More ››

Silent Valley National Park is situated about 40 kms. from Mannarkad in the northeastern corner of the Palakkad district in Kerala. Silent Valley National Park is perhaps the closest to a virgin forest in the entire Western Ghats. The park can be reached from the south through the entry point in Mukkali. It is the home of India's last substantial

stretch of tropical evergreen rain forests and a large number of wild animals. The Silent Valley was so called by the group of British men who ventured into the forests over a century ago and found that there were no cycads there. However, the park is seldom silent and the song of the birds and the dense forests give it an inexplicably unique character. Unlike other 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 Attractions 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.