A Himalayan Sojourn.

In late August 2013, my dear wife started reminding me that she had applied leave for a week, in November. She wanted us to do something more exciting, than our usual jaunts to the jungles of Southern India. I suspect she’s had enough of Tigers and leopards (What with the resident 100 kg Tiger she sees every day at home..!!! ) As usual, I enthusiastically agreed at that time, and conveniently forgot all about it till mid October.

Mid october…
Wife: Vineeth, so where are we going then ?
Me: I have it all figured out, We’ll do 2 days in Bandipur, 2 days in Kabini, 2 days in BR hills.
Wife: That is something we can do any weekend, I specifically said something different !!!
Me: What??!! Why ??!!! This is such an awesome plan !!!

Wife : You Moron !!! I had given you enough time to plan,chuck everything and lets stay home…Pffftt

Me: (Panic)  Lets do Leh !!! we’ll call up Vivek(my brother) and do a week-long trip to Leh.
Wife : Now you’re talking….

So we call up my brother, and he agrees( What a sport ! ) as he too has leaves pending and so we plan….flights,hotels, destinations…..

Late october…
Bro calls up and informs that he has to leave to Singapore on an assignment…all plans go for a toss.

We still wanted to see the Himalayas,and perhaps do a bit of birding…So I mentioned Pangot and Sattal, birding hotspots in the Himalayan foothills in Uttarakhand.
Reshma agrees, so we call up the guys at Asian Adventures, who handle the bookings for Jungle lore Birding Lodge at Pangot and Sattal Birding Camp at Sattal. We dealt with Mithun, who was very professional in chalking up an itenary which suited our needs.
The plan was that , we reach Delhi airport, get picked up by our guide Shyam Sharma, and driver Adeshji. Reach Pangot and spend 2 nights there, move on to Sattal and spend another two nights in Sattal.Efectively we’d have five days of sightseeing and birding.We were to have a Toyota innova all to ourselves for all 5 days…Airport to airport.

So we transferred the money, booked air tickets from Bangalore-Delhi-Bangalore,leaves finalised in my office….and oh,bought a new Canon EOS 70D for the trip.No more fighting for the SLR, I was to use the 70D and the 4005.6 and Reshma the 500D and the 100-400.

So we are all packed and ready to go to Bangalore( we planned to reach one day before to do some last-minute shopping).Our Karnataka KSRTC multi axle Volvo is scheduled to depart from Calicut at 2200 hrs.Around 1700 hours we see news flashes of violence and rioting on the Calicut-Bangalore road due to opposition to the Kasturirangan report. We hope it’s not too bad and keep our fingers crossed.Around 1900 hours we hear in the news that its going to be hartal in Kerala ( equal to a Bandh) from midnight. We still hope to travel…
Around 2000 hrs we get a message that our bus has been CANCELLED !!!
Panic sets in….we have visions of all our money going up in smoke. Nevertheless we decided to check out the bus station  at around 2130 hours or risk driving the car to Bangalore( yeah we were desperate…)
As we reach the bus stand we find a Kerala ksrtc ordinary bus ( believe me..ordinary it was) bound for Bangalore leaving…I ran up to the driver, and luckily he says seats are available and he will wait for us to bring our luggage…very few people wanted to travel that night.
We desperately drag all our luggage into the bus and finally start our adventure !!!  The bus took a long detour avoiding the problem areas, and very late into the night managed to cross into Karnataka, unscathed.

It takes crazy ass mallus to handle crazy ass mallus…no one else would have risked driving that night.But we had serious money at stake here…worst case we might get stranded on the highway…The bus was originally scheduled to depart at 2000 hrs.The stars and planets were on our side….Some seriously brisk driving over some atrociously bad roads, made for a bone jarring ride…

We finally reach Bangalore in the morning, much earlier than we thought we’d reach, shop for gloves/skullcaps,thermal inners,  new camera bag…and call it an early night.

Our cab picks us up at 3am,and after another brisk  and hair raising drive ( putting it mildly ) reach airport before 4 am…well in time for the 6 am flight to Delhi. Our flight thankfully, is on schedule and lovely weather greets us in Delhi when we finally land around  9 am.
We find a dude wearing a cowboy hat and dressed in the manner of a hardcore wildlifer/ desi cowboy  waiting for us at the airport.

Shyam Sharma is not your typical guide…in our 5 days together I have never seen him in non camouflage gear…”Sir, yeh to hamesha andar ki wildlife feelings ko zinda rakhne ke liye hain” he says(Err…loosely translated he meant, Sir, this is to keep the wildlife feelings alive inside me all the time). A veritable store house of information ( and tall tales too, claims to have seen 2o black bazas on a huuge tree ) he proved to be an excellent guide and a fantastic travel companion, netting well over 100 species in 4 days of birding and sightseeing….

Our driver Adeshji was waiting and so we started our long ( 8hr) journey to Pangot.Sunday traffic in Delhi was sparse and we made a quick getaway from the airport and soon crossed Delhi limits. We stopped for brunch at Maama’s dhaba ( Out of this world paranthas and butter roti and daal makhni and…you get the drift ) Somewhere after crossing the river Ganga, I drifted off to sleep..something i’d never been able to do when someone else was driving.Cant praise Adeshji’s driving enough…never had any nervous moments except for the occasional tractor and bullock carts and crazy bikers  that you encounter in the highways of Uttarpradesh.
Woke up when we reached choti haldwani ( Jim corbetts village). From there we started climbing…crossed nainital and saw our first views of the mighty Himalayas. I’d probably have to write another post to describe my feelings on seeing the Himalayas, but for now I’d just say……(speechless)

Reached Pangot, and Jungle Lore Birding Lodge around 6 pm, and was warmly welcomed by Tejpalji who is a caretaker/manfriday at Jungle Lore. It had already gotten dark by then….and very very cold !!! From 32 degree Kerala weather to a cool 8 degree Himalayan evening.

Sunset at Pangot clicked with my iphone

We settled into our cottage…comfy enough because of the heater they provided. Had a shower and an early dinner and hit the sack…we were finally here !!!

To be continued….

Magical B R Hills

For a long time we’ve wanted to visit K.gudi wilderness camp run by Jungle lodges and resorts at B R hills. The opportunity presented itself while we had to drive up to Bangalore from Calicut in late March 2013.This was to be a brief interlude as we could only spend one night at K.gudi, but what a memorable night it turned out to be !!!

K.gudi has been rated by many to be the best JLR property,ranking even higher than the Kabini river lodge. Now while Kabini is likely to be more rewarding in terms of big cat sightings, K.gudi and B R hills offer a more wholesome jungle experience.The location of the camp is the most attractive feature…Bang in the middle of the jungle, no fences, no walls…In my opinion this is like being in paradise for any nature lover.
We started from Calicut early saturday morning hoping to reach k.gudi before lunch. As we had never driven to that part of the state we were unsure about the road condition/restaurants etc. The route taken was Calicut-Sultan Bathery-Gundlupet-Chamrajnagar-K.Gudi.

From experience I would suggest taking a slight detour and stopping at Cafe Coffee Day at Gundlupet for the bathroom break and maybe light refreshments.A word of caution while driving through Gundlupet and Chamrajnagar…Cows/buffalos/goats, cyclists/bikers and pedestrians generally love using the middle of the road, exercising extreme caution and liberal use of the vehicle horn is highly recommended.
The transition from village to jungle is abrupt when you approach from chamrajnagar side. I wished i was driving in an open jeep. A few kms drive through some ghat sections brings you to K.gudi. The location is to die for,just the location would bring back nature lovers to this camp again and again.

We were welcomed warmly and shown our log hut ( Bilgiri) which is the farthest accommodation in the property.The jungle lodges schedule is well-known to us and we went to the Ghol Ghar for a simple but delicious lunch.I regretted not taking my camera to the ghol ghar as there were Velvet fronted nuthatches,Asian Paradise flycatchers,Spangled Drongos,Black hooded orioles and many more birds just flitting outside the Ghol Ghar.Needless to say we spent sometime birdwatching post lunch.
My friend Phillip Ross, an acclaimed wildlife photographer was visiting K.gudi with a few friends from Bangalore. It was good to catch up and we ended up sharing the same jeep for our evening safari. Reshma and me were totally smitten by the jungles of B R hills…It was different, and it was lovely.This place is a birding paradise…not to mention Barking deer Headquarters !!! In Bandipur and Kabini, a barking deer sighting could be counted as a rare one…here they are found in plenty.Barking deer,Sambhar and Gaur. Surprisingly, while B R Hills is known as elephant central, we encountered only a lone tusker during our safari.While we saw a lot of wildlife, the evening safari did not yield a glimpse of any big cat.
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Phillip had volunteered as a naturalist here a few years ago and it was great to hear a lot of info about this area from him. Post safari we had tea and headed off to our hut for a shower before dinner. It was getting dark and i was out in the balcony with my torch.I started shining my torch out into the jungle to scan for some nightlife. My light caught a pair of gleaming eyes, and i initially dismissed it for a wild boar. To my shock and surprise , what i thought was a wild boar turned out to be a young female Leopard !!! Called out Reshma, and she thought I’d lost my mind…but as the leopard came closer she too got the thrill of her life. Called up Phillip, and he too didn’t believe me.But I urged him to come quickly with his gear, and he too was stunned.Very soon the entire resort was in our room( some 20 odd people) savouring this amazing sighting.This is the magic of K.gudi. This the best part about staying in the jungle. a leopard sighting from our cottage !!! She spent a good 30 mins with us and left all of us satisfied and thrilled. The resort staff also mentioned sighting a young Tiger from the same area three days ago….So I would highly recommend the log hut Bilgiri for some great sightings in the camp.
Post dinner the lights are out by 10 30 pm and the jungle takes over.Alarm calls frequently pierced the night , signifying predator activity.Nightjars and owls too kept us company for the night. The cool night and the pleasant breeze finally overpowered my will to stay awake and i finally went to bed setting my alarm for 5 am.
I woke up well before my alarm….couldnt sleep much because i was too excited to be here. The deer and wild boar were roaming around the property and the birds hadn’t started their day yet. 5:30 am the generator is turned on and we are woken up with a steaming cup of coffee/tea. We got ready and boarded the jeep for our morning safari. One of the hotspots for big cat sighting is the Annikere road, and we headed off in that direction. I was just happy to be here and was enjoying the forest.It was teeming with birds and other wildlife. Besides yesterday evenings super sighting was still fresh in our minds.The safari’s did not yield anymore cats,and we returned to the camp for breakfast and some more birding.
After a super heavy delicious breakfast , we went to our hut to shower and pack and get ready to drive on to bangalore.Both ous us were so enamoured by the forest that we decided we will come back here soon…very soon.

Very soon happened the very next month….yup hectic work schedules and family commitments, plus the super hot summer made us desperate and we wanted to escape from hot and humid calicut. Surprisingly both of us agreed on K.gudi (my wife generally hates visiting the same place over and over again, unlike me ). So we booked for two nights this time, packed our bags and headed off to the beloved Jungles.
The forest had received some rains and was looking much greener and livelier than in march. After a pleasant drive, we checked into a tented cottage this time. Basic, neat, clean and comfortable with a clean bathroom…luxurious when you are camping in the middle of the forest.But i’d recommend the log huts any day if you can afford to pay the 1000 or so rs per head extra.
Bird activity as usual was very high in and around the camp.The One more bottle bird and the brain fever bird and the grey jungle fowl were especially vocal, with the one more bottle bird almost keeping me awake the whole night !!!
Anyways, post a heavy lunch at ghol ghar and a power nap later, we were all set for the evening safari. Rajesh was our driver.He is a nice guy but his driving style sometimes resembles that of Sebastian Loeb 🙂 . So we set out to the Annikere road, on the first of our four safaris. On the way we met the usual suspects….barking deer, sambhar, hanuman langurs, Gaur, spotted deer, peafowl,wild board and a few elephants…

Also saw painted bush quails for the first time.
Another bonanza sighting was that of a Changeable Hawk Eagle with a palm squirrel catch.The many ladies in the jeep did not want to watch the jungle in all its raw brutal beauty and we moved on.

We waited for a while at the annikere waterhole, where many have sighted a tigress and her four cubs. Construction of a concrete pool/waterhole seems to have disturbed the wildlife and there was not much activity there.Suitably frustrated as it was almost time for us to return, we started our trip back when suddenly…stripes !!!

She was a huge tigress and Rajesh told us she has raised four really healthy cubs.She was calling out to her cubs and going back to where they were sheltering. We managed to follow her for a while till she decided to cross the road and disappear among the grass and rocks.
Elated, we sped back to our camp. Rajesh’s driving would have shamed Loeb into retirement.Most of us did not care, we had just had a one on one session with the chief deity of this fabulous temple.Some of us were seeing a tiger in the wild for the first time…
Hot tea and pakodas at the camp followed by a nature documentary as is the norm in most JLR properties. We headed of for a quick shower and then proceeded for an early dinner. We hit the bed early as we had started really early from Calicut. Sometime into the night a sharp alarm call and sound of scurrying animals woke us up. Well they must have woken many an excited person who was camping there.The dozen or so flashlights did not succeed in spotting the predator and slowly the camp settled in for a sound sleep..or so we thought. The Indian Cuckoo had different plans for me and many others…One more bottle, one more bottle it kept calling into the night and was joined by some of its friends too…I too ended up wishing that I had a bottle, to help me doze off.
Apparently we had many others who did not sleep well that night as was evident from some of the grumpy looking fellow wildlifers…Going into the jungle in the morning is a special feeling….there is that nip in the air and the jungle smells and feels different.

We saw the fame Madras(Indian) Tree Shrew this time.Not one but a pair, and they posed on a tree for us.Now sighting a Madras tree shrew is a big deal as they are found only here in southern India. Rajesh might not be the best of drivers but we had some fabulous sightings with him.Plus he is a nice guy and takes time to talk to people about the region,and its flora and fauna.
Post breakfast,we headed off toward the Ranganathaswamy temple after which BR hills or Biligiri Rangana hills gets its name. as it was the local festival here, the place was crowded, and dirty.There was some construction going on at the temple.We both paid our respects to the deity and made a quick getaway from the temple and headed back to the camp.At he camp, we met Narayan, one of the main naturalists, and a local.Now we had met up during our last visit and it was nice seeing him again. He was just recounting how he and his wife saw a tigress crossing the main road at around 11 am while they were coming here on a bike !!! Bloody hell it was around 11 00 am and we too wanted to try our luck…So we hopped into our car and drove slowly towards the checkpost on the Chamarajnagar side.

The birdwatching was good…at one point we saw a white rumped shama ( a lifer for both of us ) and were trying to photograph it from the car (getting out of your vehicle is prohibited and punishable inside the jungle), when a group of guys in a scorpio thought we had spotted some big cat and were scanning the area in vain. We stopped outside the checkpost and chatted with the guards there for sometime. Reshma was amused to see the antics of a white browed fantail, but she never got it to pose with its tail flared. The sun was getting hot and we returned in time for lunch.
Evening safari was with Narayan.The driving style is totally different, spots and then kills the engine for everyone to view/photograph.Narayan is an amazing spotter….incredible how he spots and id’s a bird from so far away, that we can barely even see it. Oh by the way, a pair of binoculars are a must, we were happy with our olympus 8 x 40. We saw lots of birds and our usual suspects.

On the way back we heard some alarm calls and headed off in that direction to find another jeep waiting by the road…they had just seen a leopard cross the road and cross back again and head into the bushes. We waited there patiently till it was time for us to get back.

Day three, I was up before sunrise.Reshma was feeling lazy and wanted to sleep…it was a lovely cool morning.The night had been awesome with distant thunder, lightning and a cool breeze as it had rained in the vicinity.Finally Reshma woke up and we boarded the jeep for our last trip into the jungle.While we did not see anymore big cats, we spent an amazing time with a pair of Blue Bearded Bee Eaters. They gave us super poses, and we did not stay there for long because Narayan said there might be a nest nearby.So we took off and headed back to the camp for one last heavy breakfast.
Finally we headed to our tented hut, showered and packed our bags and bid goodbye to the staff and friends we made at K.Gudi wilderness camp…promising to be back very soon.

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Another day in paradise.

My Childhood buddy Kamal had landed from the deserts and concrete jungles of the middle east, wanting to spend some time in a real Indian jungle.Fortunately or unfortunately, we finally had only one day to do this jungle trip and so we headed of to my favourite part of the Nilgiris, which is a four hour drive from Calicut.

We stopped at Wild Haven for a quick lunch and beer,and were about to walk down to Cheetal Walk, when Kumar, our driver/guide told us it would be better that he dropped us in his jeep.

We gladly accepted his offer and were in cheetal walk after a two minute bumpy ride.Mark was waiting for us and he urged us to settle down soon before all the action started. I had tried to downplay the chances of encountering any wildlife other than spotted deer and wildboar, lest my friend got disappointed.

Almost five minutes after we arrived, the first visitor arrived…A magnificent tusker, affectionately called Rivaldo by Mark.We were sure glad that we didnt walk down…

Things started happening soon.Summer had tightened its dry grip on the area and a lot of animals would come to a small tank which Mark fills up from his well for the animals.

Another younger meaner looking tusker soon made his way, followed by a herd of four. We were thrilled….little did we know that this was the trailer !!!

This area was like an elephant magnet and soon tusker after tusker arrived in the area, at one point we could see six different tuskers, in different parts of the property !!!

Meanwhile I was telling Mark how I’d never photographed sloth bears, though i’ve managed to spot a couple of them. As if on cue, a mother and cub slowly walked down the hill and crossed the stream across the cottage….i managed to get a few images.

The area was teeming with Sambhar, Chital, Black faced langurs, Wild boar, Gaur, Peafowl and a lot of other birds.

We feasted our eyes on the blockbuster show that mother nature had setup for us. Alarm calls had us excited all through the evening signifying that predators were also around.

As it was a moonless night, we hit the bed soon after an early dinner, enjoying the sounds of the jungle. A sharp alarm call from a sambhar right under our window woke us sometime late in the night….soon the chital started calling out in fright, and then we heard the TIGER….It was calling as it slowly moved across the area, we could not see it beacuse it was pitch dark and Mark does not encourage the use of torches and flashes to disturb the animals.But it was amazing to hear the tiger calling out into the night and we sat up for a while savouring the moment.The cool night ensured that sleep soon overcame us.

We were up at dawn, and the birds were at their best.

I love the sound of peafowl calling out in the morning… it is amazing.Mark had made steaming black tea and we were in for a treat that morning too…

What better than watching elephants and bears and sambhar and cheetal, while sipping on hot tea and chilling out in the veranadah !!! Alarm calls again from the chital and langurs got us excited and we were lucky to see a leopard as it disappeared into the scrub. I spent more time with my binoculars than my camera, as i did not want to get worked up about not getting good images.

It was truly awesome….we couldnt have asked for more. Unfortunately it was time for us to get back to calicut, Kumar again came to pick us up. We bade Mark goodbye and headed off to wild haven for some solid break fast before heading off to Calicut. Truly it was another day in paradise…

PS. I had written this trip report a while ago. As I post this, Mark Davidar is recovering from a coma.We bade goodbye promising to visit him again soon.Little do we know what life has in store for any of us… I truly wish and hope and pray that he makes a full recovery and gets back to Cheetal Walk, where he truly belongs. I dont know if I would ever be able to visit Cheetal Walk again, but I would like to sign off with this endearing image of Rivaldo truly at peace in a quiet corner of the Nilgiris, which he would perhaps call home.

PPS : Mark Davidar passed away yesterday( 19th october 2013) after a brief illness.I along with many others would no doubt treasure and cherish the awesome memories spent in his company at Chital Walk.Thank you for the memories Mark. May your soul rest in eternal peace…

Tusker at twilight.

Another one to be framed. We had finished our evening safari and were returning, when we saw this pair of tusks from behind the bamboo. Slowly the tusker emerged and we spent the last few minutes of twilight watching him feed on the bamboo. I have converted this to b/w to get that late evening twilight feel in the jungle…

Framed.

Finally after 3 years of clicking with my DSLR, I finally got an image printed and framed.This is the final edit, resized to be posted on the web. Thanks for viewing 🙂

Sunday Drives…Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary.

My friend Kishore had been itching to test out a Sigma 150-500 lens for sometime.The opportunity finally came on the second weekend of October.We decided to visit Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary which is about 30-45 mins drive from Calicut.

Our plan was to reach there as early as possible, make a few images and return back home before lunch.We started off at around 5:45 am, stopping for some hot tea at Feroke, and finally reached Kadalundi before 7am.

Little Egret.

Now I had visited Kadalundi about 2 years ago and was least impressed with that place.Little did I know then that, to get to do some serious birding/bird photography in Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary, one has to trek a bit.
So for those who like me have/had no clue about the precise directions to get to the birding spots read on….
We parked the car near the tourist information center.Alternately one can also park their vehicle behind the Kadalundi railway station.We had to cross one bridge across the river.Now there are two bridges, the new one and the old(infamous Kadalundi train crash). While the new one on the left has an excellent footpath, one has to cross the track on the right to reach the birding site.
We had a tough time as we had taken the new bridge, and then climb down a scary ladder, jump from a height across a ditch and climb up back and across the railway track. Now as you walk along on the right side track you will come across a second set of bridges. Just before the start of the second bridge on the right side track, there is a small rough path which starts with a rock climb down.One has to be very very careful while descending down, especially with expensive cameras and lenses.Also it is recommended to wear waterproof sandals with a good grip rather than shoes.
Now once you descend down, you reach the island/prime birding site.
We had taken permission from the authorities before venturing on this trek and I would recommend that to anyone visiting this site as this is a protected area.

3 Whimbrels with a Eurasian Curlew

Lesser Sand Plovers

We came across Sandpipers, Gulls, Redshanks, Wagtails,Kites, Whimbrels, Eurasian Curlews, Kingfishers,Egrets, Sand Plovers at this site. Apparently the winter migrant birds had not started visiting.

Western Reef Heron

We photographed birds till around 9 am.The sun was getting hot and the light harsh….we decided to make the walk back to our car.
Now on the way back we walk along the old railway bridge. The foot path was broken and we had to walk along the tracks…SCARY !!! Finally we made it to the car safe and sound, and headed back home in time for a late breakfast.

Eurasian Curlew

Brown Headed Gull

Common Redshank

Photography tip: The birds are skittish and very vary of humans.It is best to lie flat on your belly and crawl commando style to get close to the birds and also get some good eye level shots. Make sure you have a clean towel and spare clothes as one is bound to be covered in wet sand…not a very comfortable feeling.

Ps. The wiki on Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary.

PPS. Please ask me before using any of my images.

A sunday drive.

We were the last group to leave the checkpost. Although we reached Malabar WLS well after the official visiting hours, we struck up some conversation with the police and forest guards. Very friendly people, who I must say have their patience tested by the innumerable idiots who venture there with their drinks/bottles/etc etc….

They told us to be careful about elephants that we may come across on the road. It had just started raining, and the sun was about to descend below the storm clouds.It was an amazing scene !!! I got out of the car, clicked a few frames and ran back in just before the heavens burst.

Thankfully the elephants were chilling out in their own piece of heaven.

More about Malabar WLS here

When Nature Calls…A long weekend in Mudumalai,Masinagudi and Bandipur,Jan 2011

This January we did a wildlife and nature photography trip to cover Mudumalai, Masinagudi and Bandipur.

We were 5 of us. Ashwin,Sharat,Fabith and me from Calicut.John was to join us from Bangalore.

We had planned 3 nights and 4 days enjoying the Jungle and doing our photography.
Equipment: Cameras:- Canon EOS 450D, Canon 500D, Canon 5DMkII, Canon 50D
Lenses: Canon 100-400L (2), Canon 24-70L, Canon 70-200 f2.8, Canon 28-135, Sigma 18-200 OS

We left Calicut on a thursday afternoon after lunch, in Ashwin’s souped up Skoda RS.

The route we took was Calicut-cheroopa-edavannappara-areakode-edavanna-nilambur-gudalur-theppekkadu-masinagudi.Distance is slightly less than 150 km.

This route is a drivers pleasure, with fabulous winding roads,great scenery and very less traffic.
A word of caution though, from Areakode till you cross the checkpost at Vazhikkadavu, the roads are narrow and filled with the most undisciplined drivers.

Fabith took the driver duty as Ashwin had sprained his neck. He usually drives his bmw 5 series and is an expert driver.
The Skoda was put through its paces and after some brisk driving ( mind you, at no point was the driving rash) , reached our first pit stop at Vazhikkadavu about 90 mins from Calicut.We went to Hotel Galaxy and had some nice hot Kerala parathas, beef and tea.Hotel galaxy is the last place for good food on this route.Cant say the same about their washroom though.

After this brief break we started along the famous Nadugani ghat section. winding beautiful and immaculate roads on the Kerala side, and the Skoda RS showed what a powerful beast it is.Once you cross the toll at the border and cross over to Tamilnadu, the roads are not as great as on the Kerala side, but still they are not bad.

It was past 5 30pm and we sighted a magnificent sunset over the hills.stopped for a few mins to take some snaps.

Sunset, Nadugani Ghats

Had to hurry, as our contact Mr.Haneefa was waiting for us at the entrance to the Mudumalai tiger reserve.He had told us not to be too late. By the time we crossed Gudalur and reached the first checkpost it was about  6 30pm .
We had selected the particular dates as it was full moon, and we wanted to enjoy nature at night too.

After meeting up with Mr.Haneefa, we were to follow his jeep, as we didn’t know the route  to Masinagudi Log House, where we were to shack up.

On the way, after Theppakkadu we saw the most amazing full moon rising.Being the crazy photographers we were, we stopped the car to take some moon shots.(didn’t get out of the car as we were in the jungle by then).The moon was absolutely beautiful and we spent some time to admire the beauty of the moon rise in the  jungle.

Moonrise in the jungle.Image made by blending 2 different images in Photoshop.Pretty close to the same view we had inside the jungle.

Panic gripped us when we realised we were far behind schedule.We started driving on to Masinagudi, and saw a scared Haneefa driving back to scout for us…he looked worried and angry!

We went on till our destination, thinking of excuses to explain our delay.But to our relief, as soon as we reached the log house, Haneefa had cooled down and with a grin he said “I’m sure you guys must have stopped on the way to take photographs.” “be careful, elephants roam the roads at night and might prove to be very dangerous”
John joined us a few mins later.He had driven down from Bangalore in his Laura.
After unloading our luggage and equipment and freshening up, we settled down for some  “liquid refreshments” before dinner.
Shortly after that John asked us to be quiet, and said that he heard something move about. One of us got a flashlight, and LO and behold it was an Indian Sloth Bear.We were quite thrilled at such an awesome start to our wildlife trip.The staff at the Log house told us that bears and other manner of wildlife(including the big cats) frequent the property as it is unfenced and is surrounded by scrub forest.
Anyways we had a good sighting of the bear for a good 30 mins.Fabith tried to get some snaps but it proved to be a futile attempt, due to the darkness.
We had a simple but delicious dinner after that and hit the sack.
Haneefa had organised two safari’s in Mudumalai the next day.

In the night I got up and looked outside the window.It was an amazing sight.The full moon had lit up the entire area.The small pond in front of the log house looked amazing, and there were lots of spotted deer,and a couple of sambar grazing on the sides.Since the staff had warned us not to step outside in the dark, I was content to see the scene through the window.

Full Moon Night.A view from the Log House

All of us woke up early next morning, freshened up and drove down to reach Kargudi by 6 am. It was a beautiful winter morning and the jungle air was cold and crisp.
Haneefa had arranged a jeep safari with the forest dept., and we were all pretty excited.To our slight dismay, it was not an open jeep, but one of those closed jeeps belonging to the forest dept.
We entered the jungle roads, considering ourselves lucky to have got into a jeep at all.Apparently only mini buses are allowed for tourists inside Mudumalai.Haneefa had got us special permissions from the dept.Dont know if this is possible now-a-days.
From a photographic point of view, the safari was nothing great.It was difficult to move around in that closed cramped jeep.We saw elephants, spotted deer, sambar, Gaur, Langurs.Fabith and Ashwin managed to get some great landscapes and forest shots.The rest of us just enjoyed being in the jungle.The sights, sounds, and smells were just too good.

Gaur, Mudumalai Tiger Reserve

A road inside Mudumalai Tiger Reserve

Streaming sunlight inside Mudumalai

I truly believe that they should allow open jeep safaris, at least by the govt, for photographers and serious wildlifers in Mudumalai. We returned to Kargudi by 9 am.Traffic had started plying on the road and we were eager to get back to the log house.

Had a heavy breakfast and relaxed .Fabith and me did some birding.the light was a bit harsh for bird photography. but were happy to sight so many birds.Masinagudi is truly a birding paradise.

Long Tailed Shrike @ Masinagudi

After a snooze and shower we were hungry again.Called up Wild Haven and informed them that we were coming for lunch.
After a late lunch and chilled beer, we got ready for the evening safari.To our dismay we were to do this safari in a mini bus.As a small consolation we had an entire bus for ourselves….meaning lots of space to move around.
If you are serious about photography, taking mini bus is BAAAD idea. Noisy,severely shaky.I’m sure any wild animal would have heard us from 100 km distance and scooted for cover.But still, we managed to see the usual suspects…Elephants, spotted deer, Gaur and Sambhar.The highight of the trip was the leopard that scurried across the road….too fast for any of us to even react, let alone get a photograph.

We spent a good 30 mins at the watch tower overlooking the Moyar Gorge.Spectacular view of the Moyar river thundering down a steep gorge.apparently even access to this region is severely restricted.How I wish we could spend one night at the watch tower….

Watch tower near Moyar Gorge.

A breathtaking view of the Moyar Gorge

Anyways we jumped and jerked and rolled back to Theppekkad.By now Ashwin and Sharat were severely frustrated with the safari arrangements and swore not to undertake anymore safaris this trip.
Needless to say the liquid refreshments were on the stronger side that night. Before the fluids got hold of his senses, Ashwin managed to capture some lovely moonlight shots of the log house.

Masinagudi Log House on a full moon night.

Masinagudi Log House, on a full moon night.Photo taken by Ashwin

Fabith and me wanted to check out Bandipur the next morning, and Fabith made arrangements with Jungle lodges for a jeep safari early next morning. But Sharat and Ashwin were in a mood to relax and shake away some weariness after the bone jarring safari last evening.They were bitterly disappointed with the sightings…or lack of it.Especialy Ashwin, who wanted to shoot some big cats.

Saturday morning we woke up at 5 am…got ready. Managed to wake up and convince John to join us.the checkpost opens only at  6 am. Crossed that and drove through some heavy mist to reach bandipur by 6 15 am. Our jeep was waiting and apart from the driver, there were two guys, both serious wildlife photographers Hari and Saravanan.
The Bandipur safari was better…better roads inside the jungle, a driver who knew what he was doing and the company of good photographers.There was not much activity in the jungle, no alarm calls and no sightings reported from the other safari jeeps that we crossed.

Early morning in Bandipur

Our driver employed his tracking skills and took us along a new road.Suddenly someone whispered urgently…”Tiger!!!”

The jeep engine was killed and there she was….this beautiful Tigress. It’s a sight I’ll never forget…seeing a tiger in the wild for the first time is a thrill that has to be experienced. No words can describe the feeling. The tigress calmly crossed the road and went behind a patch of bamboo.

As luck (or rotten luck) would have it I didn’t manage to get a good image.My camera was autofocussed on the bamboo and blurred the tigress.I guess only Saravanan managed to get a decent image.The langurs were going berserk on spotting the tiger and they followed it safely along the trees letting out loud alarm calls to warn anyone and everyone in the vicinity.

We tried to track and trail the tiger, but it was futile. Made a few images of the jungle and returned back.
The boys who had missed the safari couldn’t believe their horrible luck,but were somewhat consoled when we told them that we couldn’t make a decent image of the Tigress.

Peacock in the golden morning light, Bandipur Tiger Reserve

Post breakfast, we did some birding and decided NO MORE SAFARI’s. I suggested hanging out at Mark’s Place that evening and night.Now Mark Davidar has his house bang in middle of the jungle in the Sigur range of mudumalai.Mark is a nature lover, conservationist and has absolute respect for the wildlife and the jungle.He imposes a strict code of conduct and does not entertain tourists at his place.However Ashwin,John, and I ,have had the privilege and pleasure of being his guests before this trip.John especially is very close to him, having been a regular visitor at cheetal walk since his college days.
We tried reaching Mark on the phone, but to no avail.
Made plans to go to wild haven again for lunch and chilled beer.While we relaxed after lunch, John and Ashwin went down to meet Mark. they returned a few mins later with big grins.

We were spending the night at Mark’s !!!

Later in the evening, we parked our vehicle at wild haven and were dropped to Mark’s house in a jeep.Mark ushered us in and asked us to settle down soon.
Soon we took our vantage positions in that famed verandah and watched the drama unfold.

Believe me, for a true nature lover, this is THE PLACE to watch nature in all its glory.We saw gaur, sambar,wild boar and spotted deer at the waterhole and the saltlick.Peacocks sauntered by and the jungle fowl scurried across.

Cheetal @ Cheetal Walk

Sambar couple at the salt lick

Suudenly we heard cheetal alarm calls and the low grunt/roar of a passing tiger. All of us strained our eyes and ears,but we couldn’t spot the tiger…the alarm calls still continued.”there’s a leopard in the bush guys, no sudden movements” Mark suddenly whispered.Ashwin and Fabith saw the leopard first, but the rest of us couldn’t spot him.He was so well camouflaged. We looked closely at the direction and there we spotted the leopard.I guess it was lying there for some time, waiting for the coast to clear.We watched him for a few minutes  after which he scurried across into the scrub and disappeared.

leopard @ cheetal walk. Heavily cropped image, taken in very low light.

It was growing dark and the light was no longer suited for photography.Suddenly a dark shape appeared across our view…Tusker !!! Mark’s place is visited by few elephants which he has named after the brazilian soccer team. Soon after he was joined by another tusker.By this time the light was really bad, the moon had not risen and it was getting a bit too risky to stay out in the verandah.

The Solitary Tusker. Viewed from the verandah at Cheetal Walk.

We could only make out few vague black shapes moving about ahead.
We were told not to step out of the verandah and not to stay too close to the edge of the verandah.we were whispering when suddenly a black shape became bigger and bigger…one of the tuskers was getting a bit agitated and did a mock charge at us.

Rivaldo, one of the tuskers that frequent Cheetal Walk.

We had the shock of our lives and dived inside.In Ashwin’s words….”Ful throttle,wheels spinning,  traction control was not working!!!” That summed up our situation as we were trying to scramble inside from the verandah.
Mark had retired early and after the elephant mock charge none of us wanted to go out to the verandah again.
We had a few drinks to soothe our jangled nerves, and an early dinner.We could hear the sounds of branches being broken…the elephants were hanging around. By now the moon had risen and we could still see the 2 black shapes slowly moving around, through the windows. We heard some more alarm calls in the night, but no one dared to get back to the verandah.
We called it a night and fell asleep soon. Now 3 of us are heavy snorers, and Sharat termed the experience as sleeping in a room full of Bedford trucks.Perhaps that scared the Tuskers away .  Fabith shared the room with Mark and he had a decent nights sleep.Except Sharat, all of us managed to sleep well 🙂

Morning we got up to beautiful birdsong…Sat in the verandah enjoying the cold winter morning ,sipping nice warm black tea.

Coppersmith Barbet @ Cheetal Walk

Saw the usual suspects roam around…but no more big cat action.
Kumar from wild haven came to pick us up in his jeep. we bid goodbye to Mark, promising to visit him again soon.
Went back to the log house….had a solid breakfast, cleared all the dues, bid everyone goodbye and returned home, with great memories of a wonderful weekend, promising ourselves to return there together again.

From L to R : Me, Fabith, Sharat, John, Ashwin.

PS.  Thanks to Ashwin and Sharat for letting me use their images.