Blackwinged kite, Indian moorhen, Crested serpent eagle, Peregrine falcon, Kestrel, Painted bush quail, Nilgiri woodpigeon, Little scalybelied woodpecker, Redrumped swallow, Rufousbacked shrike, Greyheaded myna, Rosy pastor, Yellowbrowed bulbul, Black bulbul, Kerala whitebreasted laughing thrush, Black & orange flycatcher, Nilgiri flycatcher, Malabar whistling thrush, Nilgiri white eye, Eurasian blackbird

Day 01: Arrive Kochi. Meet and assist on arrival. Drive to Estate Bungalow near Thattekad 50 Kms by road. Welcome drink on arrival. After lunch proceed for birding with birding guide. Return by nightfall.

Day 02: Early morning trip to Thattekad for birding. Return for late lunch. Overnight atop observation tower for night birding.

Kestrel

Day 03: Depart for Munnar early morning. The drive will take approximately 2 hours and passes through some dense low altitude forests of Neriyamanagalam where reed is extracted for manufacture of traditional household items like baskets and mats. Approximately 1,00,000 people here depend on this minor forest produce for their survival. The adjoining forests of Edamalayar and Pooyamkutty are environmentally fragile and form the ground zero of an ongoing environmental issue of construction of a mega dam. The drive also passes through rubber estates, pepper estates, cardamom estates and finally tea - all this as the altitude goes up gradually to 5000 feet msl (1600 m). Transfer to Forest Resort near Munnar. The resort is in the midst of a cardamom forest. The programme at Munnar consists of birding in the sholas here. The shola (high altitude montane forests) - grassland eco-system is fragile and all rivers in Kerala originate from these types of shola-grassland eco-systems.

malabar_whistlingthrush

Munnar & surrounding areas of Eravikulam National Park, Kallar, Chinnar & Manavan Shola (Asia's biggest shola) are all excellent places for birding. You should sight the Blackwinged kite, Indian moorhen, Crested serpent eagle, Peregrine falcon, Kestrel, Painted bush quail, Nilgiri woodpigeon, Little scalybelied woodpecker, Redrumped swallow, Rufousbacked shrike, Greyheaded myna, Rosy pastor, Yellowbrowed bulbul, Black bulbul, Kerala whitebreasted laughing thrush, Black & orange flycatcher, Nilgiri flycatcher, Malabar whistling thrush, Nilgiri white eye, Eurasian blackbird. Munnar is also a tea town and the drive through these tea gardens is an experience never to be forgotten. The sholas were never disturbed while tea was originally planted here and these now provide excellent refuge for avifauna of this range.

Day 04: moorhen

Early morning birding to Chinnar (2 hours drive). A small trek inside will take one to a dry deciduous forest which are also home to a good number of elephants, gaur and Grizzled Giant squirrel. Atop the watch tower it is possible to observe wildlife. The areas around the forest rest house and the river banks here are all ideal for birding. By afternoon after lunch, proceed to Parambikulam. On arrival check into forest lodge / tree house for the night. Evening proceed for birding. Should see the Darter, Little Cormorant, Black eagle, Lesser adjutant stork, Black capped kingfisher, Great Indian hornbill, Broad billed roller, Black woodpecker.

Gaur

Parambikulam sanctuary is adjacent to Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu. The altitude ranges between approximately 450m and 1,440m. The highest peak, Karimalagopuram (1,440m) lies on the ridge separating Parambikulam from Sholayar Range. Conditions are predominantly influenced by the south-west monsoon. Weather conditions are more stable in the valleys. However, the higher slopes become fairly cool during the monsoons. Red Vented Bulbul

The milder north-east monsoon is received in October-November. The vegetation includes patches of evergreen and semi-evergreen forest , occurring mainly in valleys and the wetter western and southern regions; secondary moist deciduous forest which is more widely distributed; and grasslands and marshes. The western and southern areas once had extensive evergreen forest cover; similarly, the original moist deciduous vegetation in eastern parts has been almost entirely replaced by teak plantations. Bamboo stands and reeds occur in the natural forests. The best natural teak Tectona grandis in Kerala was once found in this region but is now rare due to over-exploitation. The fauna here consists of the tiger, leopard , sloth bear and wild dog , lion-tailed macaque, bonnet macaque, Nilgiri langur , and common langur. Great Horn Bill

The teak plantations constitute an ideal habitat for gaur and the largest population in any protected area in Kerala is found here . Other mammal species include Indian elephant, spotted deer, sambar, Indian muntjac, Indian spotted chevrotain, wild boar, smooth-coated otter, small Indian civet, common palm civet, Indian giant squirrel, Indian porcupine, jungle cat , yellow-throated marten , Indian pangolin and ruddy mongoose. There are over 174 bird species which include the great Indian hornbill, and Ceylon frogmouth.

Day 05: Sloth bear

Early morning proceed for birding with packed breakfast. Return for late lunch. Depart for Coimbatore / Kochi by evening. TOUR ENDS.

Tariff: On Request Embark on an 8-day birding trip to the central highlands of Kerala. The trip will take one through the lowland forests of Thattekad described by Dr Salim Ali as one of the finest in India for birding; then onto Munnar, the tea town established by the British over hundred and fifty years ago. Munnar's sholas (high altitude montane forests) are home to a large number of avifauna, some of them endemic to the Nilgiris. The last stretch of the tour will be spent in a dense evergreen forests adjacent to the famous Periyar Tiger Reserve at Gavi where over 250 species of birds have been identified.

The trip will also be an insight into the lives of the people, its cultural ethos and historical highlights by visiting historically important areas, visit to tribal villages and all the while enjoying the excellent culinary feats of the Keralan menu.
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