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sanctuaries, viewing wildlife here is difficult because of the
dense vegetation. Silent Valley National Park covers an area
of 90 square kms. Silent Valley National Park is a treasure
trove of rare animals, birds and trees. Most of the valley is
closed to tourists. The thick canopy of these highly dense
forests account for the very high evapotranspiration in these
regions, cooling the atmosphere and causing the summer rains.
The park is open round the year but the best time to visit is
just after monsoons, from September till late March. Animal
sightings are best during November to January.
Vegetation in the Silent Valley National
Park
The Silent Valley National Park is the home of India's last
substantial stretch of tropical evergreen rain forests. More
captivating than the wildlife in Silent Valley National Park
are the tall, stately dark and blissful trees. The canopy
reduced the harsh sunlight to mere beam of light. The forests
belong to the biogeographical class of the Malabar rain
forests and harbour about 1000 species of plants. The plants
here include 966 species belonging to 134 families an 599
genera. The Dicotyledons are 701 in number, distributed among
113 families and 430 genera, 265 Monocotyledons are
distributed among 21 families and 139 genera. The 5 dominant
families recorded from the Silent Valley are Orchidaceae with
108 species belonging to 49 genera, Fabaceae with 55 species
representing 26 genera, Rubiaceae with 49 species representing
27 genera and Asteraceae with 45 species representing 25
genera. Many of these are rare and endangered and some are now
lost elsewhere. Some of the recently recorded species of
orchids in the Silent Valley National Park are Oberonia
Bisaccata, liparis Indiraii, Eriatiagii and Scutellaria
oblonga, the Sri Lankan plant.
Wildlife Attraction in the Silent Valley National Park
The wildlife animals in the Silent valley National Park are
Tiger, Leopard, Elephant, Gaur, Sambar, Barking deer, Nilgiri
Tahr, Wild dog, Lion–tailed macaque, Bonnet macaque and
Nilgiri langur, Leopard Cat, Jungle Cat, Fishing Cat, Common
Palm Civet, Small Indian Civet, Brown Palm Civet, Ruddy
Mongoose, Stripe necked mongoose, Sloth Bear, Otter, Flying
Squirrel, Malabar Giant Squirrel, Indian Pangolin, Porcupine,
Wild Boar, Spotted Dear, Mouse Deer. More than 200 species of
birds have been recorded out of which 31 are migrants. Some of
the rare species of birds are the Indian black-crested baza,
bonellis, hawk eagle, rufous bellied hawk eagle, shahen
falcon, short eared owl, peninsular scops owl, Ceylon frog
moth, great Indian hornbill, Nilgiri laughing thrush, house
martin, rufous bellied shortwing, Malay bittern, Nilgiri
woodpigeon, Malabar whistling thrush, fairy blue bird, crested
serpent eagle, Malabar great black woodpecker. More than 110
species of butterflies including the blue mormon and red
Helen, malabar banded swallowtail, tree nymphs, Malabar banded
peacock, atlas moth, bats and 25 species of serpents,
including the king cobra and large – eyed bronze back tree
snake, ornate flying snake, Beddome’s keelback, Malabar pit
viper, Ceylon cat snake, and Indian rock python can be seen
here.
How to reach Silent Valley National Park
By Air:
The nearest airport is located in Coimbatore, about 125 kms.
and well connected to Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad
and Kolkata.
By Rail:
Palakkad, about 65 kms. is the closest railway station to the
national park, and is connected to all major cities by daily
trains.
By Road:
The vehicles are allowed only till Mukkali, which is only 24
kms. from the Park. Mukkali is situated on the Mannarkad
Anakatti – Coimbatore Road. The rest of the way has to be
covered on foot upto the source of the Kunthipuzha river which
flows through the valley before merging into the Bharathupuzha
river. |
