Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary

Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary covers about 53 sq km of evergreen forest, freshwater swamp and hills, roughly 50 km from Thiruvananthapuram. Thirteen tribal settlements lie within it. Records list more than 100 butterfly species, 43 mammals and 233 birds, among them the white-bellied treepie and the Malabar trogon, and the vulnerable tree Vateria indica grows here. Elephants, tigers and leopards also live in the forest.

Unusually, much of the sanctuary can be explored on foot along a network of trekking trails, and safari rides are also offered. The Peppara and Kallar rivers run through the area, and Peppara Dam looks out over the forested hills. Meenmutty Falls, about 300 feet high, is another stop.