Periyar Tiger Interpretation center in Thekkady is a hidden gem and provides valuable and detailed information about Periyar Tiger Reserve. This is also a treasure house for wildlife tourists and eco-tourists. It is located just in the town and very near to the Bamboo Groove eco lodge.
Most of the tourist who makes a visit to Thekkady is not aware of this place. This may be because the travel agents and taxi drivers do not get any commission from the government authorities.
Periyar Nature Interpretation Center in Thekkady was inaugurated by Shri Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan who was the forest minister in 2014. This is a must visit place if you are traveling with children. Kids will definitely love this place because there are many things which can entertain them and educate them about the wildlife and nature.
This is an informative museum of the flora and fauna of the Periyar Tiger Reserve. They have different sections, one for preserved parts of animals and various plants and situations manually created to experience the real wildlife with the help of audio, video, and real materials. Children can learn a lot from here.
There are some interactive games available for visitors to try. You can press the buttons against the pictures of animals and it will play the sound of animals. This is really an unused museum which deserves more attention from the tourist.
There is some excellent staff with the great knowledge available to explain each and everything displayed there and they are also very much keen to answer your queries about forest and wildlife.
It hardly takes an hour to complete the visit and there is an entrance fee of Rs.25 for adults. The whole building is centrally air-conditioned and highly maintained.
Enough parking space is available and they also have a dormitory available on the first floor of this building. They used to organize nature lovers camp in association with schools and colleges.
The main attraction of this museum is the skeleton of an elephant which is displayed in a room. The skeleton is a real one and only the tusk is made of plastic.
The forest department here also organizes community-based ecotourism programs like Tribal Heritage, which is a tribal art performance.
Periyar Tiger Reserve is a model worldwide for the harmonious co-existence between indigenous tribal communities and forests. There are six tribal communities nestled in Periyar Tiger Reserve namely Mannans, Paliyans, Malayarayans, Mala Pandarams, Uralis and Ulladans.
The tribal heritage tribal art performance provides an exclusive opportunity to witness the rich cultural heritage of Paliyans and Mannans tribal dances. This one-hour tribal dance performance also includes a brief introduction to the tribal communities, information on various musical instruments and costumes used for the dance. It will also give a memorable photo session with these tribal communities.
The performance used to happen at Vanasree Auditorium at Anavachal from 6Pm to 7Pm every day.
For more information
The Ecotourism Center
Ambady Junction, Thekkady, Idukki
Phone: 04869 224571
Email: info@periyartigerreserve.org
Photos
