NEYYAR ECOTOURISM IN KERALA, INDIA

The Neyyar wildlife sanctuary was set up in 1958 and it is covered with around 12,000 hectares of vegetation. It has a wide variety of flora and fauna. The vegetation consists of tropical evergreen, mixed deciduous, sub tropical savannahs etc. It acts drainage for the Neyyar River and the tributaries Mullayar and Kallar. The peak Agasthyamalai which has a height of 1890 m lies in this park. This peak has a large variety of plant species which includes medicinal plants and rare orchids. The animals found here include Elephants, Sloth bear, Nilgiri Tahr, Python etc.

Ecotourism Activities

The ecotourism activities that can be done from here are crocodile watching, boating, trekking etc. There is a medicinal garden which has around 178 different species of plants. The tourists can enjoy boat riding to the islands in the Neyyar Reservoir. On the way one can find elephants, sambar deers and the Agasthyamalai. There is Lion Park where one can go for safari. During summer season on permission from the Forest Department, trekking can be done on Agasthya peak.

The Neyyar Dam site and the nearby park having beautiful life-like statues are some of the interesting places for sight seeing. There is a famous ashram here known for its ayurvedic treatments and yoga which is just a 10 minute walk from the dam.

Accommodation

Accommodation can be provided as the Youth Hostel, Neyyar Rest House, Forest Department Inspection Bungalow, Dormitory of the Irrigation Department, KTDC's Agasthya House and the Rest House at Meenmutty.
Neyyar is located in the Thiruvananthapuram district and is at a height of 1,868 m above sea level. The nearest airport to it is the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport at a distance of 38 kms. The nearest railway station is the Thiruvananthapuram