| Sprawling over an area
of 90 sq.km, the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is positioned
at  Devikulam
taluk of Idukki district. Recognized as a wildlife sanctuary
in 1984, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is a well-known reserve
today. It lies in the rain shadow region of the Western Ghats,
and thus. Consequently, Chinnar gets only about 48 rainy days
in a year during the months of October and November. The Chinnar
Wildlife Sanctuary is habitat to the endangered giant grizzled
squirrel of India, tigers, elephant, bonnet macaques, gaur,
Kraits, spotted deer, spectacled cobras, sambar, turtles,
vipers, little cormorants, darters and black eagles. It is
also favorable for boating and trekking.
This unique scrub forest abounds in a variety of trees, including
the unique thorny scrub forest with Xerophytes species. The
flora of the sanctuary contains dry deciduous forests, high
sholas and humid grasslands, Acacia arabica (Karivelam), Acacia
leucofolia (Velvelam), Santalum album (Chandanam), Anogeissuslatifolia
(Mazhukanjiram), Elaeocarpus recurvatus (Bhadraksham) and
Strobilanthus kunthianus (Neelakurinji). It is, indeed, a
repertoire of serene greenery ensconcing the luxuriant valley.
The
undulating geography with incredible display of craggy
rocks further enhances the  exuberance
of the sanctuary. The best time to visit the sanctuary is
from December to April. For accommodation purposes, private
lodges are available at your service at Marayoor, Munnar and
Udumalpetta. Accommodation is also available in the government
guesthouses at Munnar and Udumalpetta. Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary
is one of the major attractions in Kerala.
How to Reach There:
Air: The nearest national airports are Cochin (200
km) and Coimbatore.
Rail: The nearest railway stations are Aluva
(200kms) and Pollachi (60kms).
Road: Well connected by bus service to the
major places.
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