Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Tiger reserve in Tamil Nadu, India

Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve is a protected area in Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts of Tamil Nadu, spanning elevations from 40 to 1,800 m. Dense dark green forest covers deeply creased mountain slopes, with grey rock outcrops breaking through on mid-slopes and low white clouds clinging to the upper ridges. Agasthiyamalai (1,681 m) lies in the core zone.

Kalakkad and Mundanthurai wildlife sanctuaries were both established in 1962, covering 251 km² and 567 km² respectively. In 1988 the two were merged to form the Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu's second-largest protected area. In April 1996, 77 km² of the Veerapuli and Kilamalai reserve forests in Kanyakumari district were added, and a 400 km² core has been proposed as a national park.

Five Kani tribal habitations of about 102 families live inside the reserve, and roughly 145 hamlets within 5 km of its eastern boundary hold 100,000 people. More than 135 village forest protection committees, later counted as 228, manage the forest with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. The reserve received the National Tiger Conservation Authority award for best coexistence and buffer zone management.

Visitors must arrange permits in advance before going on guided walks through the area. Simple accommodations are scattered in different sections of the reserve where you can stay overnight.

The reserve forms the catchment for 14 rivers and streams, among them the Thamirabarani, Ramanadi, Servalar, Manimuthar and Gadananathi. Seven major dams, including Karaiyar, Servalar and Manimuthar, depend on this water. After the forest was declared a tiger reserve, average inflow to the Thamirabarani dam rose from about 13,000 cubic feet to 26,000 cubic feet.