Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, the first of its kind in South India, is in
Nilgiris District, 65 km from
Ootacamund, on the
Kerala-
Karnataka border. This primarily moist deciduous forest, spread over 321 sq km, tends to become dry deciduous towards the
Bandipur National Park, which it is contiguous with. The two parks are separated by the river
Moyar, and the highway which connects
Mysore and
Ooty runs through this park.
The landscape comprises hills, valleys, ravines, watercourses, and swamps. Mudumalai is home to a rich variety of wildlife including langur, bonnet macaque, tiger, elephants, gaur and flying squirrel. It also has a good population of birds of different species such as the Malabar trogan, Grey hornbill, crested hawk eagle, crested serpent eagle.
The best time to visit the reserve is from February to June. Mettuppalayam is the nearest railway station (46 km) and
Coimbatore the nearest airport (160 km). Mudumalai is also well-connected by road.
