Silent Valley National Park is an 89.52 sq km national park situated in the Nilgiri hills of Kerala, India. It is renowned as the last remaining evergreen forest in the Sahya Ranges and boasts a diverse range of rare flora and fauna. The park is open daily from 8 AM to 1 PM.
The park is a valuable resource for botanists, containing approximately 1,000 species of flowering plants, 107 species of orchids, 100 ferns, 200 liverworts, 75 lichens, and around 200 algae. Additionally, the park is home to a diverse range of animals. The park is categorized into four forest types:
– West-coast tropical evergreen forest (600–1,100 m)
– Southern subtropical broad-leaved hill forest (1,300–1,800 m)
– Southern montane wet temperate forest (above 1,900 m)
– Grassland
The entry fee is 50 per person, 1,600 per jeep, 150 for a guide, 200 for a video camera, and 25 for a still camera.
The park is situated in the northeast corner of Palakkad district, at the intersection of Mannarkkad Taluk in Palakkad district, Nilambur Taluk in Malappuram district, Kerala, and Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu. The main entrance to the park is located in Mukkali, along the Mannarkkad–Attappady route, approximately 20 km from Mannarkkad.