Bear Villa

We are great choice when visiting Idukki. Providing an ideal mix of value, comfort and convenience, it offers an array of amenities designed for travellers like you. Guest rooms offer amenities such as a flat screen TV, a seating area and a desk, and guests can go online with free wifi offered by the lodge. We features a 24 hour front desk, to help make your stay more enjoyable.

Falling in the High range of Idukki, the tract surrounds the Periyar lake, which was created in 1899 building a dam across the river. The lake is 26 sq.km. The forest around the lake were declared as Reserved Forests in 1899. The enlightened Maharaja of Travancore, realizing the significance of conservation, appointed Mr. S. C. H. Robinson as the first Game Warden. Based on his recommendations the forests around the lake were turned into a Sanctuary in 1934, the Nellikkampatti Sanctuary. The Sanctuary, assumed a new identity in 1950 and has been managed by a separate game department until it was merged with the Forest Department in 1966. It was declared a Tiger Reserve in 1978 under the Project Tiger scheme. The Reserve is 777 sq.km in extent and is a part of a chunk of forests contiguous with Ranni extending upto Achenkoil. The area receives an average rainfall of 2,500 mm. Noted for its geomorphology, Wild life and scenic beauty, Periyar Tiger Reserve attracts travellers from all over the world.

It also harbours an aquatic ecosystem within itself. Numerous small islets in the large, 50 year old artificial lake remind us of the intricate, inherent interrelationship among the terrestrial, aquatic and subterranean life forms. This is the only Sanctuary in India where the Elephant can be observed and photographed at close quarters from the safety of a boat. Topography and Vegetation The undulating hilly terrain of the Reserve has the evergreen, semievergreen and moist deciduous forests. The upper slopes have extensive stretches of Savannah grasslands. Elevation ranges from 900 to 2014 m (at Vellimalai).