Travel Diary: Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, Palakkad Kerela, INDIA

Parmabikulam Tiger Reserve, Kerela India

Wrapped around the hills of the Ananmalai Range,adjoining the states of Kerela and Tamil Nadu in the South Western Ghats is this unforeseen forest that is the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve. During the last weekend of May, my husband and I embarked on a journey towards utter serenity and submission of nature's bounty in vegetation and wildlife. The rain Gods were obliging to keep the climate tranquilly likeable for our two day trip at Parambikulam. The drive through this wildlife haven is rutted and bumpy.But the occasional spotting of wildlife was so thrilling as they are acclimatized with the sound of vehicular movement.

Driving from Bangalore to Parambikulam took 8 hours with world class highway roads and beautiful sceneries. On entering the forest reserve, it can be quite confusing but Google Maps helped us get through with some help from the locals as well. The reservations for our stay were made prior and well in advance to obtain maximum benefit towards our stay. Onto the forest, the drive up the mountain is serenading and calm with the weather just perfect due to the onset of the monsoons filling the air with freshness and our lungs with the much needed  breathing detox. At camp, we had a guide arranged to help us navigate and get around the forest for our two day stay which made life so much easier. 

We reserved the Thunakkadavu tree top hut at Parambikulam Tiger Reserve with full amenities located around a lake that made for a picturesque setting.The break of dawn is breathtaking from this tree top hut and is a beautiful picture to capture. The calm sounds of the forest with the occasional hoot of wildlife in the distance poised a warm welcome of nature and its surroundings in the wild. The amenities in the tree top hut is amazingly good.Food was amicably arranged on time.  It was appetizing with influential flavours of Kerela cuisine that we really enjoyed. 

On the first day of our stay we were taken on a jungle safari and dusk drive .Lucky enough we spotted some wildlife like the leopard,the Sambar Deer, the Indian Gaur, wild bucks and deer, peacocks and peahens,the Nilgiri Langur among several birds and insects. The Parambikulam dam by the river was also shown to us along with the world's largest Teak Tree at an astounding girth of 6.48m and 48.75 m high.

 

The most wonderful part of our trip was the bamboo rafting organised at dusk. With dark gray rain clouds threatening bursts of rain,  wild deer at the foothills of lush green mountains busily taking a drink by the lake bed, the bamboo raft manually operated moving on the calm waters but take note the lake is infested with crocodiles although we did not see any. Surrounded by saturated colours of bright vegetation with dark murky clouds amid the peeping sun, the gentle drizzle and the cool breeze made for the perfect setting for bamboo rafting that enthralled us.

After the dusk drive, we had the local tribes entertain us with their tribal symphony that charmed the audience to participate and enjoy few moments with the tribes. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing among nature at our tree top hut listening to the sounds of nature and wildlife around overlooking the lake amid faint thunder and lightening illuminating the sky. 

The next morning we went on a jungle trek deep into the forest with our guide. We encountered a single elephant that had us alert and petrified for a moment, but the animal was just passing and wasn't amused by us questers. We also saw the Indian Gaur at a close  distance grazing along with deer and peacocks dancing to attract their mates. A lot of birds were spotted during the forest trek that we captured on our cameras. It was overwhelming and a fun experience in all. After breakfast it was time to check out after a quick stop at the gift store to pick up some memorabilia. 

Call it perfect timing by nature with the climate just apt for a visit. This venture, deep into the forests of Parambikulam on the Kerela state border, treated us to an eventful weekend at the of nature's largess at the reserve. The highlights of the place include a plastic free zone and it is amazing to see the forest well maintained. Driving down the mountain recollecting our two day stay, we were totally satisfied with the arrangements, the setting and the experience we shared at Parambikulam Tiger Reserve and hope to revisit soon.