Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, India (Center on Interactive Map)

Reservoir and forests.

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Trips

Around The World in 66 Days

2/19/2013: After all the hassles that we encountered getting into India and traveling in Assam, we were a bit concerned about our last week. We decided to visit the south of India, and after a couple of days and connecting flights, we found ourselves in Kochi.

We immediately saw that Kerala was a lot different than Assam. For one thing, there was a very helpful tourist booth in the airport. And, I was even allowed to buy a SIM card for my cell phone. We pooled with a couple of people, and we hired a car to take us to Periyar National Park. Our hand was a bit forced in this respect due to a general strike that was planned for the next couple of days.

Arriving in Kumily, we signed up for the "Tiger Trail" hiking and camping trip in the park. This involved walking for a couple of hours to a semi-permanent campsite inside the park. Amazingly, we were the only people taking this trip.

Early the next morning, we could hear a tiger repeatedly roaring in the distance. Instead of staying away, our guide thought it might be a good idea to track the tiger. We got close to where we heard the roar, and the guy with the gun and I both saw a tiger jump up and run away from a spot very close to us. Unfortunately, the tiger was so fast that I barely was able to identify it.

A few minutes later, we were surprised when a Sloth Bear ran past us! I think that of the thousands of people who visit this park, we were the only ones lucky enough to see the tiger or the bear.

Note: Indian Nightjar, heard only.

Previous Visit (Guwahati: 2/18/2013)
Next Visit (Thattekad Bird Sanctuary: 2/23/2013)

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