is of about 100 sq. km. and harbors large varieties of flora and fauna.

Thenmala ecotourism project is the first planned ecotourism project/destination in the country. In many other cases it was just renaming of an already existing "nature tourism". Here from the very beginning efforts have been taken to imbibe the internationally accepted principles of ecotourism in the planning process as well as in implementation. A conscious management strategy has been evolved to create a familiarization zone to limit the impacts in sensitive ecosystems to the minimum. Another important feature is the institutionalizing of co-ordination mechanism among Forests, Irrigation and Tourism Departments, Local Community, Local Self Government and other stake holders.

Neyyar

The Neyyar reservoir is easily navigable and extends 9.06 sq. km. The vegetation varies from tropical wet evergreen to grasslands. Agasthyakoodam of 1890 metres elevation is in this sanctuary. Elephants, gaur, sloth bear, Nilgiri Tahr, jungle cat, wild boar, Nilgiri Langur etc. are seen. A crocodile rearing centre, deer farm and lion safari park are the main attractions near the dam site.

Agastyarkoodam

Agastyarkoodam - Agasthya forest believed to have been the abode of sage Agasthya, a character from mythology. Trekking trails. Thick forests.