On Silent Valley

Silent Valley was actually the name adopted by the British when they first saw the peculiar nature related to this beautiful valley surrounded by mountain ranges. The thing they noticed was the silence in the forests in the valley. Unlike what is found in the other forests of Kerala where crickets hum throughout the day and become more active as the night approaches, it was noticed that here there was no humming even during the night. The silence becomes eerily loud as we approach the depths of the forest. The entire valley was declared a national preserved area by the Indra Gandhi government. The main attraction of the valley is its varied flora and fauna itself. A thick and lush evergreen forest surrounds the valley’s entirety.



The Silent Valley is said to be abundant in wildlife and a vast array of undiscovered and unrecorded species of tropical insects and birds. The valley is said to contain tigers, wild elephants, foxes, wild boar, wild tree mongoose etc. It is also home to a wide number of rare and varied wild insects. The clay houses of tree ants, the mole hills and the enormous spider webs open up a world for the display of the curious visitor. The scattered, fresh wild elephant dung and the enormous ‘mara patti’, tree dog or wild mongoose with giant tails, seen on the way to the park offer a rare treat to the visitor’s eyes. Once inside the park and on the way to the river Kunti, the famed lion tailed monkey or the ‘Simha Valan Kurangu’ can be seen atop the tree tops. The Silent Valley is said to be one of the last existing natural enclave for these highly endangered species.



The paved road leads only till the forest check post at about 21 kilometers from the reserve. It is from here that the passes and the necessary forest guide to accompany the party is arranged. This post opens at 8’o clock sharp every morning. A pass for the individual as well as the fee for the guide and the jeep...