Periyar National Park
🇮🇳 India
Indian Subcontinent, India 829 spp. recorded
Periyar National Park is a tropical rainforest in the Western Ghats of Kerala, India, cradling rolling hills, evergreen canopy, and the Periyar River. Its mist‑clad valleys and teak‑lined slopes set it apart from neighboring dry‑deciduous reserves.
9.517° N 77.158° E
🦜 Nature
325 Species sighted
130,829 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Jan Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
🌙 Most active after dark
+ 579 more species with insufficient data
Recent sightings in Periyar National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
72Jan
60Feb
42Mar
41Apr
41May
37Jun
36Jul
39Aug
45Sep
50Oct
49Nov
45Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Vallakkadavu Town
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
9.465° N, 77.228° E
-
Boat Landing
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Indian Giant Squirrel~80%+10%
Bonnet Macaque~80%+10%
Wild Boar~70%+10%
Bengal Monitor~60%+30%
Indian Crested Porcupine~60%+20%
White-cheeked Barbet~60%-30%
Malabar Parakeet~50%-30%
Southern Hill Myna~50%-20%
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo~50%-30%
Indian Black Turtle~50%+20%
Jungle Palm Squirrel~50%+20%
Anamala Pit Viper~50%+20%
-
Mullakudi
Daily sight. prob.vs avg- White-cheeked Barbet~60%-30%
- Malabar Parakeet~50%-30%
- Greater Racket-tailed Drongo~40%-40%
- Southern Hill Myna~40%-40%
White-bellied Treepie~40%-20%
Grey Junglefowl~30%-30%
Red-whiskered Bulbul~30%-40%
Orange Minivet~30%-30%
Malabar Whistling-Thrush~30%-40%
Malabar Grey Hornbill~20%-30%
White-throated Kingfisher~20%-40%
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Excellent
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
ExcellentHow rich is the wildlife?
4.7
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 508
🐒 Mammals 116
🦎 Reptiles 148
🐸 Amphibians 57
829 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
72 Threatened 4 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
ExcellentHow likely to see animals?
4.3
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
72% 📊
Coverage (205 species at ≥5% of 829 in the inventory)
25% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (7 bird, 5 mammal)
65% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
135 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
22 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
31 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
4.3
Climate Mixed Medium
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism Low High
Trails Moderate Medium
World Heritage Yes Bonus
What visitors say
We have seen elephants, Gaur (Bison) Sambar and Wild Boars every time we went on the boat.
Parina boarding the boat Throughout the boat ride, except for a few Nilgiri langoors, deer and bisons, we spotted no major wildlife.
The boat ride was pretty good and we did spot some wildlife boars, elephants, deers.
From a distance, through binoculars, we spotted a few sambar deer and wild boar drinking water.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Periyar National Park?
829 species
Periyar National Park has 829 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are White-cheeked Barbet (about 80%), Malabar Parakeet (about 80%), Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (about 80%), Southern Hill Myna (about 70%) and Black Leaf Monkey (about 70%). Among reptiles, the most-seen is Bengal Monitor (about 40%); among amphibians, Kerala Warty Frog (about 40%).
When is the best time to visit Periyar National Park for wildlife?
January and February
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 80% on a given day, against about 60% in May–July and October–November. Those are among Periyar National Park's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain a month against 410 mm in August.
Can you see an Asian Elephant in Periyar National Park?
Yes
About 60% of wildlife watchers report an Asian Elephant sighting in Periyar National Park on a given day, based on 97 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is January and February (about 80%).
Can you see a Tiger in Periyar National Park?
Yes
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Tiger sighting in Periyar National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is January (about 40%).
Can you see a Lion-tailed Macaque in Periyar National Park?
Yes
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Lion-tailed Macaque sighting in Periyar National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is January (about 50%).
Where in Periyar National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Vallakkadavu Town
The richest sighting zone is around Vallakkadavu Town, followed by Boat Landing, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Periyar National Park good for wildlife watching?
4.4 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Periyar National Park rates 4.4/5: 59th of 316 parks worldwide and 11th in Asia. 46 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
