Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary:

Location: 50 kilometers, north east of Trivandrum
Main Attractions: Varied eco-system and diverse life forms

The catchment area of Peppara dam built across Karamana River to supply drinking water to Thiruvananthapuram city and suburban areas forms the forests of Peppara National Park. It was declared a sanctuary in 1983 as thanks to the ecological significance of the area. Located 50kms north east of Thiruvananthapuram city, the sanctuary occupies an area of 53 sq.kms out of which the area of the reservoir is 5.82 sq.kms.

The area also includes the areas of two other sanctuaries, the Palode reserve (24sq.kms) and the Kottoor reserve (29sq.kms). The terrain of the sanctuary is more or less hilly. Peppara National Park is the natural habitat of tiger, panther, wild dog, elephant, gaur, mouse deer, Nilgiri langur, sambhar, lion tailed macaque, barking deer, wild boar, Malabar squirrel etc. Birdlife of the sanctuary is also prolific. The bird species include the water birds like darter, little cormorant, pied king fisher and egrets. A wide variety of species of snakes including the king cobra and python are also found in this reserve. The Peppara National Park is also well known for its extensive variety of moth and butterflies. In addition to the wildlife, 13 tribal settlements are also found in the Peppara National Park.

General Information:

Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary is composed of the dense forests and the Peppara dam built on the Karamana River and was declared as a sanctuary in 1983 to increase the drinking water supply to Thiruvananthapuram and the adjoining suburbs.

How to Reach Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary Trivandrum:

By Air: Located at a distance of 32 kilometers, Trivandrum airport is the nearest.

By Rail: The nearest railway station is the Trivandrum railway station from where one can hire local transport to reach here.

By Road: The Sanctuary is well connected to the rest of Kerala by a wide network of roads.