Silent Valley National Park

Overview

Silent Valley National Park holds about 237 km2 of tropical evergreen forest in the Nilgiri Hills, in Mannarkkad taluk of Palakkad district, Kerala. Roughly 90 km2 of that is the undisturbed core. This is a destination for people who prefer rainforest and wildlife to comfort, and November to March is the recommended season for a visit.

The park owes its protected status to a campaign. In the 1970s the "Save Silent Valley" movement opposed a hydroelectric dam on the Kunthipuzha river, the project was dropped, and the area was declared a national park in 1984. The river still runs clear all year for about 25 km through the valley after dropping from the hills above. As for the name, one account says the British coined it in 1847 because cicadas seemed to be quiet here, but other explanations exist, including a corruption of Sairandhri, a name from the Mahabharata.

What lives here is the draw. The park is known for the endangered lion-tailed macaque, and its forest types run from moist deciduous to evergreen, with about 1,000 flowering plant species, among them around 110 orchids, and more than 34 mammal species. Nilgiri langurs and Malabar giant squirrels are also named among the residents.

Visits are organised by the forest department rather than done independently. The base is Mukkali, about 60 km from Palakkad via Mannarkkad, and the half-day Sairandhri trip goes in by a park-owned jeep or bus. It reaches the Kunthipuzha bank and a tower of about 100 feet, with no bathing in the river and no accommodation at Sairandhri. A longer option stays at forest cottages at Bommiyampadi, 13 km from Mukkali, with meals and a visit to nearby tribal settlements. These packages change with the weather, so confirm availability before travelling, and ask whether trekking routes are open, since that varies.

Palakkad Junction is the main rail point, 55 to 69 km away depending on the page, and Coimbatore International Airport is the nearest big airport, roughly 90 to 125 km distant. Rainfall is very heavy, around 6,000 mm a year on average, so pack for wet weather.

Known for

A stronghold of this endangered primate in the Western Ghats