Eravikulam National Park
Home to the largest population of the endangered species ‘Nilgiri Tahr’, Eravikulam National Park is the most famous tourist place in Munnar. Spread over 97 square kms of land, it is a must visit for nature and wildlife enthusiast, trekkers and photographers. The rare plant of ‘Neelakurinji’ blooms here once every 12 years. Another highlight of this park is the ‘Anamudi Peak’ which is the highest peak in all of South India with a height of almost 2700 meters, giving more reason to trekkers to visit here. So, whether its enjoying beauty of the nature or trekking in the wild, Eravikulam National Park is a place to be.
Eravikulam National Park is a haven to too many endangered species especially the magical ‘Nilgiri Tahr’ which is only found in this National Park. Eravikulam National Park fosters about 26 mammal species like Lion Tailed Macaques, Red Muntjacs (barking deer), Nilgiri Langurs, etc. If you are a bird watcher this park also has over 130 bird species to discover including birds like Nilgiri Pipits and Black & Orange Flycatchers etc. A diverse no. different of Butterflies, Amphibians and Reptiles can also be spotted here.
The park is also constituted with three types of different plant communities that is Shola Forest, grasslands and shrublands. Once in every 12 years, tourists from all over the world come to the park to witness a garden of beautiful purplish-blue flower the ‘Neelakurinji’. Medicinal plants and various other species of more than 800 flowers can be found in the Eravikulam National Park.
The time to visit here is mainly influenced by monsoon season i.e. during the months of June to August with heavy rainfall causing landslides as well. The month of April and May although are the hottest but still sees a bit of tourism because of the clear weather conditions. The best time to visit the park lies between the month of September to January because of occasional to no showers and pleasant weather condition which is great for sightseeing and exploring.
Eravikulam National Park entry is open from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Fee to enter the park is as follows: -
Want to enhance your travel itinerary along with the visit to the Eravikulam National Park, one can visit many other places nearby to it. Here are some must visit places around the park for you to explore: -
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