Mathikettan Shola

Mathikettan Shola

Spread over 12.82 sq km, Mathikettan Shola National Park is located 130 km west of Madurai, in Udumbanchola taluk of Idukki district in Kerala. The national park gets its name from Tamil term which literally translates to ‘mind confuser’. It is named so because the locals believe that the path leading to the national park confuses people as soon as they enter the forest.

               Situated between many other reserved forests like the Pampadam Shola National Park and Eravikulam National Park, the Mathikettan Shola National Park was part of the Cardamom Hill Reserve region till it was notified as a national park in 2003. The region was notified as a national park owing to the unique characteristics of the shola forests.

             The national park is a biodiversity hotspot and plays a vital role in safeguarding wildlife in the region. The terrain, difficult to cross, acts as a natural defence in the protection of the animals and protects their natural habitat. The forest is home to beautiful and rare animals like tigers, panthers, wild elephants, giant grizzled squirrel, flying squirrels, spotted deers and Nilgiri tahrs. The park abounds in snakes too like king cobras, pythons, vipers and rat snakes, turtles, crocodiles and lizards.

              The region attracts large numbers of adventure seekers, especially trekkers. Trails running through the forests provide amazing views of the region and you can spot animals and birds in their natural habitat.