Monday, July 4, 2011

Eravikulam National Park and its Attractions

Eravikulam National Park or Rajamalai National Park  is one of the top attractions in Munnar and this national park is home to some of the rare animal and plant species. The park is under the administration of Kerala Department of Forests and Wildlife and is also under consideration by UNESCO World Heritage Committee for selecting  it as a World Heritage Site.
The beautiful Eravikulam National Park is home to almost 26 species of mammals and some of the mammals present at the Rajamalai National Park include Gaur, Indian Muntjac and Sambar Deer, Nilgiri Tahr, Golden Jackal, Jungle Cat, Wild dog, Dhole, leopard, tiger, Nilgiri langur, Stripe-necked Mongoose, Indian Porcupine, Nilgiri Marten, small clawed otter, Ruddy Mongoose etc. The park contains three kinds of plant communities such as grasslands, shrublands and forests.
The superb scenery and the amazing weather makes this wildlife park a  favorite travel destination in Munnar. To enter the park, one has to buy tickets and if you are visiting Eravikulam National park during the peak tourist season, then you have to wait in a long line of queue to get the tickets. After gettin the tickets a forest department bus would take you along a narrow mountain road towards the Eravikulam National Park.
The Nigiri Tahr is the major attraction of Rajamalai park and this animal is one of the rarest animal species in the world. You need to walk around 2-3 km after getting off from the forest department bus and here is where you could spot a Nilgiri Tahr. Another major thing that attracts you at this spot is the view of the amazing Nilgiris along with some great waterfalls.

There is a lot to capture in you camera and it is always better to carry your camera with you all the time during your visit to Eravikulam National Park. Also make sure that you carry some woolen clothes so that you can sustain the cool climate that prevails over the Rajamalai National Park.

Monday, June 27, 2011

The Amazing Munnar Hill Station in Kerala

Munnar Hill Station is one of the most beautiful tourist destination in South India and is also know as the "Kashmir of the South". The beautiful hill station of Munnar in Kerala, is located on the western ghats in the district of Idukki and is well know for its scenic beauty and eco friendly atmosphere. Munnar has a cool climate through out the year and the major reason behind this is that Munnar is situated around 1800 meter above the sea level. Due to its abundance of natural beauty and cool climate, it has become one of the perfect honeymoon destination in Kerala.

Majority of the Munnar hills are covered by Tea plantation, which make the hill station look like covered with a green blanket. One of the major attraction of Munnar is the Eravikulam national park which is home to some of the unique and rare wild species. Eravikulam national park also offers some of the amazing wild trees and plants which are rarely found in other parts of the world. Munnar is also home to the famous flower species "Neelakurinji" which blossoms once in every 12 years. The last time it bloomed was in the year 2006.


Anamudi peak is yet another hot spot in Munnar that one should not miss out on. This is Kerala's highest mountain peak and is situated 13 km away from Munnar. Once can also visit Mattupetty which is know for storage masonry dam and lake which is very much suitable for boat rides. Mattupetty also houses the famous diary farm run by Indo -Swiss  livestock project, where we can see  a large number of high yielding cow breeds.

Other major attractions and hot spots of Munnar include Pallivasal, Chinnakanal, Chinnar, Anayirangal, Rajamal, echo point and tea museum. More information on these attractions would be covered later in this blog. Munnar is well connected to the other major cities in Kerala by road, and the nearest airport is at Cochin, which is around 135 kms away. The neares railhead is at Aluva which is also around 130 kms away from Munnar. You would also be able to find a large number of economy and luxury hotels in and around Munnar to make your stay more comfortable.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Welcome to the Blog on Munnar, Kerala

Hi,
I would like to welcome all to this blog on Munnar. Stay tuned for more updates.