Eravikulam

Eravikulam

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 Kannan devan hills. The goats are not shy of tourists and even come very close to a touchable distance. It is an ideal place for seeing the biodiversity of high elevation shola-grassland ecosystem. Visitors are taken to Rajamalai in forest department vehicles and given an opportunity to see all this. Private vehicles are not allowed here. Eravikulam park remains closed during the months of January and February, being the calving season of the goats.

            Anamudi, the highest peak (2695 m) south of Himalayas, stands majestically in the core area of the national park. It peaks over the park’s southern border. The giant hill is an Idukki tourist attraction that is a hit with trekkers. The slopes of the hills abound in many kinds of rare flora which include rare terrestrial and epiphytic orchids, and beautiful wild balsams. Important fauna here are the Nilgiri Tahr, Nilgiri Langur, leopard, tiger, Indian bison, etc.

             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. Strobilanthus (neelakurinji), the rare plant that flowers once in a decade, grows in abundance within the park territory.