MUDUMALAI (MASINAGUDI ) WILD LIFE SANCTUARY

Mudumalai Tiger Reserve issituated at the tri-junction of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka on the North Eastern Slopes of the Nilgiris part of Western Ghats. An erstwhile game reserve, Mudumalai is home to over 300 species of birds and a wide range of bio-diversity. While Mudumalai’s western half receives the southwest monsoon, the eastern tracts receive the relatively gentler north-east monsoon which results in a diversity of vegetation types and typical migration of herbivores

SAFARIS

The Forest Department organizes van safaris into unspoilt sanctuary areas, either from 6:30 – 9 am or 3 to 6 p.m. The ride usually lasts anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour and one can spot chital, sambar deer, peacock, gaur (Indian bison), elephants and if lucky, maybe a tiger or leopard. Alternatively, you could tour the jungle atop a tame elephant! Four people and a trained mahout will be carried by our resident gentle giant into the jungle, away from the beaten track, along the road not taken. The elephant ride usually lasts about twenty minutes.

ELEPHANT CAMP

Visit the forest department elephant camp at Mudumalai, where about 10-15 pachyderms are cared for and trained. You can witness the mahouts give their respective elephants a thorough cleaning in the river close-by and then bring them to the camp for a snack. Believe it or not, each elephant has a prescribed diet on an everyday basis to adhere to. But beware, lest you get taken for a ride!

LOCATION

The tiger reserve is spread across an area of 321 square kilometers of which about 20 percent is used for tourism. The distance from Tamarind Tree to Mudumalai is about 8 kilometres. Temperature varies from 14o C to 33o C.