The park is blessed with an eminent marine life which flows in line with the coasts of Tuthukudi (Tuticorin) and Ramanathapuram districts near the panchayat town i.e. Mandapam which is distanced at 150 km from Madurai area. The Park is about 160 to 200 kms wide and is situated between West coast of Sri Lanka and India. The Park also forms a part of the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions i.e. Indian Ocean. The Gulf of Mannar is disunited with Palk Straitby a series of closely linked group of islands with Coral origin and reefs popularly referred to as the Adam’s Bridge or the Rama’s Bridge. The Adam’s bridge lies towards the north side between India and Sri Lanka. On both sides of the Park the Tambaraparani River from the Indian coast and the Aruvi Aru from the Sri Lankan coast unite with the Indian Ocean.

The 21 Islands comprising the Gulf of Mannar are an amalgamation of islands of several groups of which four islands belong to Tuticorin group, three islands to Vembar group, seven islands to Keelakarai group and the rest seven islands to Mandapam group. The Park has three explicit Marine ecosystems like Coral reefs, Sea grass and Mangroves accompanied by salt marshes and Algal communities. The Tropical Dry Broadleaf Forests, estuaries and beaches together accentuate the beauty of the Park. The reserve provides an insight into the 11 species of Sea grass available in the Park. The Kurusadai Island claims to have wide tracts of shallow waters. The Park provides shelter to 3600 species of flora and fauna out of which many are in their virgin forms. The Park thus marks its existence in the list of the wealthiest coastal regions in Asia. The Gulf of Mannar is reported to have recorded 117 species of hard Coral. The Turtles, Pearl Oysters, Sea Cucumbers, Balano-Glossus, Dolphins, Sea horses, Barracuda, Herrings and Sprats are sheltered by the reefs. Five species of Marine Turtles find their nesting grounds on the sandy shores of the islands. These islands are also visited by the migratory birds. Species like Sea Cucumbers, Whales, Dugongs, Dolphins and Coral Reefs have become a part of the list of endangered species because of ruinous fishing and pollution.

The voyage to all the islands takes about three days and permissions are required by the tourists prior to visiting these islands. The Park is a Marine Bio sphere encompassing the coasts of Tuthukudi (Tuticorin) and Ramanathapuram districts. The Gulf of Mannar is completely filled with eminent life coverings, a group of 21 islands and 623 ha.

General Information

History

From the past two thousand years the Park is famous for its Pearl Banks of Pinctada Fucata and Pinctada Radiata. Despite of being an expensive activity the extraction of natural Pearls still takes place in the gulf.

Colombo in Sri Lanka and Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) in Tamil Nadu are the prime seaports on the Gulf. These ports can provide lodging for deep-draft vessels whereas the shallow Palk Straitcan provide lodging for only small shallow-draft vessels. The Indian Government has been taking steps since July 2005 for creating a deep channel to link the Gulf and the Bay of Bengal by the Sethusamundaram Shipping Canal Project. The enthusiastic promoters of the project lay stress on the advantages of a direct shipping route that joins the East and West coasts of India eliminating the tiring trip around Sri Lanka. Whereas the critiques (environmentalists) argue about the harm these projects are going to cause to the fisheries and sea life of the Gulf and the Palk Strait.

The 21 islets between the Dhanushkodi and Thoothukudi of Tamil Nadu were announced as the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park in the year 1986 and the buffer region was announced as the Biosphere Reserve in the year 1989 for conservational purpose. The Park and the Reserve are considered to have the wealthiest Marine Biological Resources in the whole world.

Best Time To Visit

The weather remains pleasant in the Park throughout the year. It provides a great site for the tourists to see the Marine animals and their habitats. Tourists are free to visit the Park at any time during the year. For the tourists visiting the area there are provisions like Glass-Bottomed boats available at Mandapam. Entry into the Islands is prohibited.

Distance From National Park

How To Get There

By Air: Madurai (150km) is the nearest airport.

By Rail: The Mandapam Railway Station and the Tuticorin Railway Station are the nearest railway stations.

By Road: Rameshwaram and Ramanathapura are 5km and 40km away from the Park respectively. And there are a large number of buses available for the Park from these destinations.

Things To Do

Mangroves: The Park provides shelter to all the species of Mangroves of which Pemphis Acidula are the most prevalent and the Park also provides an insight into the 11 species of Sea grasses of which Enhalus Accoroides are the most prevalent. 147 species of Sea Weeds are supported by the area.

Fauna: The Sea Cows (Dugongs –the chief species of the area) get attracted because of the plentiful Sea Grasses and Sea Weeds. Sea-Anemone, Sea-Cucumber, Sea-Horse and Dolphins are commonly found creatures. 137 Coral Reef species constitute the basis of the ecosystem where 3600 species of animals and plants are related.

Endangered species: Eccentric animals like Balanoglosses alive – fossils connecting vertebrates and invertebrates are prominent here. The five species of Turtles namely Loggerhead Turtle, Leatherback Turtle, Hawksbill Turtle, Olive ridley Turtle and Green Turtle are the nesting habitants of the sandy shores.

Coral Reef Formation: Patch and fringing Coral Reefs occur in the Gulf. The framework of reef is complex. It forms the foundation of a very functional and detailed ecosystem. Influence is exerted by the Coral reefs on the way of water currents. It is also home to several species of Sponges, Algae and Fishes.

Flora and Fauna Gulf Of Mannar Marine National Park

Flora: The Intertidal area of the Park is dominated by Mangroves. They involve species belonging to the Lumnitzera, Ceriops, Bruguiera, Avicennia and Rhizophora genus. Tree species namely Prosopis genus is endemic on all the islands. The only prevalent plant species is Pemphis Acidula. 147 species of sea weeds and 11 species of sea grass are recorded. The five species of turtles and the Dugongs get there nesting habitats only because of this vegetation.

Fauna

Vertebrates

Dugongs are vulnerable and the chief mammals of the islands. It is a crucial habitat of the Cetaceans: Common Dolphin, Spinner Dolphin, Finless Porpoise and Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin.

About 23% of the 2200 Fin Fish species found in the Indian waters is here in the Gulf, proving it to be the most highly diverse fish habitat in India. Several adorning fishes associated with Coral related to Lutjanus spp (Snappers), Holocentrus spp (Squirrel Fish), Amphiprion spp (Clown Fish), Scarus spp (Parrot Fish) etc are plentiful.

At Kurudasai a unique and prominent species of Balanoglossus – Ptychodera fluva has been recorded which connects the vertebrates and invertebrates.

Invertebrates

Five species of Polyplacophorans, 100 species of Echinoderm, 106 species of Crab, 108 species of Sponge, 17 species of Sea Cucumber, 174 Bivalves, 16 Cephalopods, 4 species each of Lobster and Shrimp and 466 species of Mollusc including 271 Gastropods are found in the Gulf.

The Fauna in the Coral consists of 106 species from 30 genus of Hermatypes and 11 species from 10 genuses of Ahermatypes, including 13 new species, giving a total of 117 species from 14 families and 40 genuses. The Reefs in this region are narrow and fringing stationed 150m to 300m from the shore and patches of reefs rising up from a depth of 2 to 9m and expanding up to 2km long and 50m wide.

Location Map

Accommodation The Park does not provide accommodation for the visitors. There are several hotels nearby the Park, available for the tourists. The nearby hotels are:

Sathya Park Resort
Palayamkottai Road
Maravanmadam

Tuticorin-628 102 India Hotel Tamil Nadu
TTDC, Ramanathapuram Dist
Rameswaram - 623526
Tamil Nadu

Sriram Hotel Island Star
41 - A, South Car Street
Rameshwaram – 623526

Weather

The Park has an arid climate i.e. hot and humid climate.

The Park can be visited during any stretch of the year.

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