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Arrive Kochi. Meet and assist on arrival. Transfer to Estate Bungalow at Kothamanagalam 40 Kms away by road. The
Estate lodge is set amidst a rubber estate. Welcome drink on arrival followed by lunch. Evening prceed for at Thttekad.
Early morning trip to Thattekad for birding. By mid morning proceed to Muniyaras (where menhirs are heaped around
megalithic burial sites. The word menhir is likely to have some connection with the word Muniyara). Return for late
lunch. After afternoon rest, proceed for night birding. 
Early morning visits to plantation for observing rubber tapping and processing. After breakfast proceed to Munnar. The
drive will take approximately 2 hours and passes through some dense low altitude forests of Neriyamanagalam where
reed is extracted for manufacture of traditional household items like baskets and mats. Approximately 1,00,000 people
here depend on this minor forest produce for their survival. The adjoining forests of Edamalayar and Pooyamkutty are
environmentally fragile and form the ground zero of an ongoing environmental issue of construction of a mega dam.
The drive also passes through rubber estates, pepper estates, cardamom estates and finally tea - all this as the
altitude goes up gradually to 5000 feet msl (1600 m). Transfer to Forest Resort near Munnar. The resort is in a
cardamom forest and is home to large numbers of bird species like the
The programme at Munnar consists of birding in the sholas here. The shola (high altitude montane forests) - grassland
eco-system is fragile due to population pressure and is threatened. Recent steps however are being taken to protect
this since all rivers in Kerala originate from these types of shola-grassland eco-systems. 
Early morning birding to Chinnar (2 hours drive). A small trek inside will take one to a dry deciduous forest which are
also home to a good number of elephants, gaur and Grizzled Giant squirrel. Breakfast en-route. On return stop at
Marayur and trek to a tribal settlement (Optional). The mudhuvans are one of the tough mountain people living along
the upper reaches of mountains here. The settlements called kudis are made with grass, mud & bamboo. Also visit the
waterfall at Lakkam (Optional) - a good spot for birding and butterflies. Picnic lunch near waterfall. Return to resort in
the evening. 
After breakfast, proceed to Gavi near the Periyar Tiger Reserve. Gavi is contiguous to
the Periyar Tiger Reserve and Goodrickal Reserve . This place is located in the middle of
the evergreen forest and is accessible only along a dirt road. Chances of wildlife
encounter are bright and include elephants, gaur, Lion Tailed Macaques and sambar,
apart from wild dogs and the occasional tiger. This place is also a veritable treasure
trove of birds (over 260 species). On arrival, lunch at the forest lodge. After a brief
rest, proceed to sunset point where one can see the famous temple of Ayyappa down
in the valley. 
Periyar is well located as a centre for seeing most of these ornithological specialties of the Western Ghats, as well as
large numbers of other resident hill species and migrants. Its attraction for birdwatchers is enhanced by the proximity
of low lying plains on three sides. There is considerable local migration, often in the drier weather, of lowland species
up into the foothills, and several interesting examples of ecological counterparts in pairs of wet zone and dry zone
species can be found, e.g. the Barbets. This is particularly noticeable at Thekkady, conveniently sited near the top
of a steep 450m/1500ft ghat above the dry Tamil Nadu plain. In deciduous forest around Thekkady the commonest
species in mixed foraging flocks are, in descending order Racket-tailed Drongo, Scarlet Minivet, Velvetfronted
Nuthatch, Bronzed Drongo, Grey Tit, Goldenback Woodpeckers, 
Whitebellied Tree Pie, Jungle Babbler, Indian Rufous
Tree Pie, Yellowbrowed Bulbul, Large Wood Shrike, Ashy Drongo, Small Minivet, Goldfronted Chloropsis, Small Green
Barbet, Flowerpeckers. Other common members include Orioles, Fairy Bluebird, Leaf Warbler Flycatchers and
Quaker Babbler. The sanctuary is also one of the finest for wildlife viewing.
Periyar This is a day of trek through the evergreen canopy to a place Meenar,. The trek is likely to take
about 5 hours and end up at the camping spot where hot lunch will be served. The guides on this trek will be
experienced local guides who occasionally work in the cardamom plantation nearby. In order to ensure safety during
trekking, a look-out party as well as an experienced 'elephant chaser' with a hand held device known as the patanki
will accompany, apart from the birding guide and other porters. Return to the forest lodge in the afternoon. In the
evening visit the local settlement for the Sri Lankan Tamil expatriates who have been resettled here. Visit the
cardamom factory and the local temple and school. Evening night safari to Kochu Pampa or Pachakanam on jeeps after
dinner. 
Boat ride on the Gavi lake in the morning. Visit Paradise cove with its spectacular array of wild flowers and the water
fall. Return to forest lodge for breakfast. Depart for Kumarakom after breakfast. Embark houseboat in the afternoon.
Step off at Kumarakom bird sanctuary in the evening. View sunset on the houseboat as the boat traverses the
Kumarakom lagoon. Overnight on the houseboat. | Back to the Birding Itineraries page || || [ Agra | Aurangabad | Bangalore | Belur | Cochin | Delhi | Goa | Jaisalmer | Jaipur | Jodhpur | Khajuraho | Mysore | Trivandrum | Udaipur | Varanasi ] |
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