The Mukkurthi National Park - Nilgiri Hills

The Mukkurthi National Park
	The Mukkurthi National Park is located in the high altitudes of the martenNilgiris, and is made up of rolling downs interspersed with sholas and woodland. This park is also a part of Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve and is situated 40 kms from Udhagamandalam. It contains a population on Nilgiris Tahr (Hamitragus-hilocrius), Sambhar, Barking deer, Nilgiris Marten, River Otter, Jungle cat, Jackal and many other species of fauna. The avifauna consists of varieties of birds found in the hills. They are the laughing and whistling thrushes, woodcock, wild pigeon and black eagle. Butterflies with Himalayan affinity like the Blue Admiral, Indian Red Admiral, can also be seen. Trekking routes exist from the Parson valley, Pykara valley etc. Trout fishing is recommended in the rivers and lakes of the Mukkurthi. Permission from Asst. Director, Fisheries Department, Udhagai, must be obtained in advance for fishing.
Additional Information
Location	It is located in the high altitudes of the Nilgiris Mountains. The landscape is extremely picturesque. This forms part of the Nilgiris biosphere reserve. From Udhagamandalam there are four different entry points to reach this sanctuary.
Area	7846 ha. of reserved forests, the entire area has been declared a National Park.
Forest type	Primarily grassland, characteristically interspersed with numerous isolated, compact, sharply defined wet temperate mixed forests locally termed ‘sholas’ with beautiful brooks cutting through the mountains.
Animals found	Nilgiris tahr, sambhar, barking deer, Nilgiris marten, otter, jungle cat, jackal etc. Avifauna consists mostly of varieties of hill birds like the laughing thrushes, whistling, thrushes, woodcock, wood pigeon and black eagle may also be seen. Butterflies with Himalayan affinity like the Blue Admiral, Indian Red Admiral, Indian Cabbage white, and many others can be found here.
Annual rainfall	About 2300 mm.
Nearest airport	Coimbatore – 160 kms away.
Nearest	Railway station Udhagamandalam – 45 kms
Best season	February to May, September to November
Accommodation	Forest Rest House at Avalanche, Pykara and trekking sheds.
Other facilities	Mainly for the tourist interested in adventure, trek routes have been formed for trekking and camping.
For other details	The Wildlife Warden, Mahalingam Buildings, Coonoor Road, Udhagamandalam – 643 001. This forms part of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve, which is the first biosphere reserve formed in India. The Biosphere reserve portion extends to the adjoining states of Kerala and Karnataka also. The 2537.6 sq. kms of NBR in Tamil Nadu covers all the forests of the Nilgiris district and a part of Coimbatore and Periyar districts.
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