To begin with, I wasn't sure if I wanted to visit Eravikulam, but then I decided to visit. The reason - Nilgiri Tahr, an endangered species, in the heart of the Biodiversity Hotspot of Western Ghats under UNESCO! First I thought it was an amazing thing that I spotted a leopard in wild. But guess what, there are about 12000-15000 leopards in India and there are only 2200 - 2500 Nilgiri Tahr in this big world!!! The maximum population is here in Eravikulam Wildlife Sanctuary. While Indian Leopard is Vulnerable, Nilgiri Tahr is Endangered in IUCN red list. Spotting a Nilgiri Tahr is more special than spotting a Leopard!
I was quite literally warned by the people at Windermere Estate that visiting this place on Sunday was pointless as its almost a tourist spot on Sundays filled with several tourists. But anyways, I wanted to visit the place. So I went there, as early as possible at 8 AM (the place opens at 7:30 AM). Luckily for me, there was just 1 person ahead of me in the ticket counter and the queue for bus, there were about 15 people in front of me.![]()
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I kept straining my eyes and my zoom lens throughout, as again, I was warned at the resort that the color of the boulders there and the color of the Nilgiri Tahr is almost the same and its easy to miss. I thought all that straining was worth it when I spotted 1 Nilgiri Tahr standing in a slope of the mountain with its specialty hoofs and grazing away!
But then my luck was further more and further ahead where there there were more than 30 Tahr-s sunbathing on a vegetation-less face of the mountain, almost merged with the background! That's 30+ of the only 2500 Nilgiri Tahr-s! And yes, that's the specialty of Nilgiri Tahr. Their hoofs are unique that they can get hold of the slope-iest of the mountain surfaces, not only for food but also the escape from predators which cannot balance on slopes!
Spotting even one Niligiri Tahr is not an assurance when you enter this place. I was told by my cab driver that a guest who visited this place did not spot any of the first two visits and got to see one only in the third!!!Nilgiri Tahr is not the only sighting that you get to see. Quite a few types of birds are here as well. That's a Brown Breasted Flycatcher. The most special flora here is the Kurinji flower (Strobilanthes kunthiana) that blooms once in 12 years. When it blooms, the entire face of the mountain is filled with this purplish-blue flowers. No, I haven't seen it yet!!!Another specialty flora here is Sundew (Drosera), the carnivorous plant!!! Remember my Drosera spotting at Narttamalai in Pudukkottai??!!! Here's a tip: The ticket can be booked online. If not, reservation can be done with a payment of Rs.50 extra, apart from the ticket cost at the Information Centre in Munnar town. Per day only 2200 tickets are sold, so if you're planning to go in the evening, it is better to reserve! But the best is to go early in the morning, to get the best chance to spot the animals. More the disturbance, the more the get away from the road. Going early was the reason I got to spot some animals in Silent Valley as well as here!In this 1.4km walk, all the plants are labelled. Keep an eye out to spot Kurinji & Drosera.There are also several other guided treks and walks organized by the Forest Department incl a day long trek through the mountains, a 3 hr Kurunji Trail, 1 hr Lakkom Waterfall trail etc. All of these have to be pre-booked.Entry Ticket: Rs.90.Camera fee: Rs.38Can be bought online on their website
To get there:On Google maps: Eravikulam National ParkFrom Windermere Estate: 12kmFrom Munnar Bus Stand: 9.5kmDedicated to Venkat. 
