ERAVIKULAM NATIONAL PARK


Eravikulam National Park in Munnar

Eravikulam National park is located in Munnar in Idukki district of Kerala. Eravikulam national park is located at a distance of about 17 km from Munnar. Eravikulam national park is established with the main objective of conserving endangered Nilgiri tahr. Situated at an elevation of 2000 meters on the slopes of the western ghats. This region is the highest National park in Kerala. The park covers an area of 97 square kilometer.


Eravikulam national park

Views at  Eravikulam national Park

It is estimated that there are more than a thousand sheep in the western ghats due to conservation activities. Reproduction of stripes take place in January- February. The mother will be in full care of the sheep For the next 2 months after the lambs are born. It is for these reasons that visitors do not enter here during the park. The ban is sometimes imposed from January- April. In the Eravikulam national park, the stripes are mostly found in the Rajamala, Panthumala and Chinnapanthumala. These areas will be monitored by forest watchers to prevent accident such as wildfires even if visitors are barred from entering. Tourist arrivals from Munnar Will also be reduced due to the closure of this place, which is an important tourist destination of Munnar.

Twenty six species of mammals have been recorded in the park including the largest surviving population of Nilgiri tahr, estimated at about 750 individuals. Endangered species such as lion tailed macaques, Nilgiri tahr, monkeys,deer and wild buffalo are found here. Apart from these , the tiger, leopard, golden jackal, jungle cat, wild dog , and dhole is also found in Eravikulam national park.

132 species of birds have been recorded in the eravikulam national park, which includes black and orange flycatcher, Nilgiri pipit, Nilgiri wood pigeon, white bellied shortwing, Nilgiri flycatcher and Kerala laughing thrush.

Endemic butterflies confined to the shola grassland ecosystem like the red disk bush brown and palni fourring are among the 101 species in the park.

19 species of Amphibians have been recorded in the park.

The place is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna such as grasslands, shrubs, and mangroves. There are other species of orchids and wild balsam that are not found any where else. Anamudi , the highest peak in South India, is located here.

Anamudi peak


Eravikulam national park is administered by the Kerala department of forest and wildlife, and Munnar wildlife division.

Formerly known as the Hamilton plateau, it was formerly the hunting ground of the kannan devan hill company. In 1895 the area is designated a High Range Preservation Association protected area. Acquired as surplus land by the government of Kerala in 1971, the site has been declared a wildlife sanctuary due to its unique location. In 1975 transformed into a national park. Later it was named as  Eravikulam National Park in 1978.


Eravikulam national park


Private vehicles are not permitted inside the Eravikulam National park. Instead, only vehicles provided by the forest department have entry in to the Eravikulam national park, tourists need to go in that vehicles. On the way to Eravikulam National park, there is a waterfall which is a sight to behold.


Another major attraction of eravikulam national park is the Neelakurinji flower. Neelakurinji  is a shrubs found in the grasslands Shola forest above 1500 meter in the western ghats. The flowers bloom in clusters every 12 years. Neelakurinji blooms from August - October. Many tourists come here to see the Neelakurinji spring. The meadows and hills of Munnar are always a favourite destination for visitors, both during and after the Neelakurinji flowering season. 



Neelakurinji flower


There is an entrance fee to see the Neelakurinji blossoms at Eravikulam Rajamala. Tickets can be purchased online or  let's go straight and pick it up. It is better to buy tickets online.  There are about 450 species of Neelakurinji  found only in South East Asian countries, of these, 40 percentage are in india. Studies show that there are 64 species of kurinjis in the western ghats. It grows at an altitude of about 1200 meter above sea level. Visiting hours for Eravikulam National park are from 8.30 am to 4 pm. It takes 2-3 hours to visit Eravikulam National Park.

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