The Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary (Photo courtesy: Kerala Tourism)
Are you travelling to Kerala anytime soon for a vacation? If yes, then you must flip through the pages of a new coffee-table book series brought out by the state tourism department. The book series, that’s filled with some exhilarating photographs of Kerala’s must-visit destinations, also informs the reader about the history of the place.
Kerala, the southern state that lies on the beautiful coast of the Arabian Sea, has possibly everything a traveller might look for — beaches, hills, backwaters, tea gardens and dense forests. Although the state has struggled in the past to climb the ladder for domestic tourist footfalls, it is making up for it by drawing in a huge crowd of foreign tourists every year. The state, that has some of the best social indicators and an expansive green cover, has also been voted by National Geographic as ‘one of the 50 must-see destinations of a lifetime.’
The first quartet of the book series, titled ‘Sanctuary for the Soul’ focuses on Periyar, Parambikulam, Eravikulam and Silent Valley, all four very pristine sanctuaries and wildlife reserves. While Manu Remakant has written the book, the photographs are by Balan Madhavan.
Eco-tourism has been one of the highlights of the state that successive governments have pushed for. Over 28% of the state’s forests are protected and there are 17 wildlife sanctuaries at present in the state. Periyar, home to tigers, elephants and gaur, is one of the 27 tiger reserves in the country.
The Eravikulam National Park in Munnar, Kerala (Photo courtesy: Kerala Tourism)
The Silent Valley National Park, located in Palakkad district within the Nilgiri hills, and abounding in dense, green forests is another great addition to the bucket list of travellers.
The coffee-table books are available at outlets of the Kerala Forest Department and information centres of Kerala tourism. Those wishing to read them online can do so on Kindle as well.
