Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary in Kollam is a beautiful natural haven located in Southern Kerala.It is the only wildlife sanctuary in the district and is renowned for its biodiversity and beauty.Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area in the Western Ghats and comes under the control of the Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve. It was established on 25 August 1984 and comprises 172.403 square kilometres (66.565 sq mi) and also surrounded by the reservoir of Thenmala Dam.The Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary is a treasure house of plant diversity. About 1257 species of flowering plants belonging to more than 150 families are reported from this sanctuary of which 309 species are endemic to Western Ghats. Birds from 267 species including migratory, endemic and endangered species have been reported here.The first eco-tourism project in India, Thenmala Eco-tourism Project has been formulated in and around Shenduruney Wildlife Sanctuary.
The sanctuary is full of many picturesque vantage points. It has a host of trekking trails that takes one on a wonderful journey through these evergreen forests. Irrigation in Kollam and Pathanamthitta districts is taken care of by the Parappar Dam that was built across the Shendurney River. One comes across a rare tree species called Chenkurunji (Glutatravancorica) while travelling the forest. A safari here introduces one to hosts of wild herds including deer, monkey and bison.It has a presence of lion-tailed macaque, a highly endangered species. A brood of the highly elusive nocturnal forest bird, the Great Eared Nightjar was spotted for the first time at Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary in Kollam, Kerala. Earlier, it was recorded from the Siruvani foothills in Tamil Nadu in May 1995. The Great Eared Nightjar (Eurostopodus macrotis bourdilloni) belongs to the nightjar family. It gets its name from the two erect earlike tufts of feathers on its head, behind the eyes).
The wild forest of Shendurney offers an opportunity to the eco-tourists to explore the unique beauty of wilderness of Shendurney Forests along two types of trekking programmes– Soft trekking and Hard trekking. Some of the popular hard trekking are Sky Walk, Reservoir Walk and Wet ‘N’ Wild trial. Explore the trekking trails.
To enjoy the wilderness of the Thenmala-Shendurney forests, do take a camping package and unleash yourself. Idimuzhanganpara Nights is a trekking and camping programme where stay has been arranged at a camp near the beautiful reservoir, called the Idimuzhangan camp. Woody Rockwood, another camping program where your hut is situated deep inside the forests. Kurumthotti Top Hut Camping is a great chance for the visitors to see the wildlife from the top of a hut and to enjoy the sounds of wilderness at night.
The Parappar Dam reservoir inside Shendurney forest offers boating facility for the travellers.
Tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forest cover a major area of the sanctuary. It is a gorgeous place to just relax and enjoy a nice picnic.
Getting there
Nearest railway station: Shengottai (Tamil Nadu), about 15 km away
Nearest airport: Trivandrum International Airport, about 53 km away
