We leave Cochin, Kerala mid-morning and reach Thattekad (Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary) by noon on Day 1. We spend three days exploring the small sanctuary for a significant chunk of south India’s bird specialities.

The Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary is located on the banks of the Periyar River on the foothills of the Western Ghats of Kerala. The habitat matrix of the location, which includes riverine, lowland evergreen and plantation forests, contain an amazing density of birds and offers excellent photographic opportunities for several Western Ghats bird specialities among an impressive bird-list of over 300 species. Renowned ornithologist, the late Dr. Salim Ali, once suggested that Thattekad contains among the highest species density of birds in India outside of the Eastern Himalaya. Some of the south India’s endemic birds found here include the Greyheaded Bulbul, Malabar Grey Hornbill, Malabar Parakeet, White-bellied Treepie, Wynaad Laughing Thrush (rare), White-bellied Blue Flycatcher and White-cheeked Barbet. Sightings of rarities such as the Black Baza, Crested Goshawk, Red Spurfowl, Malabar Trogon and the Sri Lanka Frogmouth are not uncommon. Winter is interesting for several migrant flycatchers and warblers.

Elephants are regularly seen in and around the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, along with several other mammals including rare sightings of top predators such as Indian wild dogs and leopards. The wet, humid habitats of the location also contain an exciting diversity of plants, herpetofauna and invertebrates.

We reach Munnar in the afternoon on Day 4 and will spend two days exploring the landscape for mid and high altitude bird specialities of the Western Ghats.

Munnar is a small hill station town (1500m) nestled among tea plantations and wet montane forests (sholas) in the Western Ghats of Kerala. The shola forests surrounding Munnar and the montane forest-grassland ecosystem of the nearby higher reaches are excellent locations to encounter several of south India’s high altitude endemic birds. Some of the Western Ghats specialities you are likely to encounter around Munnar include the White-bellied Shortwing (White-bellied Blue Robin), Painted Bushquail, Black and Orange and Nilgiri Flycatchers, Grey-breasted (Kerala) Laughingthrush, White-cheeked Barbet, Broad-tailed Grassbird, Malabar Whistling Thrush, Crimson-backed (Small) Sunbird and Nilgiri Wood Pigeon. Winter reveals several warblers and rarities such as the Blue Rock Thrush.

Wildlife specialities from here include the Nilgiri Tahr, an endemic mountain goat, Nilgiri Langur, an endemic primate, and a rarely seen endemic mustelid, the Nilgiri Marten.

After some morning birding around Munnar, we drive through a scenic route on our way to Sethumadai (on the edge of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve). Excellent birding opportunities on the ghat route along the way, with the road passing through sholas, shaded hill streams and grassy/rocky hill sides and deciduous forests and scrub in the lower elevations. We reach Sethumadai in the early evening and spend the next two days exploring the biodiverse moist forests and lowland habitats of the location for the ecoregion’s bird endemics and rarities.

The Anamalais are among the the most interesting natural history locations in south India for their biodiversity rich, extensive mid-elevation and montane evergreen forests. These forests are excellent habitat for nesting populations of Great Pied Hornbill among other species that require large tracts of mature forest. Among the noteworthy rarities that have been recorded from here are the Jerdon’s Baza and Rufous-bellied Eagle. The cryptic Sri Lanka Frogmouth are regularly sighted here, and endemics found here include White-bellied Blue Flycatcher, Malabar Grey Hornbill, Rufous Babbler, Malabar Parakeet and Wynaad Laughing Thrush among a bird list of over 300 species.

The Anamalais are also known for their endemic primates including the Nilgiri Langur and Lion-tailed Macaque and we could come across other typically elusive mammals including Brown Palm Civet and Brown Mongoose that are restricted to the moist forests of the Western Ghats. Megafauna such as Elephant and Gaur and several other herbivorous mammals are regularly sighted. Tiger and Leopard are found here, but are difficult to see in the area. The moist forests here typically engross naturalists with their fascinating diversity of herpetofauna, invertebrates, flora and forest scape

We reach Bandipur, driving down the steep Sigur road from Ooty, by evening on Day 9. Good birding opportunities in the scrub and deciduous forests along the way, including the possibility of sighting the Black-chinned Laughing Thrush and Nilgiri Blue Robin in montane habitats en-route. We spend the next two days exploring the habitats in and around Bandipur, Masinagudi and Ooty, mostly for dry habitat bird specialities of the Western Ghats and montane birds that are restricted to the Ghats of the Nilgiris and north.

The Masinagudi plateau (900m) is located on the northern foothills of the Nilgiris, adjacent to the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary. The area immediately surrounding Masinagudi town falls in the rain-shadow of the Nilgiris and consequently, the vegetation here largely comprises dry, thorny scrub species with few patches of luxuriant riverine forest. Visibility is excellent for birding and birdlife is very good, with over 250 species recorded from here and the adjacent deciduous forests of the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary and Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Some of the bird specialities from these locations include the White-bellied Minivet, Jerdon’s Bush Lark, Malabar Lark, White-bellied Woodpecker, Sirkeer Malkoha and quite a few south Indian endemics that we might have missed in Thattekad or Anamalai. Further we will concentrate some birding effort around Ooty for high altitude bird specialities of the Western Ghats, that are not found in Munnar (Black-chinned Laughingthrush, Nilgiri Blue Robin and Kashmir Flycatcher)

Wildlife is abundant and very visible around Masinagudi, where megafauna such as Elephant, Tiger, Gaur and Leopard, in addition to much other wildlife, are regularly sighted. The area lies within the Nilgiri Biosphere reserve and is contiguous with some of south India’s most wildlife rich protected areas of Mudumalai, Bandipur and Nagarhole.

After some early morning birding and breakfast, we head towards Bangalore, a major city well connected by road, air and rail networks. En-route we stop at the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary - a famous heronry on islands in the Cauvery River. The sanctuary is excellent for close views, especially of Eurasian Spoonbill and Night Heron among species of terns, cormorants, herons and storks. We reach Bangalore in the evening, from where you can transfer to onward destinations.

Suggested Extension (with south India wetland birds - Nov to Mar only)

Potential Extensions (please let us know if you would like to include any of the following destinations onto the itinerary)