At Wildernest we have 10 spacious rooms filled with all the comforts of a home - in a simple stone and exposed brick structure that uses natural materials. No two rooms are identical. And you can choose from two types:
Terraced rooms: With spacious, open sit-outs upstairs.
Secret Gardens: With an intimate little garden that offers total privacy and seclusion.
Frankly, there is no fuss at The Wildernest - comfortable beds, clean sheets and a king sized breakfast each morning. Modern spacious bathrooms, cable TV and telephones are some of the conveniences on hand. The rest of the experience is, naturally, Periyar itself.
The Wildernest is a family and we run it like one. Can you ask for anything. Well, that's where The Team comes in - a small but efficient six-person team - Need an extra pillow? Want an early breakfast because you are out trekking tomorrow? What about a packed snack? They will tell you the history of the land. Or where to get a dinner that's exactly to your taste. Want to go shopping for souvenirs? One of them will walk you down, if he's not too busy !!
We serve breakfasts fit for mountain appetites. You can choose from a groaning table featuring hearty cereals, fresh breads, eggs to order, a tropical fruit platter, home made peanut butter and preserves, plus all the tea and coffee you want. Enough to keep you trekking all day, actually
A 10 minute stroll on either side of The Wildernest will take you to all the options that Periyar has to offer. From dining options to shopping to trekking and boating. Everything you need, from taxis to trinkets to travellers tales can be found here. Just ask our staff to direct you to whatever takes your fancy
Cuisine
It is best to discover your dining options while walking down the road. It only takes a few minutes and you can pick from Kerala, North Indian, Chinese and continental dishes. Rates differ, based on the classiness of the place, but clean and delicious options abound, at pretty reasonable prices too.
Shopping
Look around our small but bustling market streets for Kerala and Kashmiri handicrafts, bookstores, speciality nature shops, and of course the spice shops.
Sightseeing
Walk about the town, through the market place, through the bus stand and off the main road and further on through the quaint tribal village and spice plantations.
Of course, you just need to keep walking south for a few more minutes and you are at the gates of the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
Periyar is 777 sq. km of rugged wilderness. The forests are tropical, a mixture of deciduous, semi-evergreen, and evergreen, relieved by patches of grassland. This breathtaking variety is echoed in the fauna too. You will find spectacular herds of wild elephant roaming free, along with astonishingly diverse species of primates, birds and tropical woodland animals. Your guides know the wildlife well. Till a few years back, they used to poach animals - until the government and a few NGOs convinced them to go straight. So rest assured, you are in the safe hands of experts
Community based ecotourism
People oriented and park centered community based ecotourism is the hallmark of Periyar Tiger Reserve. These programmes are conducted by local people responsible for the surveillance of the vulnerable parts of the reserve. By taking tourists along, they are involved in the conservation of the forests of Periyar and some valuable revenue is generated for community welfare. People who once made a living by illegal operations in the forests have since become forest protectors and earn their livelihood through these programmes. Hence, as a visitor, when you join them in any of these programmes, you are directly contributing towards forest conservation and community welfare.
THE BIRDS OF PERIYAR
There are 16 species of birds that are endemic to the Western Ghats - of which 13 can be spotted in Periyar.
Keep your eyes and ears open for these birds:
Nilgiri Wood Pigeon
Malabar Parakeet
Malabar Grey Hornbill
Rufous Babbler
Whitebellied Treepie
Greyheaded Bulbul
Black & Orange Flycatcher
Nilgiri Flycatcher
Whitebellied Blue Flycatcher
Nilgiri Pipit
Crimsonbacked Sunbird
Whitebellied Shortwing
Broadtailed Grassbird
Col & Mrs John Abraham - your local connection in Kerala will ensure you have a memorable KERALA EXPERIENCE. Kerala - "God's Own Country" - a land bestowed with beauty so enchanting that visitors and warriors alike have been attracted to its shores since ages - the warmth and hospitality of its people, the exotic produces of this Spice Garden and the inviting coconut groves that Mother Nature has gifted to its people have made it one of the most sought after tourist destinations in Asia.
