Wildlife Areas in Tamilnadu

Tamilnadu Wildlife

There are five National Parks and seventeen wildlife sanctuaries in Tamil Nadu. Some of the important wildlife sanctuaries in Tamil Nadu are the Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Kalakadu Wildlife Sanctuary, Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary, Kunthakulam Bird Sanctuary, Mundanthurai Tiger Sanctuary, Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park, the Viralimalai Sanctuary and the Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary. The Marine National Park and the Guindy National Park are one of the most visited places.

Anna Zoological Park
Situated at Vandalur, in the outskirts of Chennai, the Anna zoological park is one of the modern zoos of India and the biggest in South East Asia. The zoological Park spreads over an area of about 510 hectares of dry evergreen forests.

Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary
Anamalai wildlife sanctuary is one of the most attractive preserves of nature in Tamil Nadu. It is also called the India Gandhi national Park and located in the Western Ghats near Pollachi, about 90 km from Coimbatore. The wildlife sanctuary is spread over an area of about 958-sq-kms.

Crocodile Bank
The Chennai Crocodile Bank is located about 44 Km from the Chennai city. This crocodile bank houses several species of Indian and African crocodiles and alligators. Here, the crocodiles are kept in their natural environment in open pools and can be viewed from safe proximity.

Guindy National Park
The Guindy National Park forms one of the main attractions for people coming to Chennai for vacations. The National Park is an amazing picnic spot for you, your family and friends. Spending a day out in the lap of nature and wildlife is an amazing experience. To add to its natural beauty, the National Park has a snake park and a children's park.

Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park
The Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park is a unique marine biosphere reserve, located in the Tuticorin and Ramanathapuram districts of Tamilnadu. Rich in marine life, the Gulf of Mannar is spread over an area of about 10,500-sq-kms with 21 islands and continuous stretches of coral reef.

Mudumalai Bird Sanctuary
The Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary is located amidst the beautiful Nilgiri Hills. This is the point where the Western Ghats merge with the Eastern Ghats. The relief of the sanctuary is an interesting mix of plain, swamp, undulating parkland, open grassland, valleys and streams. There is a National Park measuring 103 sq km inside the sanctuary.

Mukkurthi National Park
The Mukkurthi National Park is located in the Nilgiri Hills and forms a part of the Nilgiri Biosphere reserves. It is interspersed with sholas and woodland. Situated about 40 Km from Udhagamandalam, Mukkurthi National Park is home to a variety of animal and bird life.

Point Calimere Sanctuary
In Tamilnadu, there is no end to your wildlife adventure and exploration as we take you to yet another wildlife sanctuary- the Point Calimere Sanctuary. Spread over an area of about 17.26 sq km and surrounded by sea and shore, Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in the Nagapattinam district of Tamilnadu.

Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary
Vedanthangal, the oldest bird sanctuary in India is one place, which can't easily fade off from one's memories. The sanctuary is an amazing place to be in, especially during the Sunset, as you can spot thousands of birds returning to their nests and dotting trees. You can spot several species of birds of which most are migratory.

Touring around chennai with Your Kids

Fun activities and things to do for kids, in and around Chennai

• Dakshina Chitra - Dakshina Chitra is a museum of South Indian cultural heritage. Kids can visit various stalls set up by artisans from around the country. On weekends they have puppet shows. They also have an art corner where kids can do some painting and craft. Our kids just enjoy going there over and over again.
• Crocodile park - Madras Crocodile Bank is an interesting place for kids. It has crocodiles, snakes, Olive Ridley turtles etc. Your kids can hold a baby crocodile and touch a snake. For a small fee you can also see them feed the crocodiles. You can also witness snake venom extraction.
• Boating at Muttukadu.
• Fishermans Cove or GRT - Sunday lunch/brunch with kids, by the beach. Adults can enjoy the food, the children will be taken care of by the employees.
• Vanilla Place, Mylapore - Padded play gym, movement classes, bollywood dance.
• Vandalur Zoo (Arignar Anna Zoological Park) - Lions, tigers, bears, deer, hippos, giraffes, etc. It involves a lot of walking and kids can get tired quickly.
• Marina Beach.
• Besant Nagar Beach or the Elliot's Beach - Fun with the sea. There is also a food court which has a kids play area attached to it.
• Hansel and Gretel, T. Nagar - Airconditioned indoor play area for kids.
• The Fun Zone or Fun City in Chennai Citi Centre Mall - Play arcade for children. Electronic toys and Video games.
• Theme Parks like MGM Dizzee World, Queensland,Kishkinta, V.G.P, Maayajal etc.
• Aquarium - Near Santhome on Kamarajar Salai.
• Guindy Children's Park.
• Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary - don't forget to take your binoculars.
• Fort St. George.
• Government museum on Pantheon Road, Egmore.
• The Birla Planetarium and Periyar Science and Technology Center (on Gandhi Mandapam Road) is also an interesting place to visit for children. The Science center in particular has some good exhibits (though some are broken). Children can easily spend a couple of hours here having fun.
• Kotturpuram library
• Express Avenue in Royapettah
• Tholkappiar Poonga in Adyar
• Sempozhipoonga In Anna Salai

Please feel free to add to this list, in the comments.