Mukurti National Park protects the high Nilgiri plateau west of Ooty — rolling grasslands and shola forest at between 1,800 and 2,600 metres, the last refuge of the Nilgiri thar and a critical watershed for the rivers of the Western Ghats. The park is less visited than Ooty's gardens and lakes, which is precisely its appeal.
Entry requires a forest permit, available from the forest office in Ooty, and overnight stays need advance arrangement. The best month to visit is October, immediately after the southwest monsoon, when the plateau grass turns a vivid green and the air clears. The trek to Mukurti Lake and the surrounding grassland takes a full day and needs a guide; the route passes through shola forest that looks entirely unlike the plantations of lower Ooty. Sightings of the thar are fairly reliable; leopard and elephant are present but rarely seen.