Wildlife & Trekking Diaries

What I enjoyed at Longwood Shola was taking my time on the forest walk, stopping to look at the canopy, marsh and plants with the guide. This post brings together my earlier visits and photographs, including the dry stream bed and the first attempt that ended in five minutes because of leeches. Planning a visit Start: Longwood Shola rest house reception, Kotagiri. Reach at least 30 minutes before your booked time. The walk: The official route is an easy 3 km return trek, taking about two hours. Price: ₹699 plus 5% GST per adult when checked in October 2026. Book through Trek Tamil Nadu . The booking details and inclusions are below, under “Planning your visit”. Discover the Beauty and Wildlife of This Tropical Rainforest Gem Introduction: Longwood Shola Reserve Forest Longwood Shola Reserve Forest, nestled in the heart of Kotagiri, is a small yet significant tropical rainforest spanning just 115 hectares. Serving as a crucial water source for numerous villages in Kotagiri,...

For a Siruvani trip via Palakkad, Kerala Tourism lists a guided safari and trek to Keralamedu. The details are below. My account is from December 2015 and June 2017, so the prices and permission arrangements in the story belong to those visits. Planning the trip Start: Inchikunnu check post. The route: You need a private vehicle for the safari. The listed drive is about 10 km towards Siruvani Dam, followed by an hour’s trek to Keralamedu. Timings and fees: The page lists 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Adult ₹35; child ₹10; foreign visitor ₹160; camera ₹40; guide ₹400; car/jeep ₹800; tempo traveller/minibus ₹1,100. Booking: Contact the forest office for dam access and safari bookings. Official details: Kerala Tourism package page . Siruvani Dam, Ecotourism Siruvani Dam is a very important Water Source for Coimbatore and Siruvani water is close to many a hearts. I have heard stories of natives of coimbatore carrying siruvani water where ever they go, even if travelling to far off pla...

Silent Valley National Park, Ecotourism Review Ecotourism is well organised and all bookings are done at the Ecotourism Center, Mukkali . All accommodation and Trekking details are available in the Silent Valley National Park Website . Ecotourism Reception Booking Contact Details The following are the contact numbers for Silent Valley Booking ( Accomodation, trekking, Jeep ride etc) 04924 253 225 +91 8589895652 Basic Information 1) Birding  Best Season - January to Feb.  Best Places for Birding Ranking No 1 :   There is a nature camp in between Mukkali and Sairandhri that can accommodate 20 people. Birding camps are organised for large groups, typically educational tours . This is not an option for general public or individual birders Ranking No 2: Karuvara Trekking.The Trek runs through a coffee plantation and along a stream and excellent for birding. I've been there in January and was astonished by the wide varieties of birds. Ranking N...

Planning the Sairandhri trip Checked 27 October 2026. The story below is from my 2017 visit. Start: Mukkali Ecotourism Reception / Forest Office ( Google Maps ). The trip: A guided Forest Development Agency jeep or bus trip to Sairandhri, taking about five hours in all. It was roughly 22 km from Mukkali on my visit; Kerala Tourism gives about 23 km. Timings and fees: Kerala Tourism lists 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Forest Ecotourism portal showed ₹650 per Indian adult or ₹955 per foreign adult for the Jeep Safari . Check the fare and vehicle arrangements when booking. The river: Bathing in the river inside Silent Valley is prohibited. The dip described in my 2017 Keerippara account was at the Bhavani River near the Mukkali office, a separate stop. Ask locally about access to that stretch. Sairandhri(Named after Draupathi) is a place inside the Core Zone of Silent Valley National Park and the jeep or Bus trekking to sairandhri is the most popular activity in silent valle...