About

Eravikulam National Park is also known as Rajamalai National Park is a 97 km2 national park located in the High Ranges (Kannan Devan Hills) of the Southern Western Ghats in the Devikulam Taluk in the Idukki district of Kerala in India. It is the first national park in Kerala. Located 15 km from Munnar, it is one of the most important tourist destinations in Kerala. The national park is managed by the Kerala Department of Forest and Wildlife, Munnar. In 1975 Eravikulam was declared as a wildlife sanctuary and then in 1978, it was given the status of a National park. The main motive behind this was to protect the rare Nilgiri Tahr and Hemitragus Hylocrious, which are common here. But now the park is home to numerous protected species of flora and fauna. The Park is breathtakingly beautiful and is easily comparable to the best of mountain ranges in the Alps. With the highest peak south of the Himalayas – the Anamudi, located here, nature enthusiasts have ample opportunities for trekking expeditions and wildlife spotting. The park which is also known as Rajamalai National Park was a hunting preserve for the British planters and was owned by Rajamalai and Eravikulam during the British rule and then was forked over to Kannan Deven Hills for tea plantation. Later the area was declared as a sanctuary with an objective of protecting the indigenous population of Nilgiri Tahr. 29 Species of mammals are found here of which 5 are endemic to the Western Ghats. The Nilgiri Tahr, Gaur, Sloth Bear, Nilgiri Langur, Tiger, Leopard, Giant Squirrel, A number of elephants, langur and marten can be found here and wild dog are common. Half the world population of the endangered Nilgiri Tahr lives here. Panthers are usually sighted in the open grasslands while Civet cats and Jungle cats live in the Sholas. 140 species of birds of which 10 are unique to the Western Ghats. The Atlas moth, the largest of its kind in the world is seen in this Park. More than 100 varieties of butterflies have been recorded here. Besides 20 species of amphibians are also seen. The tourism zone of Eravikulam National Park is known for the close quarter sighting of Nilgiri Tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius) and massive flowering of Neelakurinji (Strobilanthus kunthianum) an endemic shrub that flowers once in 12 years. It is the massive flowering of Neelakurinji and the heavy flow of visitors to the National Park.

Tips

• The Park will be closed during the breeding season of the tahrs which falls mostly from late February to early April.
  
• To buy entrance ticket's all members of the family do not have to wait in the queue. One person can wait in the queue and others can join in nearer the boarding point.
•  Get the tickets booked online. There are limited online tickets and have to be booked at least 2 days in advance. The advantage is that the online booked tickets have a separate queue for the bus and their waiting time is 15 to 20 minutes. The online tickets do come at a premium but are worth it.  Reservation fee Rs 50/- (Reservation counter 9 am – 3 pm at the Information center, Munnar)
• Food items are not allowed. You can carry water bottles.
• Don't forget to Carry binoculars.
• Good pair of walking shoes is a must as the last 1.5 - 2 Kms has to be done on foot.
• Feeding, teasing, disturbing wild animals are strictly prohibited.
  
• DO NOT go on a weekend or a holiday.  Try to visit in the early hours around 9:00-9: 30 am
• park opens at 7.30am the best time for a visit during summer.
• There is bus service from Kochi to Munnar starts around 5 AM in the morning takes around 4 hours, and the fare is around Rs100.it starts near Ernakulam junction station.suitable for budget travelers, you can return in the evening by the same service.
• Do not carry plastic materials inside the park as the Park is a Plastic-free zone.
  

Timings