Mudumalai National Park

Mudumalai National Park is 321 sq km forest reserve with thin, spindly trees and light-slotted leaves concealing spotted chital deer and grunting wild boar. The reserve is the best place to spot wildlife in Tamil Nadu. The creatures you are most likely to see are deer, peacocks, wild boar, langurs and giant Malabar squirrels. There’s also a significant chance of sighting wild elephants (the park has several hundred) and gaur or the Indian bison. The showstopper is the Bengal tiger, however, it is rare to actually spot one in these jungles.

4. Mudumalai National Park:This place is dubbed by Lonely Planet as ‘Tamil Nadu’s top wildlife spotting place’. Mudumalai National Park is a haven for tiger lovers. With Bandipur and Nagarhole in the North and Wayanad in the West, this trio of parks houses over 570 tigers in their area

Soon I reached the end of Bandipur and entered into the Mudhumalai Forest which was marked by a narrow bridge over a stream. It was still raining, even across the border. I halted when I saw a shop across the road. Tea was the fuel I need. After sipping through two cups of scalding tea, I got back to the road.

The Mudumalai National Park is a buffer zone to the Mudumalai Biosphere Reserve, and lies on the north-western side of the Nilgiri Hills. The protected area is divided into five ranges, namely, Masinagudi, Thepakadu, Mudumalai, Kargudi and Nellakota. The Western Ghats Nilgiri Sub-Cluster of 6,000 square kilometre includes the national park, together comprising a UNESCO World Heritage Site.The sanctuary is home to several endangered and vulnerable species, such as over 300 species of birds, the Bengal Tiger and Indian Leopard. In total, the Mudumalai National Park protects 55 species of mammals, who are in higher density in the area due to the dry deciduous forest. Mudumalai protects 13% of all mammal species in India.