Masai Mara of Kerala
A big colorful chameleon, one which is not seen in my native place, I held my breath and crawled after it. A photo, a short video, that is enough for me, but the chameleon is too proud and behaving as if it is Sushmita Sen. However, later, it sat at a place for a few minutes, maybe seeing my despair. I took some snaps and a video clip. I sat there relieved. At that same moment, something suddenly jumped in front of me. It was a wild rabbit. It stood still on seeing me all of a sudden. It may have felt disgusted looking at an ugly creature in its realm. With a smug twitch of whiskers, it ran away. Seeing the rabbit running in, the chameleon ran away hurriedly as if for saving its life. In between, I heard the loud voice of the guide who accompanied me asking “Sir, neram romba aayaachu, pokalaam?” I visit forests very rarely, so I wanted to see this forest thoroughly. The guide cannot be blamed because he grew up in the forests and this was just a source of livelihood for him. I walked along with the guide to Vashyapara.
I have gone to Chinnar a few times, but because of lack of time, I never got a chance to trek to Vashyapara. Trekking and camping in Vashyapara is booked online. For 2 persons, the ticket charge is Rs. 4000. If there are more than 2, an extra charge of Rs. 1000 per person has to be paid. I need to reach the Chinnar Checkpost at 1.00 pm and will start for Vashyapara at 2.00. We will return from Vashyapara the next morning at 10.00. The trekking distance to Vashyapara is 6 km. After a short walk, I reached the top of a large rock. From there, we can get a good view of the spectacular Chinnar Forests, and also enjoy the wind. I decided to sit there for some time. I could see the guide looking through his binoculars to see if there is any animal below.
Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is situated near Marayoor in Devikulam Taluk of Idukki District in Kerala. It is 18 km from the beautiful Marayoor and lies on State Highway 17. Chinnar is the only rain-shadow region in Kerala. This place receives very low rainfall, and so, the whole place is hoary. Chinnar is a favorite of adventure lovers, family travelers, and tourists. Here, the land is mostly woods, not large forests, and so, we can see wild animals without much hindrance. The major water source of Chinnar is Pambar which is one of the rivers that flow eastward. Chinnar is rich with different types of forest areas comprising dry deciduous forests, high shola, tropical forests, copse, grasslands, and forests of riverbed. On the way from Marayoor to Chinnar, I relished the scenic view of Thoovanam Waterfalls cocooned in the lush greenery of the forests.
There are different ways for trekking in Chinnar – 1-hour trekking by the river banks, Thoovanam trekking, Vashyapara trekking – all with night camping facilities. Chinnar is the habitat of grizzled giant squirrel which is on the verge of extinction. These species of squirrel counts to only around 200 in the whole world and 90% of them are in Chinnar. This place is also the habitat of the costly star tortoise. Walking past Pambar, Champakadu Tribal Colony (the Muthuva tribal clan resides in this colony); passing by cactus plants, rocks, bushes, rare organisms; and past forest full of different types of trees; away from the intolerable tumult of the outside world; fully absorbed in the beauty of nature, nothing is more thrilling than this. The guide again asked me if we can go. We were accompanied by 2 people from the colony and a forest watcher. Two persons have gone ahead with water and other equipment for preparing food. The guide said it’s just a 15-minutes’ walk.
The singing of the birds was quite enjoyable. After a long walk, we reached the hut. The hut is enclosed with fences for protection from wild animals, but they are broken and damaged in most of the places, so as a matter of fact, those cannot be counted on for protection. The hut is at a slanting hill below a rock. From here, the picturesque views of the vast jungle area can be had. It is spread over like a large lake bordered by hills. As said earlier, as it is not a dense forest, wild animals can be easily spotted. There could be seen lot of grazing elephants and bison. Just like in Masinagudi, we can see numerous wild beasts here. Those who were with me had gone to another hut nearby to cook food. I put a chair in front of the hut and sat there gazing at the vast canvas of nature.
As the sun went down, the canvas also started fading. I could hear some roaring sounds from different directions. Birds also started producing different sounds. Sitting amid wild animals and listening to the sounds of the forest, the feeling is indescribable. The watchers lit fire using sticks. We sat around the fire. I had food while I listened to all their stories and afterwards, went to sleep. In the hut, there was a bamboo bed made ready for me. I felt relieved and relaxed going to sleep listening to the roaring and growling sounds of wild animals accompanied by the singing of nightingales and crickets as if they were competing with each other. I don’t remember what time I fell asleep. I woke to the alarm ring. The first thing I did in the morning was to just get out of the hut and sit on the chair in front of the hut. I wanted to enjoy the first rays of the sun rising from the folded hills bordering the forest.
Seated on a chair feeling the blowing and howling of wind, that is something unforgettable. Slowly, the rays of the sun started peeping through the hills. The beauty of that scene coupled with the chirping of the forest birds is indescribable. I sat there sipping a hot black tea and enjoying the scenery. I felt like I was in paradise. The plan was to leave at 10.00, but I insisted on going early and the guide was also happy that he can return early. After sometime, we said goodbye to the hut. Walking through the forests early in the morning was another electrifying experience. I saw the pristine waters reaching the banks of Pambar and drizzling on to the boulders as if breaking into a laugh. I jumped into the river and took a good bath. We reached the checkpost. I felt sad when I had to bid farewell to the people who were with me. Though we were together only for a day, we had become great friends. I left Chinnar promising her that I will come again.
