Silent Valley National Park

Silent Valley National Park was explored in 1847 by botanist Robert Wright. It is located in the Nilgiri Hills, 40 kms. from Mannarkad, Palakkad District. Nestled on the Western Ghats on the Kundali Hills, the name Silent Valley was given because of the silence despite the dense forest. It is also known as ‘Sairandrivanam’, forest in the valley. Another story that is associated with the name Silent Valley National Park is that according to the  local Hindu legend, Sairandhri is Draupadi, the polyandrous wife of the five Pandavas. She disguised herself as Sairandhri, queen Sudeshna’s assistant, while they were in exile.The Pandavas, deprived of their kingdom, set out on a 14-year exile. They wandered south, into what is now Kerala. One day they came upon a magical valley which was abundant in lush forests, wooded ravines and everything was harmonious.

Kunthipuzha

The silence in the valley is the most attractive feature of Silent Valley National Park. Inspite of the abundant wild life and greenery, the place is quiet. The trekking trails here are different from what is found in other places.  The only sound in the valley comes from the Kunthipuzha river. It divides the park into a wide western sector and narrow eastern sector. The water of this river is clear and never turns brown. One can see a butterflies of a particular species resting on the moist rocks of the river.

Fauna and Flora



Though Silent Valley National Park is small, a large number of tourists visit the place. The park has also been named Indira Gandhi National Park in honor of the late Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. The park has a variety of animal species elephants, mountain squirrels, tigers, hairy winged bat and langurs. The most exciting wild life species seen there is the lion tailed  macaques. It is only found here in Kerala. Rare bird species like the Ceylon Frogmouth and the Great Indian Hornbill are found here.  Around 1000 species of flowering plants are found in the park. Out of it, about 110 species belong to the family of orchids. It is home to 34 species of mammals, more than 150 species of birds and about 200 species of butterflies.Over 400 species of moths and 128 species of beetles can be spotted in the forest area.

It is also the region of tropical rainforests which is a huge attraction to the tourists. And this is the region which sees the highest level of rainfall. It is also one of the tropical moist evergreen forest in India. A huge tree of Kattualying variety can be found there. It is hollow and can hide 12 people inside it.

Though the park is open always , the best time to visit would be after the monsoon, from late September to March. The best time to spot animals would be November to January.

Things to note while visiting Silent Valley National Park:

Visiting hours – 8AM to 2Pm
2.One and half hours journey is required to go to Silent Valley and come back.
3. Trekking is allowed only in the morning. Tourists are not allowed to camp/stay in the Valley.
4. A permission is required to enter the forest. Permission is granted by the Kerala Forest Department.
5. Fees/permits : Fees are not that much high for all the events here. Vehicle (Jeep) rent from Mukkali to the Valley: Rs 650/ Guide charges: Rs 150/ Entry fee: Rs 50/- per head Vehicle entry fee: Rs 250/ per jeep Cameras (still camera): Rs 50/per camera
6. Food facilities are not available to the visitors in evening and night. How to reach Silent Valley:

The Nearest Railway Station is Olavakkode Railway Station at Palakkad. It is connected to Silent Valley by road. Another close railway station is Coimbatore Junction.