Periyar, tiger reserve, lake and nature walk

Munnar was wonderful. But we had to leave, get along with our trip plan and move on. So, after having lunch, we moved out for Thekkady. We had a plan already in place and to materialize it, we had to hurry.

  As the whole route from Munnar to Thekkady goes through the mountains, you just cannot rush too much. Still, when we reached Thekkady, it was 5 minutes past 5 pm. The Tiger reserve was just closed for the day. Our plan had nothing to do with the Tiger reserve for that day. We had to find the forest department office. The plan was to book a whole day Bamboo Rafting activity that can only be booked in person or through a draft in advance. Well, we didn't opt for option two. And guess what, there was no seat left for the next day. All booked. Phewwww.

  All the blogs we read talked about similar experiences. So it was time to re-plan. Oh! By the way, while we're on the topic it might be good time to tell you about the different type of activity you can do at Periyar Tiger Reserve.

  The most common thing people do at Periyar Tiger Reserve is take a boat ride across the lake and try their luck with spotting wild life. It's an hour and half long boat ride and with luck, you might just spot some wild life. We did; just a few. It needs no previous booking and there is a mad rush when it happens. It has it's own story and we'll come to that soon. The other things you can do at Periyar are more versatile in nature. Bamboo Rafting is a whole day activity and is quite famous. It starts at 8 AM and stretches till 5 PM. It includes a three hour bamboo rafting and a three hour nature walk with breaks for lunch and snack. Then there are other activities like Border trekking, Nature walk, Bullock cart riding etc. 

  Back to our story. Our re-planned plan for the next day was to opt for the first boat ride on the lake. And then go for a Nature Walk activity. Yes, the Nature Walk was still available for the next day. With things settled for the next day, our search for a hotel began. By then, it was around 5:45 PM. We tried out some homestays but ultimately settled for a hotel which was quite near the entry gate of the tiger reserve. The room was good with clean bathroom. The restaurant was outside, just opposite to the hotel.

  When we were getting our luggage from Sparky(our car) to get to our room, we found a family of nilgiri langoor hanging around, on a tree opposite to the hotel. They were having a snack comprising of flowers ,from the tree. We also took some snaps of those friendly jungle dwellers. 

  Around 8 PM that night we went for dinner at the restaurant. We ordered a fish curry and chicken roast. It was awesome. Kerala food is just great as always. 

  We hit the bed early that day because according to the tiger reserve ticket seller, the queue for entry starts at around 5 AM in the morning. The ticket is distributed from 6 AM. Our plan for the next day was to check out of the hotel at 5 AM and get into the reserve with the car and eventually leave for Trivandrum once our Nature Walk was over. 

  The next morning at around 5:05 AM we reached the gate of the tiger reserve. Well, not exactly the gate; but behind a queue of 20 cars from the gate. At that early hour, there were so many people lined up for tickets. You don't get the boat tickets at the gate though. It's only the entry and parking ticket. You need to collect the boat ticket from the boat jetty counter which is like 2 KM inside the gate. And you can get only two tickets per person.

  Once the gate was open, every single car was rushing for the boat jetty. Not many overtaking, but definitely speed driving. And it got even better at the parking lot. Everyone started to run for the ticket counter which was still about 1 KM away. If you don't know the context, it would appear as if the last boat from earth is leaving and the meteor would hit within seconds.

   Anyway, we joined the mad rush too. We made it to the counter in time and there were only around 10 people ahead of us. Our running was propelled by the idea of having an upper deck ticket so that our chances of spotting wildlife increases. One important point is that you need to carry your gate entry pass to the boat counter. They stamp it or you don't get to get on the boat. Back to the story. When we submitted a form for tickets, I was awestruck to find that there were no upper deck available. 

  Anyway, after a brief waiting of 30 minutes, we got to get on the boat and soon all the boats got filled.

To facilitate the foreign tourists they are generally allocated either top tier or side rows.These are generally the best seats for wildlife spotting.So if you are a foreign tourist its a good news for you!!

Landscape of Periyar Lake

Landscape of Periyar Lake

  The boat ride is pretty good and we did spot some wild dogs,sambars,gaurs and boars. Birds were in abundance. There were cormorants, cranes, herons, kingfisher, snake bird and many more. But we think that the landscape by the lake has its own appeal. The misty morning costume gives the forest a different mysterious appearance. When we were back at the jetty, we still had about an hour before our Nature Walk. So we just relaxed and had a little snack at a restaurant near the jetty. 

Cormorant Family

Some sort of stork maybe

Group of Gaurs.

Sambar Deer.

  The Nature Walk is light trek kind of activity. Every group is led by an experienced forest guide. Although the cost per person is Rs. 200, you have to book it with minimum Rs. 800. You can find more info at Periyar Tiger Reserver Website. 

  Our guide was Mr. Raju and he seemed to be a very knowledgeable about the jungle. First he briefed us about the program and then took us inside the jungle. You have to cross a small creek before you get to the side of the jungle.

   Throughout the three hours trek, we learnt about several different types of plant and animals. He explained the ayurvedic nature of different types of plants. He helped us spot birds like great Indian hornbill, warbler, ground thrush, split tail drongo and some others. 

Ground Thrush

Scarlet Minivet

Kingfisher

Great Indian Hornbill

Nilgiri Langoor

  However, the bulls eye was hit by Soma. You know, she has this thing about wild life. Somehow she knows where to look. Even the experienced guide missed it. But Soma silently motioned us towards the branch of a tree that we were just crossing under. And there it was. A giant malabar squirrel. It was so well camouflaged that I have no idea how Soma found it. It played all around different branches of the tree. It noticed us for a moment but then completely ignored our presence.  It was a beautiful animal with vibrant colors on it.

Giant Malabar Squirrel

Giant Malabar Squirrel

Giant Malabar Squirrel

  The trek was over within three hours but we started to feel how much we walked. Anyway, we walked to the parking lot and relaxed for about 15 minutes before moving on. And again, it was Soma to do the wonder. Giant Malabar Squirrels again. And this time two of them. And they even did some circus tricks for us. Hats of to Soma, we got to see these animals from so close. BTW, we never got to see a single one of these at Bhadra.

  So, Periyar Tiger Reserve was a fantastic experience for us. And we would like to come back to this place once again. We moved on for Trivandrum.

Part of a hive.

Olibanum or Frankincense

The tree from which you get Olibanum or Frankincense.

Tiger's victim.

Cobra tree, cause it looks like it.

Butterfly.

Same butterfly.

Forest office, reservation center.

Rubber tree.

  Here are some info you might find useful:

  Our travel time: 1st week of February, 2013.

  Activities in Periyar Tiger Reserve:
  Boat ride: Rs. 150 / person (only two tickets issued to one person)
                 The first ride in the morning or the last ride of the day gives
                 the maximum chance to spot wildlife.

  Bamboo Rafting: Rs. 1500/ person (minimum two person to operate)
                          Should be great. No personal experience.

  Nature Walk: Rs. 200/ person (minimum Rs. 800 to operate)
                     It's a 3 hours jungle trek and it rocks.

  Other activities: Border hiking, bullock cart ride etc.

  Packages: Periyar Wildlife Department has packages for one night jungle camp and other activities. You can find more info at Periyar Tiger Reserve Website
   

   Hotel where we stayed: Green Palace Hotel. Double bed room rate is Rs. 750. The rate is likely to go up in peak season.