Location: 15
km from Munnar.
Visiting hours: 7:00 am to 6:00
pm.
A sanctuary for the
endangered mountain
goat of South India, the Nilgiri Tahr (
Hemitragus hylocrious),
the Eravikulam National Park
stands out for the stark beauty of its
rolling grasslands and
sholas, spread over 97 sq km in the Rajamalai
hills.
Anamudi, the highest
peak (2695 m) South of
the Himalayas, towers over the sanctuary in
majestic pride.
The slopes of the hills abound in all kinds of rare
flora and
fauna. The Atlas moth, the largest of its kind in the
world,
is a unique inhabitant of the park. Other rare species of
fauna found here are the Nilgiri Langur, the Lion-tailed macaque,
leopards and tigers.
An ideal place for
trekking, facilities are provided here and tourists are allowed to
go on foot up to Anamudi.
A protected area, the
sanctuary is divided into three regions - the core area, the buffer
area and the tourism area. Visitors are allowed only to the
tourism
area - Rajamalai - the region lying beyond the road
entry into
Eravikulam. Here one can observe the Nilgiri Tahr
at close quarters.
Don't make this your
destination for a
monsoon visit because visitors are not allowed
here during
this season.
Getting there:
Eravikulam is 15 km from Munnar.
Nearest
railway stations: Kottayam, about 142 km from Munnar;
Ernakulam, about 130 km from Munnar.
Nearest
airports: Madurai (Tamilnadu) about 142 km; Cochin
International Airport, about 150 km.
