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Silent Valley National Park

Silent Valley National Park

Silent Valley National Park
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This is the only remaining undisturbed tropical evergreen rainforest in India.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.


4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles88 reviews
Excellent
42
Very good
29
Average
8
Poor
5
Terrible
4

Andy T
48 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Family
Love the idea of 'eco', 'World Heritage' etc however too many paradoxes.
Two dozen covered jeeps bounced their way up a track that meant the occupants can hardly see out.
Guide and driver understood no English and only spoke their scripted lines. I'm sure we thus missed out on a lot.
We've seen equally beautiful views without climbing the 30m watchtower, what is that all about?
Very expensive - hardly surprising with the staff required to implement the impressive beaurocracy: as well as showing all four passports I had to fill in my name and address on 3 separate occasions signing my signature a total of 5 times.
We were left with headaches from the 4 hour journey there and back, sadly we cannot recommend this trip
Written February 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Madhava M
Mumbai, India6 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2020
The safari is a scam and completely ill thought out. Any safari in a tourist friendly place used open jeeps, with forward facing seating, high roofing and long windows. In addition most jeeps worldwide have transparent tops. The brainless idiot who thought up this safari has provided jeeps that are closed in on all sides have totally uncomfortable side seating and low roof pipes. Anyone whose height is over 5'5" will hit their head on iron pipes of the roofing repeatedly, considering the track which passes for roads are horrible. Be well advised to stay away.
Written September 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Pati Pat
5 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2023 • Solo
I encountered some issues during my visit. Unfortunately, it seems there was some discrimination as they charged me significantly more for a jeep ride instead of the bus, even though the local rate for the jeep was lower. This was quite disappointing.

I must say that I had some negative experiences, and it has left a bitter taste. I hope that in the future, tourists like me will be treated more fairly and that the park's management will be more transparent about their policies.

It's important to remember that many tourists, like myself, come from afar and invest both time and money in exploring new places. It would be wonderful if there was a more welcoming and equitable atmosphere for all visitors, regardless of their background.

The experience is not worth it. You go by jeep and can't even walk. All they provide is a half-kilometer walk, which is 300 meters. The Indians working there are racist. Just because you don't look like them, they make you charge double. I didn't like anything about it. Although the forest is beautiful, the experience with Indians is so bad. They are deceitful, treating white faces as a ATM. They lied to me to take a jeep instead of a bus just to make money from me. I regret coming to India and experiencing this kind of treatment; they just want your money.
You are making me speak badly about your country in foreign nations.
Written September 12, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

BlueLake Motel
Lake Wales, FL6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2019
One of the best natural treasures. Nature lovers find so much specialities here. People are friendly. Weather is enjoyable. Coolness and quietness is a special feature of Silent Valley. Accommodations are in want.
Written March 30, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Giri S
Kollam, India46 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
SILENT VALLEY NATIONAL PARK

The silent valley national park is an unique container of the natural rain forests with a core area of 89.52 Sq Km and a Buffer zone of 148 Sq Km. The silent valley houses a rich mosaic of a variety of habitats , that supports an amazing variety of life forms, of which many are endemic to the western Ghats. About 75- 80 % of the land is covered with thick woody vegetation and about 20 % is covered by grass lands.

Boundary

The silent valley spans along the Districts of Malapuram and Palakkad of Kerala, between 11.3 N and 11.13 N and 76.24 E and 76.32 E. The elevation Ranges from 900 MAMSL To 2400 MAMSL. The highest peak is Aniguida which has its peak at 2383 MAMSL. (It is said that this is the Second Highest Peak of South India (Along with other contestants Including Chokramudi of Munnar, Amruthamedu At Peermade) After Anamudi. The NASA Workd Winds gives an Altitude 2313 MAMSL Using the Laser Triangulation And Surface Detection Methods By NASA) The Silent valley is Bounded by the Ooty (A famous hill station in Tamilnadu), Manarkad Town Of kerala to the west , Coimbatore To the East and Attapady Hills to the South.

HOW TO REACH SILENT VALLEY

Silent valley Is Easily Accessible from the Major Towns of Kerala And Tamilnadu. The office of silent valley is located at a town called Mukkali, a small town with a few shops.

Coimbatore (90 Kms from Mukkali) (There is Airport and Railway Station at Coimbatore): You have to Follow the Anaketty, Goolikadavu Route Along the Thadakam Road (Turn Right along a straight Road after Opanakara Street,near Ukadam Refer map For More Info) To Reach Mukkali, Where the Office of Silent Valley is Located. There is A Petrel Plumb at Goolikadavu (A good Town).

BY BUS :There are Buses (Tamil Nadu Buses are available from the Route Bus stand of Coimbatore at Gandhipuram) very frequently to Anakaetty from Coimbatore and the Bus charge is 21 Rs. From Anaketty there are Buses to Manarkad / Kozhikode or Palakkad (You have the Cross the State Boundary Check Post at Anaketty by walk to get the Bus, Anaketty is the border of Kerala and Tamilnadu). Now from here you will get both KSRTC and Private buses, they will have bus stops at every kilometer and will move very slowly. The bus charge to Mukkali is 35 Rs.

Palakkad (80 Kms) (There is A Railway Station at Palakkad): From Palakkad KSRTC Bus Stand you will get Bus to Kozhikode or Manarkad. The charge to Manrkad is About 20 Rs and it will take almost 1 Hour. Manarkad is a big town and there are lot of shops. From Manarkad Private Bus stand you will get buses to Anaketty, which goes to Mukkali. From Manarkad you can have a good view of the Hills to the east. The road from Manarkad Is a Ghat road along the forest and is very beautiful and it takes around 1 hour to reach Mukkali.
Kozhikode (There is Airport and Railway Station). You can take up a Palakkad Bus and reach Mukkali via Manarkad.

THE SILENT VALLEY TRIP FROM MUKKALI:

The entrance to Silent valley Park is 25 Kilometers from Mukkali along a jeep road . You have to get entrance tickets and Guide from the office at Mukkali to enter into the park. You have to submit your contact info and the list of the team at the office. Foreigners must write their passport numbers in the application form.You must reserve your Arrival and only then you are allowed to go in.

The Entrance charges are as Follows.
Entrance for A Foreigner : 210 Rs (The foreigner must show and write their passport number in the application form and make a signature in the Log book.)
Entrance for Indian : 25 Rs (Don’t have much formalities)
Camera : 25 Rs (For the entry of the camera. No one is going to ask for the Camera pass at the Park, but Get is if you are planning to use it.)
Entry of Jeep : 50 Rs : (Only jeeps are allowed to move along the 25 Km pacca road to silent valley. You will have to hire a jeep. There is parking space for other vehicles near the office).
Charge for Guide :250 Rs :You must get a guide and only with the guide you can go into the silent valley. Normally the guide is not that useful and they will be some jobless locals.

SIGHTS AND SOUND AT SILENT VALLEY

I was so amazed by the views on both sides of the road while moving from Mukkali to the park. There was a big gate and a check post welcoming us to forest. The jeep was moving slowly along the road laid with stones. I could hear the sound of many birds and hopefully watch a few of them sitting in the road and flying around the tree branches. It took almost 2 hours to cover the 25 km long road to reach the top. There were a few Tribal settlements on the way. The tribes- the real protectors of the wild , were forced to live outside the forest and work on government land near the forest, a very pathetic condition.

ON THE WAY

In an hour we crossed the final tribal settlement and were moving along deep forest. There were sights of many wild animals, including Black monkey, and giant Malabar squirrel. There were many others but I was not able to capture it into my camera. We stopped at several places on the way to get a good glance of the forest. After 20 Kms we saw a board and a gate welcoming us to the silent valley National park and soon we were at a place called Sairandhri, where there was a 150 meter high watch tower.

THE WATCH TOWER

It was a bit hard to climb up the watch tower which had a fleet of 300 vertical steps. From the top of the tower, we had a bird’s eye view of the hills around the silent valley including Poochipara (Shown in the Photo) and Anginda Peak. We tried to spot out elephants in the hills but we were not able to. The view of the Kunthi river and the hanging bridge was very beautiful. We could see many high peaks on all sides. It was awesome. We were not allowed to be on top of the tower for a very long time, as the next group was waiting for their entrance. At a time only 15 are allowed to be on the tower.

THE MUSEUM
The museum near the watchtower was very interesting. There were photos of the rare flora and fauna in the silent valley. The thing I liked was a computer with pre-recorded sound of the birds of silent valley. There were a few games and wildlife quiz.

KUNTHI RIVER

The Kunthi river is one of the fresh water rivers in Kerala. It start form the Nilgiri biosphere and flows through the silent valley. The river is visible from the watch tower. A fine blend of nature and man was a hanging bridge made over the river. This the last point of the Silent valley trek. From the hanging bridge built across the Kunthi river, you can have a beautiful view of the river. The location is 2 kilometer far form the Watch tower and this route is the trek route of the Silent valley. But i dont think this is a good trek for a good trekker (The trek is like Parcletides tiger hunt). The route is a 6 meter wide road, eventhought thre are trekkabke cross roads. Human entry is not permitted beyond this point, but you can steal the eyes of the guide and move along the rest of the path for some time, which gives you splendid view of the forest. The most amazing view at silent valley is the view of the old and big trees. There are trees which have a circumference of 10 meters, and trees with big holes inside through which you can see the sky. The team mates were busy taking their portraits standing inside the tree trunk. There were sights of orchids on top of big trees, and messy wired climbers, banyan trees and stranglers. The sunlight was trying very hard to reach the ground, but were cut by the huge canopy of the huge trees, and the ground was covered by a thick cussion of fallen leaves and grass.

WHERE TO STAY

There is Wildlife wardens Office at Mannarkad, rooms at Mukali, but staying here would mean compromising ones holiday with the nearly unorganised forest department guest house (food would be at the mercy of the cook who might show up)..

A Good Jungle lodge i have found is near Petttickal, Called Malleeshwaram Jungle Lodge. They does Trekking trips al around Attapady. They do trips to Silent Valley. Mr Domnic who runs the Lodge is a very dedicated traveller. You can visit http://www.malleeshwaram.com/ for more info.

The Malleeshwaram jungle Lodge has a few Independent Natural rooms, In the midst of a patch of protected wildness surrounded by reserve forest patch. The lodge s located at a place called Pettickal, near Goolikadavu. The lodge is completely eco friendly and is a very good place to stay.

The lodge is a very special place for bird watching, nature walk, tribal visits etc. Make sure you talk to Dominic beforehand, he is very choosy.... Its more of a study place..
Written February 13, 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Srividya G
Chennai (Madras), India96 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2017 • Couples
My husband and I made a visit to the national park soon after new year. We were staying in Tranquilandia in Attapady village, less than an hour from the park. Once you reach the Moharli gate, you have pay for the jeep and guide. It is advisable to orally make a booking over the phone few days prior. Once the ticket is received, they will assign you a jeep and guide. Since we are bird-watchers and will be making multiple stops on the way, we decided to rent our own jeep and guide. Otherwise, the jeep can be shared with 3-4 more people or you can rent a big bus. But if you want to enjoy the forest calmly, we advise going in a jeep. The duration of the trip is from 8am-1pm. The office opens at 8am and tickets are issued but between 8am and 1pm, you can enter the forest at any time and you have to exit by 430-5pm. It's a 5 hours journey and every extra hour that you take, you have to pay 100rs extra. It is well worth it to take your time to enjoy this place at your own pace. For a while, we were traveling in the jeep and we were amazed at the beauty of this forest and the deciduous trees. The terrain keeps changing and you come across evergreen forests too. It is pretty dense at some places with hardly any sunlight and it was perfect cool, pleasant weather. We could spot many rare species of birds, Malabar squirrel, and black faced langur. The guide and driver Mathew cooperated very well and helped us spot some nice birds. They stopped patiently when we had to take pictures. After sometime, we reached the observation tower, which gives a nice Birdseye view of the forest. From there, the trek starts to take you to the hanging bridge. The path is rugged and rocky and winding down, you come across a 250 year old jackfruit and some really old trees, a small steam of water crossing your oath and you come to the hanging bridge over river Bhavani. It is a nice experience to walk over the bridge and we head back to the jeep. There is a very well maintained restroom there and also at the starting place. There is also a tea shop at the trekking place and at the entrance.

On the whole, a very nice experience for nature lovers, bird watchers. Very nicely maintained and jeep trips were well organised. The cost came to about Rs. 2000 including guide charges.

list of fauna
White bellied blue flycatcher
Grey headed canary flycatcher
Jerdons leafbird
Nilgiri flowerpecker
Crested serpent eagle
Spotted dove
Grey-fronted green pigeon (rare)
Emerald dove
Plum headed parakeet
White-cheeked barbet
Lesser golden back woodpecker
Racket-tailed Dropbox
Golden oriole
White bellied treepie (rare)
Malabar squirrel
Black faced langur
Blue capped rock thrush (rare)
Written January 9, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Shashank B
Mumbai, India79 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2013 • Friends
First off, don't go to Silent Valley expecting to see a wealth of wildlife including large mammals like Corbett, Kanha or Kabini. At Silent Valley, you have to enjoy the beauty of the forest, (changing from dry deciduous to thick evergreen), the cool refreshing breeze, the crystal clear waters of the Kuntipuzha and you should count yourself lucky for every sighting of wildlife you get.

It's highly recommended that you take the approx 23 km journey to Sairandhri from Mukkali gate which is reachable via Mannarkad (about 4 hours by road from Cochin Airport) (1100 INR for the jeep seating 6 including guide and drive, 25 INR per person entry) . You can also undertake 2 short treks to nearby waterfalls from Mukkali, but to get a true essence of the park, save 5 hours for yourself for the jeep safari round trip to the core area of Sairandhri. Call up the forest department (easily accessed from the government website, they are quite helpful) before coming and ensure a jeep availability, they'll probably ask you to arrive between 8:30 am and 1 pm post which entry for this trip closes.

On the safari, keep an eye out for the Malabar Giant Squirrel, Nilgiri langur, the Southern Birdwing (India's largest butterfly) and the park's flagship species, the Lion-Tailed Macaque along with the wealth of birdlife. Of course, spotted deer, gaur, elephants and even leopards and tigers are here, but these are very difficult to chance upon, so if you do, its a huge bonus but don't expect to come across them.

Once you reach Sairandhri, don't shy away from the 1 hr trek to and fro the Kuntipuzha river, it's totally worth it! Be prepared for the odd leech. Once done with the trek, you can do a quick climb up the watchtower and rest for a while enjoying the breeze and the view (take a pair of binoculars along with you, you never know what you might spot).

Small snacks taken along for the trip are a good idea, but do not throw away any eatables or plastic when you are inside.

Take in the the sights, sounds and smells of the forest and you will not leave disappointed :)
Written August 27, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

English classes... V
Jaipur, India38 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2015 • Couples
Anyone who visits this place once, swears that he/she will never go there again. Tourists are taken for a14 kms ride on a bumpy road, reach a place where there is nothing, not even a tea kiosk, just a machan from where to see the Valley. No wild animals are seen on the way.
Written February 13, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

subith86
Kitchener, Canada41 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2013 • Family
First I will talk about the pros of this place. You will be taken in a jeep for 22 kms where you reach the tower. This journey might take more than an hour. You will be taken through a very lush green thick jungle which anybody will love. You will definitely see the lion tailed monkeys. If you're lucky you will find some other animals too. Once you reach the tower, you can climb up to see the landscape. It's beautiful I must say. Then there is half an hour trek (by feet) to Kunti river which is the best part of the trip. Never miss it.

Now the cons. There is nothing special here. This is just like any other jungle. Maybe I went there in summer, I didn't find it so beautiful.

Points to remember:
1. Visit their website before booking. Sometimes during the year, the national park will be closed.
2. Make sure you don't go there in summer. Scenery will not be green enough.
3. Entry time is from 8am-1pm
4. You need to call them and book before you go.
5. Your vehicle will go only till a place called Mukkali.
6. Parking facilities are available at Mukkali forest information center.
7. You will have to hire a jeep from Mukkali which will cost around 1100 for 6 people, along with a reasonable entry fee and camera fee.
8. You will be in jungle for 5 hours approx and you will not get food. Please carry your own food.
9. How to reach there? Search in google-maps how to go from your place to Mannarkad, and then to Mukkali.
10. If you need to capture animals in your camera, a zoom lens is a must.
11. Small amount of leeches might be there.
12. Phone networks will not work.
Written June 14, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

drdevan67
Coimbatore, India3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
This is one of the most cleberated NAtional park in South India.Was declared NAtional park in 1985 by The govt of India. It is situated in Palghat District of Kerala. Can be reached from Coimbatore trough Anakatty-Agally-Mukali(around 80 km from Coi,batore town) or from Mannarkad-Mukalli. You can hire jeep -arranged by Forest department -from Mukalli. It takes 1.5 to 2hrs to reach the Watch tower in the silent Valeey this jeep journey. You have to inform the Forest office at Mukalli about your arrival in advance. If you reach before 8.30 Am, you can catch the bus, otherwise you have to hire a jeep(which can accomodate 8 persons) for Rs 800/-. You may have to give Rs 200/- ad guide charge and Rs 25/-per head as entry fee(for Indians).
You get spendid view of the entire silent valey from the watch tower. There is an informative exhibition hall near the watch tower which explains the diversity of the park.A 2 km trek from the exhibition hall will take you to the Kunthi puzha, a virgin everflowing river untouched by humans. It is a rejunevating experience to watch this river flowing.
The place where the watch tower is situated is called shirandri. We are allowed to only enter a tip of the 90 sq km valley. Entry beyond that is restricted. on the way to shirandri from Mukalli you can see many exotic birds,squirrel,monkeys and butterflies. The park is an abode of very prcious medicinal plants and many varities of flora and fona.

You can stay in Mukalli a small town.
Written December 9, 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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