Manas is wilderness beyond compare. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and bio-reserve, it is perhaps one of the most pristine, virgin and primordial wilderness reserves in India.

The Manas National Park, situated at the foothills of the Himalayas, touching the borders of Bhutan, is a tiger and elephant reserve.  Jeep and boat rides are available inside the park, but it is best explored on elephant back.

Morning elephant ride was one of the best that you might ever have. There was no rain but will be soaked to the skin as thick water- laden mist bathed the forest. The condensation in the thick jungle dripped to the ground, forming minute rivulets that crisscrossed the park, and gathered into little streams before forming a body of water.

Ferns and shrubs thickly carpet the floor of this unique wetland. Despite the elephant grass and undergrowth, a chance to see plenty of pug marks – tigers! There are even some rare sights of – a leopard and its cubs!

The wild elephants in Manas were shy and the tall, thick grass provided a good shield.  There are an estimated thousand elephants here, and they keep moving across the border between Bhutan and the Park.

Manas is also a bird watchers’ paradise. Bird songs and calls were a constant accompaniment throughout the ride.  Emerging out of the nowwet and dripping forest and we can head to the river Beki.   The Beki river bank was covered with fine white sand.

Beki River and Manas

The turbulent Beki river is fast eating into the soft soil of the fragile forest. The erosion has been devastating.

Large chunks of the bank crumble away and crash into the river, only to be whisked away by the strong currents.  The Mathanguri forest rest house, a heritage building built by the British close to the Bhutan border, is in great danger from the large-scale erosion.

This wonderful park has tremendous potential; it is beginning to regain its original glory.

Don’t miss to see this place, when you plan for Trip to India !!!

Masinagudi reminds of Malgudi, with its quaint old Mysore charm and the Kannada-laced Tamil spoken by its taxi-men. It is a small dusty town on The Nilgiris border with Karnataka. Small hotels and eateries have come up to cater to tourists who come to the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.

The Nilgiris mountains boast of four kinds of vegetation: scrub, dry deciduous, moist deciduous and semi evergreen. Masinagudi is in the scrub and dry deciduous part.

Resilient

Though these dry forests are under stress, they are resilient. “These are carbon sinks (which absorbs atmospheric carbon dioxide that causes the earth to warm up) even in drought”

It was very peaceful earlier. Elephants crossed the road in herds of about 100. But after the Singara Power House came up in ‘87 the population of Masinagudi went from 5,000 to 13,000.

Being only 250km away from Bangalore, the place has also been attracting “the software people on weekends since ‘88,” This has promoted resorts, which often play loud music which disturb animals. Speeding cars kill them and encroachments into the forests and animal trails lead to their depletion.

Taxis here are jeeps, mostly driven by local Kurumba tribesmen, who are also excellent trackers. A family of black langurs squat on the road, surveying the vehicles that have to turn around them.

The field office also has an elephant conservation camp, one of the two in the state. Masini, a playful baby elephant, searches us for sugarcane, with her trunk.

Some of the elephants are used for conservation and some of them are kumkis, who are used to chase away elephants that stray into human habitations.

To enjoy, you must head to Mudumalai at dawn. The rising sun melts away the mist around the peaks; their awe-inspiring rock faces towering high above us. Masinagudi, unlike most other parts of The Nilgiris, is warm. Tall grasses characterize the landscape. It is in these grasses that tigers breed and find their prey. Gaur, Tiger and Elephants and deer are found in the scrub, mixed deciduous forests and the swamps.

The fee for the van safari through Mudumalai is Rs. 25 per head. There are elephant safaris also available. A camouflaged noisy Swaraj Mazda van takes us into the reserve. These parts were teak plantations in the earlier part of the previous century. Lantana and sturdy grasses cover the area. National Highway- 67 passes through.

We can spot many a langur, sambar and chital, a peacock, a retreating herd of elephants and maybe a crested serpent eagle, but sadly no tigers.

You can enjoy the spectacular Moyar falls. The white waters of the river Moyar have cut a deep gorge. We can stand on a cliff, amidst rust- coloured grass. The morning sun cutting through the thicket of teak makes the whole place glow. On the other side, tall trees hang on to the cliff.

The lush green gorge below is visible between wisps of mist. The calls of birds are very different from the plains. The whole scene is resembles Pandora, from the film Avatar.

How to get there

Mudumalai is 39 km from Udhagamandalam (Ooty). It can be approached from the Mysore or Gudalur Road. Buses ply from Ooty, Mysore (90 km) and Bangalore. Coimbatore to Ooty takes a couple of hours by road.

Enquiries and, bookings for forest guest houses can be made at the Mudumalai Wildlife Warden’s Office on Sturat Hill in Ooty. For details call 0423 2444098.

Reference : The Hindu – MetroPlus