At a distance of 95 kms on the south west of the Chukmagalur town, Kudremukh National Park is located in the districts of Dakshina K Narasimha Parvatha (in Sringeri Taluk) in the north to Jamalabad Fort (in Belthangady Taluk) in the south.

This national park is known for its serene beauty and stands beautifully midst the mountains. One can see all sorts of fauna and flora at this national park which is around 1894.3 m above sea level and is spread over an area of 600.32 sq kms. The name of this park has been kept after the horse shaped face like peak. Four ranges: Kerekatte, Kudremukh, Shimoga and Kalasa are the four ranges in which the national park is divided. One can also find coffee and tea plantations on the eastern and northern boundaries.

What makes this park even more beautiful is that the park is covered in thick forest which is semi-green and green color along the coastal plains on the western side of the portions.

History

It was during 1983-1984 when a well known environmentalist and tiger expert Dr Ullas Karanth, wherein he undertook a detailed and systematic survey. He took help from the Karnataka government about the survey of the endangered Lion-tailored macaque. It was his idea to use the flagship species of the Lion Tailed Macaques to conserve the endangered species. It was after this when the government decided to create the Kudremukh National Park. In 1987, the reserved forests were declared as the national park in Karnataka.

Geography

The steep slopes of the Western Ghats ridge line is formed by the southern and the western side which lies on an altitude of 100 m to 1892 m which is the peak. Also a chain of rolling hills is constituted with the eastern, central and the northern portions of this national park. Natural grasslands and the shoal forests are formed by these portions. The annual rainfall witnessed here is not much and is average that is 7000 mm.

Wildlife

Flora and Fauna

This national park has been developed by the World Wide Fund – Use and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and it also falls under the Global Tiger Conservation Priority – I. Three very well known rivers like the Bhadra, Tunga and Nethravathi also originate from this national park. Also inside an ancient cave, at a height of six feet, can be found a statue of Lord Varaha and a beautiful temple of goddess Bhagvathi. These two tourist spots attract a lot of pilgrims and tourists here. When we talk of flora and fauna, this national park boats of many things. Grevillea Robusta, casuarinas, Eucalyptus and acacia auriculiformis are some of the fauna and flora that can be seen at this national park. Apart from this, this national park also boasts of wildlife consisting of Malabar giant, wild dogs, leopards, tigers, common langurs, sloth bears, squirrels, porcupines, gaurs, spotted deers, sambar, mongoose, flying deer, jackals, giant flying, mongoose. This park is a delight for those several nature lovers who wish to come and see the beauty of the nature. Apart from this, species like the Malabar trogon, great pied hornbill, Malabar vhistling thrush and the imperial pigeon are some of the birds that can be found at this place.

Best Time to Visit

The Kudremukh National Park is the greenest during the months of October and May. That is the best time to visit this national park to experience the greenery around. If you wish to visit this park for wildlife point of view, then it is the best to go in the months of December and February.

Visitor Information

The flora and fauna over here are very strong and worth watching.

How to Reach

The nearest airport to this national park is Mangalore and the nearest railway station is also at Mangalore. When we talk of the roadways, the Kudremukh National Park is nicely and wisely connected from a place named as Chikmangalur in Mangalore and Srinegri. To approach this park, one has to come from Mangalore via Karkala or from Bangalore via Chikmangalur.