Kerala – Kumili - Periyar National Park !

On 14th morning we ventured for Periyar National Park. I was looking eagerly forward to it as exploring the deep wood always fascinated me.  However, I decided not to take boat sight-seeing trips in the Mullaperiyar reservoir in Idukki because we were too tired and getting ticket was a big issue. Therefore, we decided to come back to hotel and rest. The tour operator surprised us with a treat on the same day. Evening many of our group gone to watch Kathakali dance drama but we decided to go to bed.

 Periyar river

Periyar river is a river that flows in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, India. It is one of the few perennial rivers in the region and provides drinking water for several major towns.

The Mullaperiyar Dam

The Mullaperiyar Dam is a masonry gravity dam on the Periyar River in the Indian state of Kerala

Periyar National Park

Periyar National Park lies in the middle of a mountainous area of the Cardamom Hills. The Periyar and Pamba Rivers originate in the forests of the reserve. The sanctuary surrounds Periyar Lake, a reservoir which was formed when the Mullaperiyar Dam was erected in 1895. The reservoir and the Periyar River meander around the contours of the wooded hills, providing a permanent source of water for the local wildlife.

Flora and Fauna

The park is made up of tropical evergreen and moist deciduous forests, grasslands, stands of eucalyptus, and lake and river ecosystems. There are many hundreds of flowering plant taxa, including about 171 species of grass and 140 species of orchids. The forests contain teak, rosewoods, sandalwoods and many more types of trees. The medicinal gloriosa lily grows in the park. There are 35 species of mammals recorded in the park, including many threatened species. It is an important tiger and elephant reserve. A total of 24 Bengal tigers were counted across the park in 2008. Some other mammals are the elephants, the gaur, sambar etc. About 265 species of birds can be seen in the park, including migrants. Apart from these other occupants are reptiles, fishes, butterfly and the Travancore loach.

!!!Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living. – Miriam Beard!!!

Kerala - Kumily!

On 13th itself, after we returned from Rajamalai National Park we were given little time to grab our lunch and pack our luggage and once again bus was ready to ply for another 4 hours. This time we were going downward to Kumily.

 Kumily

 

Kumily is a town in Cardamom Hills near Thekkady and Periyar Tiger Reserve, in the Idukki District of Kerala. The state of Tamil Nadu borders the town. It is a major tourist destination and a spices trading center. The nearest airport is Madurai and railway Station is Theni. The famous pilgrim center Sabarimala is 150 km from Kumily.

Thekkady (Idukki district) is the location of the Periyar National Park, which is an important tourist attraction in the Kerala state of India.

Thekkady is located about 257 km from Trivandrum and near to Kerala-Tamilnadu border. The sanctuary over here is famous for its dense evergreen, semi-evergreen, moist deciduous forests and savanna grass lands. It is home to herds of elephants, sambar, tigers, gaur, lion-tailed Macaques and Nilgiri Langurs.

 !!!There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign. – Robert Louis !!!

Kerala - Rajamalai National Park!!!

Next morning, 13th of October and it was the 5^th day of our tour itinerary. We left the hotel as early as 6 am for Rajamalai National Park also known as Eravikulam National Park, Our bus dropped us at the gate as it was not permitted to enter the area and then after buying required tickets we bundled into a mini bus provided by the park. We have to leave all our belongings as eatable and any sort of plastic was prohibited. After around 15 minutes, we alighted from the bus and we had to walk around a kilometer up to the hill. It was a pleasant surprise as after long time I was trekking even there was a well constructed road but still feeling was the same.  While walking I could see the tea estate below, the view was awesome.

 Rajamalai National Park [Eravikulam National Park]

This park is abundantly rich with shola forests and grasses, and is yet fairly new as it was after construction in 1978. The park is sited in the Idukki district. It is located on the borders of Kerala and Tamilnadu.

The history says that during the British rule, this region was owned by Rajamalai and Eravikulam, and then it was given to Kannan Deven Hills for tea plantation. Later it was declared as sanctuary and was founded in 1975 and upgraded as national park in 1978.

Some of the animals spotted here are Elephant, Nilgiri langur, Nilgiri marten, small-clawed otter and a rare tiger or leopard and the Nilgiri wood pigeon.

The main body of the park consists of a high rolling hill plateau with a base elevation of about 2,000 m. The terrain consists of high altitude grasslands interspersed with sholas.

Fauna

Twenty six species of mammals have been recorded in the park including the largest surviving population of Nilgiri Tahr, estimated at about 750 in number. The other ungulates are Gaur, Indian Muntjac and Sambar Deer. Golden Jackal, Jungle Cat, Wild dog, Dhole, leopard and tiger are the main predators. Some little known animals such as Nilgiri langur, Stripe-necked Mongoose, Indian Porcupine, Nilgiri Marten, small clawed otter, Ruddy Mongoose, and Dusky palm squirrel are also found. Elephants make seasonal visits.

 

Flora

Three major types of plant communities are found in the Park - grasslands, shrublands and forests. The terrain above 2000m is covered primarily by grasslands. However, there are numerous small patches of forests in hollows and gullies in these areas. The deeper valleys are extensively forested. Shrublands predominate along the bases of the cliffs and interspersed in rocky slab areas. The antibacterial Eupatorium glandulosum is found here.

!!We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment. - Hilaire Belloc!!!

Kerala – Munnar!!!

On 4th day itself we reached Munnar by 12.30. It was cloudy and very cool. Were traveled sans our winter clothes and was freezing at one point. The hotel name was Minerva and it was not up to the mark but for one day stay was not a big problem. After lunch we boarded the bus again and on way to some local sightseeing.

Echo Point

 

Echo Point is a regular sight that is about 15 km from Munnar This scenic place gets its name from the natural echo phenomenon here. Echo Point is on the way to Top Station from Munnar. The most exciting and memorable thing was that we sighted a group of wild elephants and tried my best to capture it from moving bus.

Wild Elephant Herd

Mattupetty Dam

While way back to Munnar hotel we stopped at Mattupetty Dam, near Munnar in Idukki District, is a storage Concrete Gravity dam built in the mountains to conserve water for hydroelectricity. It has been a vital source of power, yielding along with other such dams, huge revenue to the states. The large amount of perennially available water allows wild animals and birds to flourish. However salinity caused by irrigation and water-logging are of concern to environmentalists. Munnar is located near the confluence of the mountain streams of Muthirappuzha River, Chanduvarai River and Kundale River. The reservoir is also known to be one of the visiting grounds of elephants in the region.

By 7 evening we were back to the warm comfort to our respective hotel room. At the hotel we got the news of Cyclone Philin, it was quite disturbing and also worried about our own tour. After an early dinner and a very hard day we retired for the day at around 10 pm.

!!!Travel brings power and love back into your life.- Rumi!!!