Exploring the silent world of the Silent Valley National Park

Silent Valley National Park is situated in the Nilgiri Hills of the Western Ghats, and covers an area of approximately 90 sq km. It is one of the last remaining tracts of tropical evergreen forest in India, and is an important conservation area for many endangered species.

Like many, we too pondered upon the name – Silent Valley. The park gets its name from the fact that there are no sounds of cicadas in the valley, which is unusual for a tropical rainforest. The sound of the cicada is what you get to hear as you enter a forest area. These insects make a distinct sound, one that is very different from the usual sounds of the birds and the animals. The absence of these insects in the area gave the forest its name.


Silent Valley National Park is one of the few remaining areas of virgin tropical evergreen forest in India, and is home to several species of plants and animals that are found nowhere else in the world. The park is a biodiversity hotspot and is home to over 1,000 species of flowering plants, 128 species of orchids, and 34 species of mammals.


The national park is also home to several species of birds, including the endangered Sri Lankan frogmouth, the great hornbill, and the Malabar trogon.



The park is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna, including rare and endangered species such as the lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur, and Malabar giant squirrel. The park is known for its scenic beauty with lush green forests, rolling hills, and sparkling streams that attract visitors from all over the world.


The park is open to visitors from 8 AM to 1 PM and from 2 PM to 5 PM every day, and entry is restricted to a limited number of visitors to minimise the impact on the park's ecosystem.