Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the popular sanctuaries of Kerala. It is located at about 50 km northeast of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala. Spread over an area of 53 sq km the sanctuary is composed of dense forests. The Peppara dam is built on the Karamana River. It was declared as a sanctuary in 1983. The dam was built to increase the drinking water supply to Thiruvananthapuram and the adjoining suburbs. The sanctuary has been famous for its unique eco-diversity. The Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary is been partially merged with the Palode reserve and partially with the Kottoor reserve. The topography of the wildlife sanctuary is quite hilly with elevations varying between 100 meters to 1,717 meters.

Flora and Fauna of Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary
The Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary houses a rich variety of flora and fauna. The major wildlife species found in the wildlife sanctuary are tiger, panther, wild dog, lion tailed macaque, elephant, gaur, sambhar, barking deer, mouse deer, wild boar, Nilgiri, langur, Malabar squirrel etc. A variety of bird species are also found here like darter, little cormorant, pied king fisher and egrets are most commonly seen in the sanctuary. Several species of snakes including the king cobra and python are present in this sanctuary. The Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary is also famous for its wide variety of moth and butterflies. Apart from the wildlife, there are 13 tribal settlements in the Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary. A boat ride on the site is a pleasing experience.

The forest areas of the wildlife sanctuary mainly consist of three major forest belts, Southern hilltop tropical evergreen forests, West coast semi- evergreen forests and the Southern moist mixed deciduous forests.

Transportation to Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary
Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary is easily accessible by road, rail and air. The nearest airport is Thiruvananthapuram (32 Kms) from where frequent and regular buses are available for Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary.

The nearest railhead from the sanctuary is Thiruvananthapuram, which is well connected with Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi and even Kashmir. The buses are available for the sanctuary from Trivandrum. By Road Peppara wildlife sanctuary is easily and conveniently accessible from Vithurai on Thiruvananthapuram - Ponmudi road.