It was my long time desire to visit Silent valley national park, which for many reasons failed to materialize. Finally it happened last week, Thank God, and here is a complete report of this long time desired trip.
OverView
Silent valley national park is a part of Nilgiri biosphere, and unique area of rain forest of its kind in Western ghats, holding extreme versatile flora and fauna. It is contiguous to Mukurthi National park, and in all means as beautiful as Mukurthi NP. (Have posted the trip report of Mukurthi National which we visited six months back, in a separate thread). Silent valley better is knows for its rain forests, unique floras, orchids, handsome population of Lion Tailed macaques and not to mention zillion butterflies which I have never seen in any Western ghats forests so far. Its is 120 km from Palakkad and 65 km from Coimbatore. We approached it via Coimbatore, Anakatti , Attapadi and Mukkali from Chennai.
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| Silent Valley Entrance Area |
Inspection Bungalow
Mukkali is the base camp of Silent valley national park and boasts a good reception centre, few eateries and an exceptionally beautiful, comfortable , neat and good located Inspection bungalow, I have ever stayed and it is too luxurious for an Inspection Buingalow, with refrigerator, dining room, dressing room, drawing room and what not. Highlight is just behind Inspection Bungalow Bhavani river flows, with all its majesty , filling its melodious spurling sounds in our ears, finding its way all through to Bavani sagar Dam in Sathyamangalam. The garden around Inspection Bungalow is damn good for birding with fruit laden ficus trees, inviting numerous barbets, minivets, pigeons, mynas and so on.
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| Bhavani River flowing at backyard of Inspection Bungalow |
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| Inspection Bungalow |
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| Inspection Bungalow Interiors |
Karuvara waterfall trek
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| Giant Wood Spider |
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| Enroute Kuruvara Falls |
On day 1, which happened to be a Sunday, we opted for day long trek through moist evergreen forests of Silent valley buffer zone. We opted for keeripara trail which is more better for wildlife sighting, but since no guide was available we proceeded to Karuvara waterfalls which is also equally beautiful. It was a full 5 hour trek up and down 12 km, (even though forest dept says it is just 3 hour trek), crossing coffee plantations, ever green moist forests and numerous beautiful streams and waterfalls. We crossed settlement of karuvara tribals and had a good conversation with them in their local language which is pre-dominantly Tamil with Malayalam accent. Karuvara waterfall is majestic and beautiful but bathing is strictly prohibited, even though We could spot nearly 15 boys bathing in waterfalls when we started leaving..At the end of the day, returned to my favorite Inspection Bungalow after spotting many birds, added 12 new species to my list not to mention variety of butterflies and insects, but with stiff neck pain because of birding, no thanks to lofty trees with thick canopy.
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| Greenery Enroute |
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| Kuruvara in its full Majesty |
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| Beauty near falls |
If there is any major issue in Silent valley National Park, then that is food. Only 2-3 eateries are available but you need to pre order the food, and its better to pack some food to this place.
Had a sound sleep at night, with Bhavani river’s lullaby ,in one of the spacious bed room of Inspection Bungalow
Leeches
I was worrying terribly about leeches while trekking and birding, but Thank God, leeches did not perturb us in any way except for a couple of bites. Since we carried salt and dettol we managed it. But guides warned that, leeches are indeed plenty in monsoon
Birding
This place is excellent for bird watching, and one need not go anywhere, just peep around the trees from your bed room veranda of IB, you could spot atleast 20-30 species in an hour. Minivets, green pigeons, warblers, barbets, bulbuls thrive here. Could spot good number of western ghat endemics to my list as well. At sairandhri, Yellow browed bulbuls, Crimson backed sunbirds and brown cheeked fulvettas were very profuse. Plum headed and Malabar parakeets are more profuse here than Rose ringed parakeets in urban areas.
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| Ashy Drongo |
Safari to Sairandhri
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| Enroute Sairandhri |
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| Bronze back tree Snake (Thanks INW member for Id) |
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| Rain forest of Silent Valley |
On Day 2, left Mukkali to Sairandhri on Safari jeep. One has to book for safari in advance. Safari is through thickest rain forests only equal to rain forests of amazon and borneo, and it was a delight to watch lofty and multi colored canopy of rain forests. At the end of safari, there is a watch tower which provides a marvelous view of rain forests around, Poochi para peak and kunthi river, flowing through the dense and mystical rain forests of Silent valley.
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| More Rain forests |
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| Poochipara Peak |
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| Kunthi river |
Went for a trek to Kunthi river for around 3 hours, and it helped me to add Crimson backed sunbird and brown checked fulvetta to my list. Particularly sun birds were more profuse in this tract of forest. Forest itself was very beautiful with deathly silence gave us a nostalgic experience. Could not sight any mammal but spotted a snake and had some good snaps and videos of it. Elephants thrives in this areas, giving us sign every now and then by there fresh dung and their deep grumbling stomach sound but could not spot them. Even though guide asked us to take only1.5 hours for this trek , which is far more sufficient , bird activities never let us leave this place soon, and we took extra 1.5 hours, which was very worth as well.
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| Hanging bridge across Kunthi |
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| Watch Tower |
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| Clinotarsus curtipes - Caught on River Bavani |
Finally on Day 2 evening , we bid adieu to Silent valley and my favorite Inspection bungalow, catching a bus to Anaikatty from mukkali, and from there to Coimbatore.
Catched Cheran express in which we had booked our tickets, to the busy bustling city life of Chennai.
Additional Information
For Chennai and Bangalore people, it is better to approach from Coimbatore rather than palakkad. Road conditions are good and public transport is very good as well.
Stay at Inspection Bungalow need to be booked weeks in advance, by sending a written request. Infact we booked it 1.5 months earlier.
Both trekking and safari need to be previously informed and booked.
Do carry some salt as antitode for leeches.
If you happen to stay at IB, don’t forget to go for a brding session on evening and morning around IB compound, which will turn very fruitful.
List of Birds Sighted:
(Species in Bold, are my first sightings).
This area is very good avian life, but birding is bit harder due to lofty trees with thick canopy. Innspite of good effort on birding, managed to record only 47 species and out of them 15 were new to my list.
1. Vernal hanging parakeet
2. Crimson fronted barbet
3. White cheeked barbet
4. Heart spotted wookpecker
5. Ashy drongo
6. Bar winged flycatcher shrike
7. Southern hill myna
8. Yellow browed bulbul
9. Jungle babbler
10. Brown cheeked fulvetta
11. Asian brown flycatcher
12. Blyth reed warbler
13. Velvet fronted nuthatch
14. Crimson backed sun bird
15. Plain flowerpecker
16. Little cormorant
17. Indian pond heron
18. Pegerine falcon
19. Grey jungle fowl
20. Spotted dove
21. Plum headed parakeet
22. Malabar parakeet
23. Indian swiftlet
24. White throated kingfisher
25. Black rumped flame back
26. Common iora
27. Blue winged leafbird
28. Asian fairy blue bird
29. Eurasian golden oriole
30. Greater Racket tailed drongo
31. Bronzed drongo
32. Brown shrike
33. Common myna
34. Scarlet minivet
35. Red vented bulbul
36. Red whiskered bulbul
37. Grey headed canary flycatcher
38. Verideter flycatcher
39. Nilgiri flycatcher
40. Common tailorbird
41. Greenish warbler
42. Orental magpie robin
43. Grey wagtail
44. White browed wagtail
45. Purple rumpbed sunbird
46. Oriental whiteeye
47. Purple sunbird
