India is a country for its well known beauty of nature, hill stations, mountains, forests and wildlife sanctuaries. Among the various wildlife sanctuaries comes one of the South India's famous and lavishly green wildlife sanctuaries known as Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary. Mudumalai is famous for its elephant habitat and this is one of India's best sanctuaries.

Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary, established in 1940, was the first sanctuary in the region. The land is extremely varied with hills, valleys, narrow valleys, waterways and swamps. It includes tropical moist deciduous forests, dry deciduous forests and scrub forests. Compared to the nearby reserves, the climate is warmer in Mudumalai.

This famous Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary is situated at an elevation of 1000 metres above sea level and extends over an area of 321 square kilometres. Mudumalai sanctuary lies between Kerala and Karnataka states.

The wildlife in the sanctuary include Indian Elephants, Gaur, Banner, Macaque, Common Langur, Tigers, Leopards, Chital, Panthers, Sloth Bear, Python, Barking Deer, Four Horned Antelope, Otter, Crocodiles (Mugger), Giant Flying Squirrel, Sambar, Hyena, Wild Dog, Wild Boar, Mouse Deer, Spotted Deer, Jackal, Hare, Porcupine and Mongoose. The sanctuary is also with plenty of civets, antelopes, languor and macaques.

‘Consider yourself lucky if you see bison and deer. Should you happen to see a tiger, take a quick look around for the saint who performed the miracle to make it appear.'

The range of Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary is the same as in Bhandipur (another famous sanctuary nearby) but the Mudumalai has two features which makes different from its neighbours - the Moyar River and its closeness to the Nilgiri mountain ranges which has huge variety of wildlife.

WHAT DOES OUR TOUR ITINERARY LOOK LIKE?

Overnight train journey on the Nilgiri Express (air conditioned compartment)

Departs Chennai 21.00. Arrives to Comibatore 05.00 the following morning

DAY ONE
Breakfast at the Comibatore Club

Proceed by road to the foot of the Nilgiri mountains to take the mountain

train leaving at 07.00. The train reaches Ooty by 10.00. 

A vehicle is hired from Comibatore so that you can get off the train any point on the way up the mountain and proceed this way!

Places to visit enroute include Pykara, Kalakatti, Dowas, Mukkuruthi peak, Doddpetta and Catherine waterfalls

Stay in the YWCA in Ooty.

DAY TWO
Leave by road for Mudumalai after some early morning sight seeing at Ooty

The 65 km drive takes about three hours from Ooty

Arrive Mudumalai around lunch time.

Afternoon includes local sightseeing

Overnight at Mudumalai 

DAY THREE
Wildlife safari in the Mudumalai Wildlife sanctuary

DAY FOUR
Leave for Bhandipur Wildlife sanctuary

Overnight stay at the Karnataka Tourism cottages

DAY FIVE
Wildlife safari in the Bhandipur Wildlife sanctuary including an elephant ride.

DAY SIX
Leave for Mysore or stay one more day at Bhandipur (dependant on the weather!)

The drive from Bhandipur to Mysore is around 80 kilometres and will take about three hours.

During the afternoon there is local sightseeing to take in the amazing Palace, colourful street market and temples.

Overnight in Mysore. 

DAY SEVEN
During the morning more sightseeing.

Leave in the afternoon 14.30 by the Sathabdi Express train to Chennai

Arrives to Chennai around 21.00 on the same day.

WHAT IS THE COST?

For the full seven day tour the cost is £307 per person.

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THIS TOUR?

• accommodation
• local food
• mineral water
• train fare
• road transport (including pick up from your placement and drop off)
• maps
• jungle road safari
• elephant ride
• a full time guide (expert) from the wildlife office from Chennai throughout the tour.

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED?

• personal beverages including drinks and cigarettes
• fees for taking photographs
• In Chennai no provision is made for hotel stay or sightseeing.

HOW CAN YOU FIND OUT MORE?

For more information access the website at: www.mudumalai.net

All the information about Ooty, Mudumalai, Bhandipur and Mysore

are on the website above.

Also: http://www.indiawildliferesorts.com/wildlife-sanctuaries/mudumalai-sanctuary.html

For more information about Bhandipur access the website at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandipur_National_Park

Also: http://projecttiger.nic.in/bandipur.htm

Also: http://www.bandipur.net/