Rendezvous with a rain forest - Part1 - The wild wild planet

A curious young bonnet macaque  PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

Have you ever been to a rainforest?

Forest, yes. Many of us would have visited a national park or reserve at least once with a guided safari in the itinerary to catch a glimpse of the uncaged wildlife. Such forests are mostly tropical deciduous with a mix of grasslands and deciduous trees. But there are certain stretches in the western ghats where pristine, old growth rainforests and shola forests prevail, albeit amidst the mass degradation of many adjacent stretches for tea/coffee plantation and commercial tourism.

A dawn-prelude of one such stretch of rain forest  PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

A rainforest is a unique ecosystem. Unlike deciduous forests, there are no open patches of grasslands here. Rainforests or tropical evergreen forests are characterized by very high rainfall, densely packed vegetation, tall canopies and low to nil penetration of sunlight. The forest floor is covered with foliage and the absence of sunlight makes it impossible for grass to grow. Therefore the biodiversity here is also uniquely apposite. There are no big herbivores as grasses and shrubs are sparse and hence no big carnivores too. Instead, these forests are home to canopy dwellers like Nilgiri langurs, lion tailed macaques, Malabar giant squirrels, larger birds like the hornbills and apex predators like Serpent eagles. The forest floor is a complex habitat to host of reptiles, amphibians, mongoose, small herbivores like the barking deer and boars. Occasionally big carnivores like leopard or tiger do visit these forests while migrating between deciduous stretches but the lack of sufficient prey stops them from staying longer. Nevertheless, the variety of flora and the inconspicuous theatrics they do to thrive here, compensate for the absence of everything else. 

Glimpse of the rain forest PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

A close look at the forest floor of a rain forest reveals its evolutionary history dating millions of years. A velvet-green carpet covers the rocky terrain and tree trunks. This is nothing but algae, supposedly the first formed flora. Algae evolves into moss over a period of time. Fungi, the next organism to come into picture, coexist with the algae in a symbiotic relationship and with time evolve into mushrooms. Ferns, the second flora to be formed on earth, can also be widely seen in these forests. Ferns are known to grow even in rocks and gradually break them down into soil. In the absence of pollinators back in the pre-evolutionary period, ferns developed their own mechanism of seed dispersal from a bag of spores called sporangium, using wind. Some ferns that bend their leaves and plant their offspring are aptly named as walking ferns. Walking ferns could be seen even now in evergreen forests. Then there are tall shrubs, variety of trees that form the lower canopy and another variety of trees that form the upper canopy. Upper canopy trees are characterized with narrow leaves where as the lower canopy and shrubs have broader leaves to trap most of the available sunlight.

A perfectly camouflaged bull frog PC: PC: Priya Rajan

Moss and fern on the forest floor PC: Priya Rajan

Mushrooms on a tree trunk

The root system of the rainforest is highly complex, interconnected and looks like boulders in many places. This is nature’s own way to protect the whole ecosystem in the event of high winds or storms lest individual trees fall causing more soil erosion and damage. As it is, the bed of rain forests is mainly sedimentary rocks formed out of volcanic deposits. Hence the layer of soil available is comparatively less and it becomes essential to hold it with the intricate root network. They also trap water inside them. Many a rainforest roots sound like huge hollow pipes when tapped on. 

Forest floor with huge roots and dense foliage  PC: Priya Rajan

A sample food chain in the rainforest:

Climbers that grow on a host tree often end up killing the host tree by grabbing all the sunlight and nutrients. Once the tree is dead, large colonies of termites aid in decomposing its barks into humus. The ant-eaters that feed on termites disperse the nutritious humus when they dig the decomposed bark with their limbs. The nutrients thus spread and enrich the soil. Reptiles like snakes, frogs feed on ant eaters and in turn they are hunted by predators like Serpent eagle.

Are you wondering why and how all this botany/geography lecture? 😊

Well, we have the naturalist Mr. Mahesh of the Wild Planet Resorts Devala to thank. His guided rain forest walk was one of the highlights of our stay there in June 2022. The sounds of the woods, the descending mist and the sudden drizzle during the walk are still etched in our memories even three months after our visit. Situated in such an ancient ecosystem, such initiatives are a welcome-must to spread awareness among the guests who otherwise might generally enjoy the place mostly for relaxational and recreational purposes.

Mahesh the naturalist at Wild planet resorts

The Wild Planet Resorts Devala in the Nilgiris range PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

The picture perfect locale of the resort in a tea plantation surrounded by rainforest ranges PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

Wild Planet Jungle Resorts 

The resort is located in the quaint village of Devala at the Tamil Nadu, Kerala border adjacent to Bandipur and Mudumalai Tiger Reserves. Situated at 3500 ft. above sea level, surrounded by tropical rainforests of the Nilgiris mountain range, this is one of the last bit of unpolluted environs accessible for the most undisturbed and unforgettable tete-a-tete with nature.

Routes and reachability 

All information is clearly available in their website and guided by their staff over phone, couple of days before the stay. Here in this blog, we give you a brief about our personal journey from Bengaluru. Our thanks to Mr. Ashok Fernandes for giving us a smooth arrival and check-in experience.

The best route on road from BLR would be BLR-Mysuru-Nanjangud-Gundlupete-Bandipur-Theppakadu-Gudalur-Devala. Including pitstops and the last 7km uphill from Devala to the resort being narrow and off-road, the total drive takes roughly 7-8 hrs.

From Bandipur forest checkpost the drive is through forests and greenery. We had ample sightings of elephants, spotted deer, wild boar, peacocks, water birds, macaques and honey buzzard on either side of the highway through both the Bandipur and Mudumalai forest ranges (NH181). Drive slow respecting the speed limits, keep noise levels really low with no honking, keep all passengers’ eyes on either side of the forested highway, then you are sure to spot a rich variety of animals and birds all along. This gets even better once you start climbing the hill from Devala. The entire hill is a tea plantation with adjacent hills donning mist covered woods. You are greeted with such tranquility, that is now rare even in the erstwhile serene safari forests and other hill stations. The silence is only interspersed with the chirpy tweets of small and colorful birds like orange minivets and bulbuls. We also had a chance sighting of a barking deer, a perched and then in-flight honey buzzard during our return drive. After 7km uphill we reach the first gate of the resort from which, in further 2kms, is the parking lot. At the parking lot, we park our vehicle, offload our luggage onto a 4x4 from the resort and the last leg of the climb is only done in their well-maintained and well-driven Mahindra Boleros suitable for the elevation and bends.

A spotted deer stag and family resting by a water hole in the Bandipur range en route Devala PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

Another stag and family in the Bandipur range en route Devala PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

A wild boar at the same waterhole PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

A wild elephant grazing by the side of the highway at the Gudalur range PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

A tusker grazing in the Mudumalai range PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

Oriental honey buzzard female seen in the Bandipur range during our return journey PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

Hospitality 

From the time we hopped on to their vehicle till the time we checked out, the one constant that we experienced from all their staff – drivers, admin, relationship managers, room and dining service staff, security guards – was exemplary hospitality. The resort is so designed that from anywhere within its premises if one has to reach the dining area or any other activity area, a small ride is required. Any of the resort vehicle passing you by, anywhere within the premises, will always stop and inquire if you needed a drop elsewhere. All the vehicles and the entire premises including the coops of the inhouse poultry and pet geese were maintained spic and span every day. We saw these on both the days during our early morning walks.

A turkey @ The Wild Planet Resorts Devala PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

Geese @ The Wild Planet Resorts Devala PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

A turtle in one of the ponds at the Wild Planet Resorts Devala PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

Activities 

We were more interested in guided forest walks, birding and in-general observing and recording the sights and sounds of the ecosystem. But the resort also hosts numerous outdoor activities for kids and adults. There’s an exclusive kids play area, swimming pool, badminton court, zip liner, kayaking etc. A walk through the long bridge connecting one end of the resort to the other is so picturesque. Details available here.

The kayaking area in the resort with the scenic background of the long bridge and the green hills

The cute tea shop in the resort that served some yummy snacks too 

Shop in the resort selling tribal artware 

One of the numerous soul-soothing walkways in the resort. A birder's delight in itself

The dense forest view as seen from a gazebo in the resort

Another walkway in the resort loaded with natural greenery. A shutterbug's delight

A view from the dining area

A snippet from the history of Devala which was once a gold mine as seen at the resort reception

A board with ecological information

Food 

Sumptuous is an insufficient word, to describe each meal. On the 2N/3D that we were there, we spent a lot of our day time on foot, walking both within and in the vicinity of their premises with our camera gears and binoculars. Hence we returned to every meal with a growling appetite and feasted on their vast and varied spread that was different and delectable each time. This reflected in the overall upbeat mood in the dining area too, amidst guests across ages. And the water…eons since we tasted the elixir so naturally rich in its own taste!

Stay 

They have a host of options listed in their website. We chose to stay in two different type of cottages on either nights. From the valley view cottage we could see the hues of dawn and daybreak in its breathtaking beauty and hear the Malabar whistling thrush from a distance but from the Jungle log house we could hear him up close and crystal clear. It was their mating season and the males sang their way into the hearts of their lady-loves!

We’d recommend the Jungle log house situated in the resort’s private forest space, for serious nature lovers. The dawn, dusk and nights are filled with the orchestra of the jungle musicians– cicadas, gliding frogs and flying squirrels along with occasional calls of the Nilgiri langurs and tweets of other birds. The melodious mating calls of the Malabar whistling thrush gently take the observer into a state of trance. If you are keen on observing a particular species’ sound or enjoy the symphony as a whole, tune your ears, eyes and equipment from the spacious verandah with the gifted silence of your party.(Of course the chitter-chatter can continue after stepping into the room and closing the doors) If this excites you, then the log house is all yours with assured maximum returns.

PS: while playing the videos below, please use headphones in high volume for the best audio experience 

View of their private forest from the Jungle log house. Use headphones in high volume for best audio experience

One of the many mellifluous renditions of the Malabar Whistling Thrush. Use headphones in high volume for best audio experience

Euphoric tune of this little music master elevating the already-magical dusk to a whole new level. Use headphones in high volume for best audio experience

Peppy sunrise jam of the Malabar whistling thrush and the Nilgiri langur. Use headphones in high volume for best audio experience

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