Chennar Wildlifereserve.

Big cat. Big wow.

Chennar wildlife reserve is in Kerala state-close to the border with Tamil Nadu. It is a place with a varied nature-different types of Forest, rivers. A canyon. Plains and hills. It is also a place with quite a bit of wildlife around. My plan was to do some hiking and stay overnight in a treehouse. I had one goal in terms of wildlife watching-catching a glimpse of the Grizzled giant squirrel. Something i eventually actually did.

I drove to the reserve from Munnar, a small town at the foot of hills packed with tea plantations. A beautiful leg in good weather, which i was lucky enough to enjoy. My tuktuk dropped me off at a visitor booth run by the tribal communities living inside the reserve boundaries. They were to give me a guide for the first project-an archaeological walk trough thorny brush. In the area there are ancient burial sites as well as rock paintings to be found. An easy walk-if you know where to go.

One of the dolmens-ancient burial chambers.

After the walk of history, i was driven to the main visitor center where i had to wait for a long time before anything happened. Overpriced food kept me company. A group of monkeys creating lots of commotion on the parking lot, did the same.

Monkey business on the parking lot of the visitor center. This monkey really spent time and effort in exploring his reflexion.

True monkey business.

Finally. Time to move. With water, blanket and mosquito repellent packed in my backpack, we walked a couple of kilometers to a tree grove where a trehouse was built high above the ground. Accessible by shaky ladders and steps. A long way up-but with an excellent view from the top once up there.

My treehouse.

Here comes the cat. I was stunned!

A beautifull fullmoon. Together with all the sounds of the night, it made it perfect.

I arrived with a feeling that in terms of wildlife i would see very little there. so it was with quite a relaxed attitude i began to watch the surroundings more closely around 4pm. And i was in for a big surprise and treat. having only been staying there for ten minutes or so, i saw the grass to the right move. Something was definitely approaching and that something was not a bird. Just below me, there was an open field, and moments later a leopard came out in the open. Relaxed it crossed the space before being swallowed by the grassland again.  10-20 seconds long encounter that truly made my day. WOW-so close. So clearly visible. So naturally acting-totally unaffected by my presence. But what wildlife concerns, it was all i got that day. A beautifull moon was what kept me company for the rest of the evening.

Next morning-early rise. And soon a desperate departure. No toilet nearby, i was needy for way more than a pee-the only thing the treehouse camp can accommodate. Nearest toilet at the visitor center.

After breakfast-hiking time. First we went to a tall look out tower so see if we could see something. Lot of fresh poo, to start with. Then, almost hidden among trees and brush in a hill quite a bit away:elephants. My guide figured out they were on their way to a river. We left the tower, and started walking towards an area where we maybe could get a closer and better look at them. without getting to close. Getting too close to wild elephants while on foot can be risky to put it mildly.

The plan worked. We were staying at the top of a small canyon, behind some vegetation. The elephant slowly foraging their way towards the river on the other side of it. Visible now and then among the trees. It was a mix of adult females and youngsters. Some of them really big.

Elephants. Having volunteered with elephants, i have a feeling for these creatures. Seeing them foraging their way was just amazing.

A tiger put its clawmark on a tree.

We left the elephants and headed towards the river. A piece of natural beauty with rocky walls and forest. Here i also got a short glimpse of one of the flagship species of the  reserve-the giant squirrel. a blurred observation. It saw us first-and rushed from the ground to the treetop and out of sight in a moment. all i really got to see was the brushy tail. After that it was only a short walk back to the visitor center-from where i boarded a bus to the neighbouring state-Tamil Nadu.