After spending one night in the chaotic city of Trivandrum we couldn’t wait to escape the stifling heat and continuous sound of horns beeping. So off we set, into the mountains, to Kumily, the town closest to the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary.
The journey took a grueling 9 hours. We travelling on a local KSRTC bus which cost the equivalent of £2.50 each. But it was not a pleasant journey. Consisting of several hours of sweating and then regularly having to peel yourself from the plastic seats. This was the mode of transport I had frequently used when I last travelled around India, however, I am no longer 18, and I soon began reminiscing about the luxurious air conditioned busses in South America.
We began our first day at the park with a jeep safari. I use the word ‘safari’ in the loosest possible sense as it involved no animal spotting whatsoever.
Although our driver did spend 10 minutes pointing out an invisible deer, to the point where we had to agree we had seen it so that he would continue driving. Despite the significant lack of wildlife it was a nice way to see the area and we caught a beautiful sunrise over the forest.
In the afternoon we headed into the park to take the popular Periyar Lake boat tour, hoping that we would have better luck spotting wildlife by the water. In the short time we were on the boat we did manage to spot some deer, bison, otters, countless birds and a huge snake. We were glad to be in the confounds of the boat as the snake moved worryingly fast.
The 777 square kilometer park is home to numerous wild elephants and over 30 tigers. Unfortunately we were unable to catch sight of these on our visit. However, one animal which wasn’t shy was the monkeys, which crowded round the park entrance.
Karl was welcomed into their group as one of their own and was able to get some close up, personal shots.
The baby monkeys were so cute!
I, on the other hand, was shunned from the group, as one mischievous monkey chased me away. I never did like the Indian monkeys!
We retreated back to our hotel where we were able to relax and watch the sun go down over park from our balcony. We even saw some bison come to graze in the nearby grass lands.
Despite the lack of elephants and tigers we can see why this is a popular holiday destination for Indian families, as the cool air and lush green scenery seem a world away from the hassle and noise of India’s hectic cities.
