Gavi is a village in Pathanamthitta

Pathanamthitta district

Pathanamthitta district is the youngest district located in the southern part of the state of Kerala, India. The district headquarters is in Pathanamthitta town. The district is surrounded by Kottayam, Idukki, Alappuzha and Kollam districts. It has a border with the state of Tamil Nadu in the east...

, Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. It is located 28 km southwest of Vandiperiyar

Vandiperiyar

Vandiperiyar is a town in Idukki district, Kerala, India.famous in tourism,tea plantation,coffe plantation, black pepper and other spicy products.Number of tea factories are situated here.Famous river PERIYAR flows through the city.-Geography:...

, a town in Idukki

Idukki district

Idukki district is one among the 14 districts of Kerala state, India. The district headquarters is located at in Painavu.It is the second least populous district in Kerala, after Wayanad .-Etymology:...

 on N.H 220, the highway connecting Kollam

Kollam

Kollam , often anglicized as ', is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. The city lies on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake on the Arabian sea coast and is situated about north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram...

 and Madurai

Madurai

Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...

.

Getting there

Gavi is 28 km south west of Vandiperiyar, 14 km from Kumily, near Thekkady

Thekkady

Thekkady is the location of the Periyar National Park, which is an important tourist attraction in the Kerala state of India.- Overview :...

. The rough journey to Gavi may better be made on a sturdy vehicle like jeep which are available on hire either from Vandiperiyar or from Kumily. Entry passes must be obtained from the Forest Check Post enroute at Vallakkadavu. Advance booking with the Kerala Forest Development Corporation Ltd. is highly appreciable wherein such formalities will be taken care of by the Company itself. Gavi is part of the Periyar Tiger reserve, and the route can be covered by car from Vandiperiyar. The entrance fee is 25 rupees per person and 50 rupees per vehicle. Cameras are 25 rupees and vido cameras are charged 100 rupees. Both day and night stays are available. Forest tent camping is available from November through March.

Air

The Kochi International Airport (200 km), Trivandrum International Airport (250 km)and Madurai (195 km) are the nearest airports.

Rail

The nearest railway station is Kottayam (120 km) and is well connected with Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi.

Road

Regular buses are available to Vandiperiyar from Kottayam, Kochi & Thiruvananthapuram. A small bus rattles even up to Gavi from Vandiperiyar. KSRTC service is available both from Kumaly and Pathanamthitta(Pathanamthitta-Perunad-Muzhiyar-Kakki-Gavi-Kumily).

Flora and fauna

Gavi's evergreen forests are abundant with wildlife including the Tiger

Tiger

The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...

, elephants

Asian Elephant

The Asian or Asiatic elephant is the only living species of the genus Elephas and distributed in Southeast Asia from India in the west to Borneo in the east. Three subspecies are recognized — Elephas maximus maximus from Sri Lanka, the Indian elephant or E. m. indicus from mainland Asia, and E. m....

, Leopards, Bears, Indian Gaur

Gaur

The gaur , also called Indian bison, is a large bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. The species is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986 as the population decline in parts of the species' range is likely to be well over 70% over the last three generations...

, sambar, barking and mouse deers

Chevrotain

Chevrotains, also known as mouse deer, are small ungulates that make up the family Tragulidae, the only members of the infraorder Tragulina. There are 10 living species in three genera, but there are also several species only known from fossils...

, Lion Tailed Macaque, Nilgiri Marten and more than 250 species of birds.

Climate

Summer: February–April, daytime temperatures up to 28 C. but can drop to 20 degree C at night.
Monsoon: June - August, daytime temperatures up to 25 C but can drop to 10 degree C at night.

Clothing

Casual, lightweight, comfortable, light coloured cotton clothing. Warm clothing may be required at night

Activities

• Trekking
• Wildlife watching
• Birding
• Stay at top tree huts
• Outdoor camping in forest around
• Safaris through jungle roads
• Visit to paradise cove at Ninnumulli
• Boating in the Gavi& kochupampa lakes.
• Leisurely walks through spice gardens
• Visit to cardamom factory
• Climb to Sabarimala temple view

Gallery

Image:Malabar_Giant_Squirrel.JPG|Indian Giant Squirrel

Indian Giant Squirrel

The Indian giant squirrel, or Malabar giant squirrel, is a large tree squirrel species genus Ratufa native to India. It is a large-bodied diurnal, arboreal, and herbivorous squirrel found in South Asia.-Description:...

Image:gavi_elephants.jpg|Indian Elephants near Gavi
Image:gavi_elephants_2.jpg|Indian Elephants near Gavi
Image:indian_bison_gavi.jpg|Indian Bison(Gaur) spotted in Gavi

External links

• Gavi Tourism
• Kerala Forest Development Corporation
• Trip advisor
• Trekila tours
• Periyar Wild Life
• Gavi Trekking