Hamta Pass ' 09 - Day 1

Hamta Pass........

Day 1 :-
TILGAN....this is the the 1st campsite at about 8200 ft. You start from Prini Base Camp. On the way we had stopped in Prini Village at the Sharvani Mandir. Well actually I could not go with the all the trekkers since I had to wait for a fellow instructor to arrive. She arrived at about 10 am, had breakfast and left at 10.30 am...
Man for the first time I ever felt that I can really trek. We both were taken through a less traveled route. We did this trek in flat 2 Hrs. with just two 5- minute breaks !!!
When we reached the campsite the campers had not yet reached, so we had approximately 1 hr. to rest. So we both figured out what all activities to take after consulting the locals who were with us and then Siddharth finalized it. But frankly speaking the rope walk was on activity that wasn't planned..... but it just happened and man it was fun !!! It was like you were watching a circus...hahahaha!!

By then it was 7. the sun was setting and everybody were thrilled with the idea of a night trek!!
We returned to the campsite and it was almost 11 in the night when we slept. It was a good day in the end.. and Gearing up for the next day's trek to Sara Boggi.....

Periyar Tiger Reserve, Thekkady, Kerala

The Periyar Tiger Reserve, named after the Periyar river, is one of Kerala's prestigious possessions on the High Ranges of the Western Ghats. Falling in the Idukki district of Kerala, this forest Reserve surrounds the Periyar Lake, which was created in 1895 by building a dam across the Periyar river (to divert the water to Tamil Nadu for irrigation). The forests around the lake were declared as Reserved Forests in 1899.

[ Note :- These photos were clicked by me when I had visited Periyar,Thekkady in May,2009]


History of Periyar :-
The Maharaja of Travancore, realising the significance of conservation, appointed Mr. S.C.H. Robinson as the First Game Warden. Based on his recommendations the forests around the lake were turned into a sanctuary in 1934 and christened Nellikkampetty sanctuary. The sanctuary which was a game reserve merged with the Forest Department in 1966. It was declared a Tiger Reserve in 1978 under the Project Tiger scheme. In 1982 the core area of the reserve (350 sq. km.) was notified as National Park. The Reserve covers hills and verdant forests extending over an area of 777 sq. km. The Periyar lake, the nucleus of the sanctuary is about 26 sq. km. in extent. The elevation ranges varies from 900 M to 2019 M.

The forests of Periyar can be divided into four categories. The open grasslands are home to the Elephants, the Bison and herds of deer. The moist deciduous forest is dominated by trees like Terminalia and Teak which shed their leaves seasonally. The semi-evergreen forest occurs along wet stream areas and is often adjacent to the tropical evergreen forest. Lastly, the 'Sholas' or tropical evergreen jungle which is typical of the entire western Ghats in the state, abounds in this Reserve . The varied habitat in the sanctuary supports a number of species of terrestrial, aquatic and arboreal animals. Apart from Elephants, other herbivores in the Reserve are Gaur, Sambar deer, Barking deer, Mouse deer, Nilgiri langur, Bonnet macaque, Lion-tailed macaque etc Tiger, Leopard, Jungle cat, Wild dog, etc are the major carnivores seen in the area. Other important animals are Bear, Porcupine, Jackal, Indian Giant Squirrel, Malabar flying squirrel, Wild boar, small Indian Civet, Mongoose and the Pangoline.

Its a wonderful place to be with lush green hills surrounding when you are out there in the boat(they take tourists in a boat for approx. for 2 hrs. for sightseeing), and as you are going,you can notice the Buddhist Monastery in the middle of the forest!!

Will keep you updating more on this. Avios