Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary is a huge national park which hosts a number of diverse species of animals and birds. A night safari at Masinagudi is a complete thrill in an open jeep. Read more to find what adventures you can indulge in here.
Tamil Nadu is the state in India that sees the maximum number of tourists every year. It has a number of tourist attractions and the whole state is full of natural surroundings, flora and fauna, mountains, and wildlife. Mudumalai National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary is also one its major tourist places. It is more commonly known as a tiger reserve but it has a diversity of wildlife species which this whole protective area covers. The National Park is located at the zone where the adjoining boundaries of two other states, Kerala and Karnataka, meet. Mudumalai National Sanctuary has five different natural ranges – Masinagudi, Mudumalai, Theppakadu, Kargudi, and Nellakota. Masinagudi is the main part of the whole national park and the most famous one. Owing to this reason, there are a number of hotels in Masinagudi, providing convenient accommodation choices to the visitors.
The endangered and vulnerable species that the Mudumalai National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary protects include Indian elephant, Indian leopard, Bengal Tiger, gaur, and about 270 species of birds. Even the white-rumped vulture which is considered to be facing a critical extinction threat can be found here. The number of tigers currently protected at Mudumalai Tiger Reserve is 48. To ensure the safeguards and to watch against poachers, a natural habitat has been maintained at the sanctuary. Nearby residents were evicted after being adequately compensated to create a 5 k.m. wide buffer zones. If you are planning to visit Mudumalai sanctuary for a few days, you can stay in one of the budget hotels in Masinagudi which offer reasonable tariff.
The park has several attractions for the tourists. There is a Chief Minister’s Watchtower which gives you a royal overview into the whole park. The Moyar river that runs through the thick forests is a place where you can spot the wild animals quenching their thirst. The river also features a huge gorge and a high waterfall. There is a museum at the Elephant Feeding Camp where some of dead animals of the sanctuary are preserved. There are night safaris from Masinagudi which is a thrilling experience. Visitors who stay in hotels in Masinagudi have an advantage that they can join these open jeep night safaris easily. Keeping safety in mind, the safaris run peripherally around the roads about the whole forest and not through it. If you want to make your trip more adventurous, you can check in one of the cottages that is provided by the forest department on first come first serve basis. The choices of accommodation, however, are not limited to that as there are guest houses and private resorts in the area which can also be a nice abode for your vacation.
Some nearby attractions around the Mudumalai National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary are Wayanad Sanctuary, which is the second largest wildlife protection area in Kerala with green forests and diverse fauna, and Bandipur National Park, which is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and is a large conservation area for tigers.
To explore more about Tamilnadu and to visit some of its religious sites, you can visit the medieval temple town of devout Hindus Kumbakonam.
