Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala

Total Area: 128 sq. kms

Best time to visit: October to March

How to get there: Rail- Mullayar

Species found: Elephants, Gaur, Sloth Bear, Nilgiri Tahr, Jungle Cat, Wild Boar, Nilgiri Langur etc.

About Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary

The Neyyar reservoir is easily navigable and extends 9.06 sq. km. The vegetation varies from tropical wet evergreen to grasslands. The Agasthyakoodam hill, 1890 metres high, lies in the premises of the sanctuary. Elephants, gaur, sloth bear, Nilgiri tahr, jungle cat, wild boar, Nilgiri langur etc. are seen. A crocodile rearing centre, deer farm and lion safari park are the main attractions.

The vegetation varies from tropical wet evergreen to grasslands. The Agasthyarkoodam hill, 1890 metres high, lies in the premises of the sanctuary.

Declared as a sanctuary in 1958, it is the drainage basin for the Neyyar River and its tributaries - Mullayar and Kallar.

Fauna in Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary

Elephants, Gaur, Sloth Bear, Nilgiri Tahr, Jungle Cat, Wild Boar, Nilgiri Langur can be seen here.

This sanctuary has a substantial natural vegetation cover. The diversity of its flora makes this sanctuary an ideal gene pool preserve.

Other Attractions

A Crocodile Rearing Centre, Deer Farm and Lion Safari Park are the main attractions near the dam site.

Wildlife in Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary

Neyyar Wildlife sanctauary is home for 39 species of mammals, including Tiger, Leopard, Sloth bear, Elephant, Sambar, Barking deer, Bonnet macaque, Nilgiri Langur an Nilgiri tahr etc. It is home for around 176 birds species of birds, 30 species of reptiles, 17 species of amphibians and 40 species of fishes are reported from the sanctuary.

There is a Crocodile farm, set up in 1977 at Neyyar, is home to 44 mugger crocodiles. The Steve Irwin Crocodile Rehabilitation and Research Centre was inaugurated at Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary in May 2007.

Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary Travel Information

General Information

Location : 50 km from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

Established : 1985

Area : Area covered 128 km² (49.4 sq mi). It is located between 77º 8' to 77º 17' East Longitude and 8º 29' to 8º 37' North Latitude.

Time to Visit : October to March

Climate : The mean summer temperature is around 35 degrees Celsius and the winter being around 16 degree Celsius. The average rainfall from the Southwest monsoon between May and July and the Northeast monsoon between October and November is about 2800 mm. The tourist season here is between the months of November and March.

How to Reach Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary

By Air : Neyyattinkara Railway Station is only 20 kms. from Neyyar Sanctuary.

By Rail : Trivandrum is the nearest Airport from Neyyar Sanctuary which is only 40 Kms.

By Road : We can drive down via Kattakkada from Thiruvananthapuram.