Silent Valley national park is one of the few remaining shola forests, or tropical rainforests in southern India.

Dense forests, heavy rainfaill, sparse population, remoteness, make it a very ideal habitat for many wildlife species big and small , and hundreds of varieties of trees

SILENT VALLEY NATIONAL PARK

The core of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, the Silent Valley National Park is probably one of the most magnificent gifts of nature to mankind, a unique preserve of tropical rain forests in all its pristine glory with an almost unbroken ecological history. Thanks largely to its difficult terrain and remoteness, the extent of degradation is minimal in comparison with other sanctuaries.

Sairandhri Vanam, meaning the forest in the valley, as referred to in the Mahabharatha and the River Kunthi give a mythological dimension to the National Park. The Silent Valley is seldom silent but it has an inexplicably unique character about it, what with the dense forest, the music of the birds and its quitet majesty.With an area of close to 90 sq.kms, the park is situated in the north-eastern corner of the Palakkad district.

It rises abruptly to the Nilgiri plateau in the north and overlooks the plains of Mannarkkad in the south. The river Kunthi descends from the Niligiri hills above an altitude of 2000 m and traverses the entire length of the valley finally rushing down to the plains through a deep gorge. River Kunthi never turns brown; it is crystal clear, perennial and wild.


Tropical Rain Forests

Tropical evergreen forests occurring within a narrow strip above the equator is perhaps the most endangered natural habitat. Extremely fragile, it has suffered most from human interaction.In species diversity it is the richest habitat and has developed in area of the heaviest rain fall. That there is a very little soil erosion and that the rains are transformed into perennial streams and rivers may be attributed to thick canopy and closely packed tree stumps. In fact, scarcity of water is rarely felt. The evapotranspiration from these forests is much higher than from any other surface. This cools the atmosphere helping easy condensation of water vapor. This is the origin of the much-awaited summer rains.

          Wild fires lead to abrupt changes in the eco system degrading the forest. When the Britishers entered the Silent Valley more than a century ago, these forests were untouched and extended enormously on all sides. They named it the Silent Valley because there were no cycads then. Today however, true evergreen forests untouched by man is only a dream.

          Unlike most other sanctuaries, viewing wild animals in this park is quite difficult because of the thick vegetation.

Wildlife Toursim

Area                     : 89 sq.kms.

Permission          : Division Forest Officer, Palakkad,Kerala - 678 009(prior booking needed,we could arrange it with couple of days notice)

Accommodation : Malleeshwaram jungle lodge    

 web-site       ,     http://www.malleeshwaram.com/   

Nearest railwaystation : Olavakode(Palakkad),Coimbatore