Travelogue - Silent Valley
On Friday, 29th September, six of us from IIT visited the famous Silent Valley National Park in Palakkad. It was a long standing desire of mine to visit the Valley, which has been known as one of the richest biodiversity spots on Earth.
The nearest town is Mannarkkad. From Mannarkkad we travelled to Mukkali, where the forest department has an information centre and a dormitory/resthouse. Mukkali is just a couple of shops and several jeeps, so you have to book accomodation in the rest house in advance. In the tiny hotels, food will not be available for a large group on short notice. From Mukkali, the Valley is about 30 km away, over a winding hill road, which only jeeps can traverse. You have to get permission from the Asst Wildlife Warden at Mukkali before you proceed to the Valley. Entry is allowed only from 8 AM to about 2 PM.
We reached Mukkali in the afternoon on Saturday, the 30th Sept. It was too late to go to the Valley, so after checking into the dormitory, we spent time on the banks of the nearby Bhavani river. Mukkali is a bird watchers paradise. With my rudimentary knowledge, I identified at least 10 different species in the first ten minutes. We then had a refreshing bath in the cool waters of the Bhavani. It was an enjoyable experience.
The next morning, we hired a jeep and after getting the written permission from the Wildlife warden, set off for Silent Valley. The road is a hill road, built by the British, our guide Ravi tells us. The view from behind the jeep is captivating, with thick jungle all around, little streams and waterfalls splashing onto the road. And we havent even reached the Valley! On the way, our guide spotted a beautiful animal, the Malabar Giant Squrriel. It is just like the ordinary squrriel, but several times bigger, about the size of a small dog, and reddish brown in colour. But they are as active and agile as the smaller squrriels, jumping from tree to tree. We also saw a monitor lizard.
We reached the entrance to the National Park at about 10.30 AM. We walked to the 30 m high watch tower, which overlooked the jungle around us. Far below, the Kunti river flowed a milky white path though the dense forest. This was the river where the Kerala Electricity Board wanted to buld a dam. Nationwide protests led to the then prime minister, Indira Gandhi, to order the state government to abolish the project. We then trekked down to the Kuntipuzha (puzha = river in Malayalam). Leeches were in plenty, and the salt we carried from Mukkali helped remove the creatures from our legs. We soon got used to the leeches, and I felt amazed by their adaptation to their food source. We also saw a fast, black monkey, which according to Ravi, was the lion tailed macaque, Silent Valley's most famed resident. I could not make out the features, but it was some type of monkey. There were bird calls all around, but I could not identify most of them.
We reached the Kuntipuzha and crossed the hanging bridge. The force of the water was great, and we carefully crossed over the rocky ledge. Ravi then led us down to the rocky bank. We spent some time there, taking photographs and collecting rocks. The jungle was still around us, with the gurgling of the river giving company to the birds.
We were caught by a sudden downpour on the way back to the jeep. We finally reached the jeep, all drenched and tired. We got back to Mukkali by 3.30 PM. After lunch, we started back to Palakkad to catch our train back to Madras.
The trip was wonderful, beyond all expectations. The forest dept officials are sincere and helpful. After we visit the Valley, we get the feeling that it is indeed a well looked after place, protecting its precious flora and fauna. We didn’t go into the core of the National Park; this requires special permission from the Forest department, and a four day trek, camping in the jungle. But this trip itself left us exhilarated and marveling the wild beauty of the Valley. Let us hope Silent Valley is preserved as it is, for generations to enjoy.
You can see some photographs at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23483695@N00/
Getting there: The nearest railway station is Palghat Junction (Palakkad.) From Palakkad, go to Mannarkkad, and from there to Mukkali. Both places are well connected by private buses. If you are planning to stay at Mukkali, reserve rooms in advance at the Forest dept resthouse. Or else you can stay at Mannarkkad and hire a jeep to reach Mukkali by 8 AM. Mukkali is about 60 km from Palakkad, with Mannarkkad en route. The visit to the Valley and Kuntipuzha will take only a day, and you can return back to Palakkad the same evening.
Contact details: The Wildlife Warden, Silent Valley National Park, Mannarkkad, Palakkad dist, Kerala. PIN – 678582. Phone: 04924-222056
