Into the Wild – Madumalai National Park
After visiting the Sanctuary Avalanche we had one more place in our list to explore before heading over to Wayanad, Kerala. The second day ended at the Avalanche Lake as we had no time, so we thought to get Into the Wild – Madumalai National Park the next day.
When to Go
We had our bags packed so we started early towards the Madumalai National Park. Also, the Safari timings were from 6 AM to 9 AM and in evening from 3 PM to 6 PM.
My Vlog of Madumalai National Park and a sneak peek of next article.
Reaching the Park
Waving farewell to Ooty, we were back on the road with most of it still covered in fog. The roads had less visibility so we drove at a normal speed till we crossed the 36 hairpin bends. We were now on the forest road which looked like it had rained at the place that morning. As it was morning we saw some wildlife beside the roadside. We reached the park in 2 hours, which was almost the closing time but we were able to grab the tickets for the safari. They follow the same ticketing system like Sanctuary Avalanche where you had to give your names and later it is announced for you to buy the tickets.
Madumalai National Park or Madumalai Tiger Reserve
Madumalai National is The Park is one of the first wildlife sanctuary established in India, which is also declared as a Tiger Reserve. Situated on the northeastern side of the Nilgiri Hills, which is the tri-junction of the three southern states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka. The park is spread around 320 square km with different species of birds and animals.
The Tamil Nadu government declared this park as a Tiger Reserve in 2007. As the count of tigers during that time was 48. And that the Tigers are free to roam and even you might see some on your way to Ooty. They also have around 1800-2300 elephants, which you spot commonly.
The Safari
Once the buses are full they start the safari taking everyone into the forest. I talked to the bus driver if I could take the front seat or even the seat on the big gearbox. So I could spot the animals easily and take some pictures. 0478 the bus number we were waiting for to take us into the park. It drove through the main road and took the left turn into the muddy path to enter the park. We spotted some deer on our way I didn’t count, but there were at least 15 of them.
After some time into the dense forest, we spotted a group of wild boars. Someone even shouted that he spotted a tiger in the forest. But he ran in after the noise as when visiting such sanctuaries you should not alert the animals. Only then you can spot some, but to our bad luck, we only spotted the wild boars and deer and nothing else. We had hoped to see some tiger but were not even able to see any elephants. And the safari ended completing the whole round and we reached the museum near the ticket counter. We checked that out too they had pictures of the different species of birds and animals in there. They had this toy/machine which would have made the sound of the different birds in the Park. Which didn’t work, maybe due to no power or was already broken. The safari was about 45 mins after which we started our journey towards our next spot which I will share with you guys next week. So stay tuned.
Some timings to keep in mind before heading there –
1) Jungle Safari – 02 times in a day for 2 hrs long
2) Road Safari – 02 times in a day for 2 hrs long
3) Elephant Safari – only at morning time for 40 minutes
Safari Timing – 06:00 AM to 08:00 AM and 04:00 PM to 6:00 PM.
Park opening time to Visit – Round the Year
Hope you have a great time when you visit there.
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