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| The magic wand of morning mist in the wilderness of Wayanad PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
From
the road less traveled, we took one of the much debated highways, the NH766 to the alluring destination of Sulthan Bathery.
Situated in the Wayanad district at the tri-junctional border of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamilnadu, Sulthan Bathery is the largest city in Wayanad district and a place known for its enticing natural beauty.
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| Green is the color of Sultan Bathery PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
Though it has evolved to be a major tourist attraction post the software boom in Bengaluru, it still remains fairly pristine. About 114 km from Mysuru, a drive to this place cuts through the Bandipur Tiger Reserve and Wayanad wildlife sanctuary, offering a stretch of immaculate greenery for the travelers to unobtrusively savour. Observing speed limits, pulled up windows, switching off the automobile audio and utterly low volume human speech comes in very handy in enjoying the drive to the fullest by spotting the birds and wild denizens that might venture in the vicinity of the highway. Down this blog, you will realize what a surprise package this highway alone can be, for those who abide by these rules. Note: Vehicular traffic is allowed through NH766 only between 6 am-9 pm daily. So travelers need to plan their journey accordingly.
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| One of the many priceless scenes on the highway, for those who pass without intruding PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
Food and Stay
Multitude of hotels, home stays and resorts are available as one can see in travel websites. This being our second visit to Wayanad in a gap of 7+ years, we see these options grown exponentially. From our recent experience, we highly recommend
Forestree Holidays
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| Jaguar Paw Cottage @ Forestree Holidays PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
Away yet not far away from the main town, this facility is situated at the edge of wilderness offering pleasant quietude and endless greenery and bird songs for company. Their garden is home to a variety of different fruit trees that attract numerous birds. Most of our bird watching happened within their premises. We could even spot a pair of Malabar giant squirrels chasing each other, at the backyard of our cottage. The host and the staff are very warm. Delicious food, made to order. Most importantly for us, it is pet friendly. Throughout our stay, our furry fellow had the best of his time, roaming freely in the expanse and making friends with the pets of the host.
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| Our champ enjoying the open expanse PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
When in Wayanad, enjoy Kerala cuisine. The scrumptious Appam-Kadalacurry, Kerala Parotta(so uniformly soft and delectable), meals with Kerala rice, the aromatic tea, seasonal fruits and the chips made fresh and hot, all have to be enjoyed. The no-fuss foodies that we are as a family, significantly aids us in this aspect. Farm fresh Indian plums, goose berries, Nendran banana, tapioca, coconut oil, spices, Kerala red rice were some of the items we loaded our trunk with, on our return.
Sight seeing and Wildlife
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| Indian Gaur காட்டெருது PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
Numerous options are listed in travel websites from places of historic and archaeological interest to those of nature and adventure. It is for the traveler's personal preference to pick and choose.
For those who prefer serene natural ambiance, a sunset at Nellarachal can be the best bet. It is a quiet hamlet situated about 15 km from Sulthan bathery. If you can plan in advance, this place has more activities to offer like boating, tribal art etc apart from the stunning scenic sunset views.
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| Serene and spectacular sunset @Nellarachal Kalirajan Subramanian |
Another place which we heard much about but couldn't visit was the Kuruva island / Kuruvadweep. This may be of interest to those who look for a day's outdoor activities against the natural backdrop of these islands.
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| He looked for fish and we looked for this sunset scene @Nellarachal PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
Wayanad district itself is located at the confluence of three major wildlife sanctuaries/reserves - The Muthanga wildlife sanctuary of Kerala, the Bandipur Tiger Reserve of Karnataka and the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve of Tamilnadu. All of these sanctuaries offer safaris run by the Forest Department. A drive on the highways connecting these three borders is just out of the world and words. So was the drive on Pulpally road, one misty morning.
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| Chopped timber, resting in peace @Timber yard Pulpally Road PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| Indian Gaur grazing along the highway காட்டெருது PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| A Doe-eyed Stag புள்ளிமான் PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| A chance spotting of a pair of Dholes along the NH766 செந்நாய் PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| Garden Lizard ஓணான் PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| Garden Lizard ஓணான் PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| Malabar giant squirrel இந்திய மலை அணில் PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
Here again, nature can bestow one with bountiful surprise spotting, only if one's vehicular speed, noise level, above all respect and interest towards wildlife are consciously exercised. We have to remember: IT IS WE WHO ARE CUTTING THROUGH THEIR HOME WITH OUR ROADS. HENCE UTMOST CARE AND RESPECT WE SHALL EXTEND. Much to our admiration, the Forest Department staff of all the three states are quite stern in enforcement of these rules and swift in containing violations. At one spot there was a short pile up of vehicles when we reached and we figured out it was for glimpsing some wildlife which had just crossed. In no time, the Forest guards arrived and cleared the pile-up. So no speeding, stopping for long time, honking, shouting, littering. We were also so happy to notice most of the travelers respecting wildlife and abiding by the rules.Love and appreciation for nature and wildlife is indeed proliferating among the Sapiens.
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| Curious Chital புள்ளிமான் PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| Wild boar காட்டு பன்றி PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
Birding
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| The house sparrow, hasn't fallen in Sultan Bathery. Rather rising in flocks! சிட்டுக்குருவி PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
Wayanad is a birding hotspot, home to many endemic birds like black-chinned laughing thrush, white-bellied short-wing, black and orange flycatcher, Nilgiri pipit, Nilgiri wood pigeon, and the Nilgiri flycatcher.
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| Plum headed parakeets in a field செந்தலைக் கிளிகள் PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| Ashy drongo கரிச்சான் PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| White-throated kingfisher வெண்தொண்டை மீன்கொத்தி PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| The tiny jet-setter, White-throated kingfisher வெண்தொண்டை மீன்கொத்தி PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| Black rumped flameback woodpecker பொன்முதுகு மரம்கொத்தி PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| Young peacock மயில் PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| Jungle fowl காட்டுக்கோழி PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
Though we couldn't see many of the endemic bird species, the star of our birding was the House Sparrow! This diminishing bird which is literally not found in major cities and even some towns, was found in numbers in Sultan Bathery, flocking in its common habitats of houses and low raise buildings suitable for nesting.
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| House Sparrow சிட்டுக்குருவி Kalirajan Subramanian |
Barring the Racket Tailed Drongo, almost all the other birds we spotted were seen in and around the place of our stay. The days were filled with bird songs irrespective of the hour!
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| A sub-adult peacock flashing its plumage with a spotted-deer for company மானும் மயிலும் உலவும் சோலை PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| Ashy drongo கரிச்சான் PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| A Grey Wagtail probably 1/100th the size of the plantain leaf சாம்பல் வாலாட்டி PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| Jungle myna காட்டு நாகணவாய் PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| Oriental Magpie Robin கருப்பு வெள்ளைக் குருவி PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| Long tailed shrike செம்முதுகுக் கீச்சான் PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| Woolly necked stork செங்கால் நாரை PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| Plum headed parakeet female(center) and male(right) and Kingfisher செந்தலைக் கிளிகளுடன் வெண்தொண்டை மீன்கொத்தி PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| A loving couple and a meditative bachelor sharing the same apartment! PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| Racket Tailed Drongo spotted on the highway துடுப்புவால் கரிச்சான் PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| Scarlet minivet female பெண் குங்குமப் பூச்சிட்டு PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| White-browed wagtail வெள்ளை வாலாட்டி PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
The End
Four mesmerizing days, in the lap of nature! We had roamed across the states, traversing three national parks and visiting places close to the woods. All was enchanting. Yet, there was one unfulfilled yearning. It was the day to leave.Pack-up, we did. As our final drive through the forested highway began, the yearning almost became a tear-jerking heart ache. Deep inside my mind sobbed a voice that was as real as the noon-sun of that day. "Did I really want them enough? With all my heart? Or, am I just a namesake who's cockish in flaunting her love for them? Is a noisy motor vehicle safari, the only way to see them going forward?" Unable to console myself I almost uttered a prayer, pleading for one fleeting glance.
We would have driven a little past the Kerala state exit check-post, entering the Karnataka state limits of the park. Few meters ahead we saw a small pile up of vehicles, being duly cleared by the Forest Department. A pile up of that size meant, a larger animal might have crossed. But yet, nothing could be seen. So we also moved on. While vehicles overtook us and we could hear somewhat loud voices of children from inside a car, we kept to the speed limits and continued to ensure we barely whispered. So within minutes, there was the much needed light-traffic volume on the highway. We would have driven a couple of Kms ahead. There was some movement in the bushes to our front-left. At the same time, two cars from the opposite direction slowed down. We literally crawled our vehicle and brought it to a halt, wanting to not hinder any wildlife that may intend to cross. We didn't know what was coming, it could be small, medium or big.
Moments later, the top leaves of the shrubs shook and made way. There she came. Gloriously grey, muddy and majestic. A cow elephant stepped out and stood in stillness, surveying the surroundings! Is there any word, any at all, to describe that feeling?! Well, I will park that for later and focus now on her. For good few minutes she kept scanning and then moved forward. Was she going to come close to the vehicles? What was she planning to do?
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| The Goddess who descended right in front of us PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
Moments after she stepped front, there was again some movement in the bushes behind her. Now, what?! One after the other, two young calves stepped out. Goodness gracious! Holy cow! literally! As they came out, the first lady started moving towards the road. Yes, they were about to cross. She was leading her herd! As she walked, the calves followed. Come on, there was one more coming out from the bush and joining the two calves! This one was slightly elder to the other two. She positioned herself on the outside, as if to guard the two young ones. Looking straight at the road, as if on-guard, she helped the other two cross the road.
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| The Calves PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| The apparently elder one watching the road while they all crossed PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
Wait, that was not all. There was one last cow coming out of the bushes, trailing the herd, as if watching their backs. One of the calves who had just crossed, halted on the other side watching the road. It waited for this trailing cow to be done with crossing and then vanished together into the thicket . In 3-4 minutes, it was all done. They were gone. But, boy, they'd taken us along with them too! Life transforming moment!
We drove along, as if in trance. About 10 minutes later, we again saw a vehicle pile-up,this time to our right. There was considerable human noise too. Slightly irritated, we gazed, moving slowly towards the pile-up. It was a water-hole on the right, a small water body where animals gather to drink or take a dip. There again, there was a herd of elephants. A very young calf was in the water, the rest of the herd just about to step inside the water body. By then, many of the passengers had stepped out of their vehicles, doing what sapiens do best - taking selfies and pictures in their cell phones. Children, senior citizens, all were out, just yards away from the herd, not bothering about their safety nor the freedom of the herd. Sensing this, the poor pachyderms started retreating to one corner of the banks of the waterhole. The poor calf rushed back too. They all huddled in that corner, comforting each other to safety by communicating through their trunks. They must have been sending rumbles of fear and consolation too.
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| The calf quickly aborting its joyful dip at the waterhole PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| The calf seems to seek the herd's comfort PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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| The herd almost planning a retreat from the waterhole PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
We, seated inside our car, could not handle this beyond few fleeting moments. Thankfully, we had some genuine contacts who could help. Immediately buzzing our like-minded friends, we got the contact number of the Range forest officials of that range. In one attempt we could reach them and they immediately recognized the location and sent their staff. Needless to say, lawful action by FD ensued.
As repeated multiple times in this post, getting out of vehicle on the roads cutting through our forests, is offense. Not observing speed limits, making noise, disturbing wildlife thereby posing a threat to both wildlife and humans is offense. Violators can and will be booked by FD under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. We ARE being watched. CCTV Cameras, FD on patrol, volunteers and all.
In a short while, the woods were well behind us. We were back to the cacophony of human settlements. But, one thing we unanimously felt. I yearned for one but beheld almost a dozen! May be, the giants deliberately answered us only at the end. May be, they let us be there at that moment to do what little we could, for them. May be, there really is something that binds all life forms together.
They say, faith moves mountains. Well, I'd rather pray, mine creates more and replenishes the plundered. They also say, miracles happen to those who believe. If such are the miracles that happen, I shall continue to believe till the end or even beyond.
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| The terrified herd huddling for solace PC: Kalirajan Subramanian |
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