Trip Reports

Pampadum Shola National Park
Feb 2010

The drive from Cochin to Pampadum Shola took longer than the typical four and a half hours. We stopped on several occasions for pictures of the Periyar River and the sporadically uninhabited mountain scenery, to gorge on the deliciously gelatinous Passion fruit from little roadside stalls all along the ghat road and for lunch at Munnar. The route, albeit crowded, was largely scenic, with rainforest and waterfalls interspersed with towns and tea plantations. There was even a wildlife moment on a grassy hillside when the driver of the vehicle spotted a small deer, which disappeared before any of us had a chance to catch a glimpse. Possibly a rare sighting of a Mouse Deer in broad daylight? Or more likely the diurnal Barking Deer, shyly observing the traffic perhaps....more

Ghermalam
Feb / March 2010

Leaving Coimbatore behind, and heading northeast towards Satyamangalam and the hills beyond we enjoy a pleasant, clear morning as we reach the hills. The road climbs the Eastern Ghats where it meets the Western Ghats, with a vista of the Bhavani River flowing through forested plains, bordering the populated plains that we leave behind. Along the way, Murali, a member of the tour party, actively involved in local elephant conservation, points to the connecting corridors of forested hills, between the Nilgiris and the Eastern Ghats, which the elephants use for their annual migration in search of fresh fodder and water. Troublingly, he says, the migratory elephants often stray into private property on the fringes of Coimbatore, highlighting how little space these majestic animals....more