Konni

A forested village situated on the banks of the mighty Achankovil River in Pathanamthitta District, Konni has a long and rich history of man-forest interface. Crisscrossed by numerous streams and rivulets, and the vast expanse of the Western Ghats, Konni is renowned for its Elephant Training Centre - the oldest of its kind in India. One of the first Reserve Forests in the State, the forests in and around Konni were once inhabited by aboriginals. A repository of rich biodiversity, this unique land was constituted into Konni and Achankovil Reserve Forests way back in 1897 and 1901 respectively. The forested tract in this geographical location provides the right climate and environment for the development and sustenance of diverse flora including a variety of medicinal herbs.

Ecotourism Activities

Konni, rich in cash crops is extremely popular for its elephants and 'aanakoodu'. Built in 1941, the Elephant Training Centre or aanakoodu, facilitates elephant viewing, elephant feeding, elephant ride etc. An Elephant Museum, planned to be developed as a complete natural history museum based on elephants, has been set up here. The Elephant Camp at Konni serves as a hub for forest-based ecotourism activities and various other locations in the forest too have been developed as camp sites, which can be accessed through trekking. Visitors going on treks will be assisted by trained guides.

Trekking Trails

Half-day trek to the evergreen forests of Kurichi, Chavarpandy etc. Peruvally in Kallar River is an enchanting location for relaxation after half a day of trekking.
Kattathi, Kottampara and Aluvamkudy are locations, which can be accessed by a one-day trek through sylvan forests.
Manalar-Kumbhavurutty in Achankovil is a rejuvenating waterfall deep inside the forest, which can be accessed by two days of trekking.

Accessing Konni

Location: Situated in Pathanamthitta District.

Distance

Air: Thiruvananthapuram International Airport is about 110 km away. Cochin International Airport is 165 km away.
Rail: Chengannur railway station is about 35 km away.
Road: About 10 km from Pathanamthitta, the district headquarters.