Straggling over an area of 90 sq km in the Devikulam taluk of the Idukki district, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is a much sought after wildlife reserve. Cuddled up in the warm lap of the Western Ghats, Chinnar was recognized as a wildlife sanctuary in 1984. Chinnar is placed within the rain shadow region of the Western Ghats, so it receives very little rainfall. It rains only 48 days in a year during the months of October and November when Northeast monsoons are at work. The Chinnar wildlife sanctuary is domicile to the endangered giant grizzled squirrel of India among other animals and birds like tigers, elephants, bonnet macaques, gaur, kraits, spotted deer, spectacled cobras, sambar, turtles, vipers, little cormorants, darters and black eagles. The place is also ideal for adventure sports like boating and trekking.

The rich flora and fauna of Chinnar supports a variety of trees, including the unique thorny scrub forest with the rare Xerophytic species. The foliage of the sanctuary involves dry deciduous forest, thorny scrub forests, high sholas and wet grasslands. Chinnar Wildlife sanctuary is indeed a luxuriant valley of serene greenery tarnished by the clear blue clouds. The range of species of flora include Acacia arabica (Karivelam), Acacia leucofolia (Velvelam), Santalum album (Chandanam), Anogeissuslatifolia (Mazhukanjiram), Elaeocarpus recurvatus (Bhadraksham) and Strobilanthus kunthianus (Neelakurinji).

The rippling countryside complemented by mind-blowing display of scoured rocks enhances the verve of the sanctuary. The best time to visit the sanctuary is from December to April. Private lodges providing accommodation are available at Marayoor, Munnar and Udumalpetta. The government guesthouses at Munnar and Udumalpetta also offer accomodation.