Trekking Through Thekkady I: Fellowship of the Raft

I’ll begin from the beginning. I can jump in much later into the tale but an atmosphere will have to be created. Without presenting the background, the climax may not hold much impact. This also means that the narration will have to be broken up into parts, not that it matters. So here goes…

For tourists visiting Kerala, Thekkady is a must visit destination. The Periyar Sanctuary that adjoins it offers a wonderful opportunity for nature enthusiasts to explore the wild. Although, called a tiger reserve, tigers are scarce and scarcely seen. The main show are actually the herds of elephants that roam the forests. Spotting them is also not guaranteed, but statistically speaking, the chances are brighter.

So the missus and I booked ourselves for a nature walk at 6 in the morning. A word here for those planning a trek through Periyar. The hotel where you stay will have “tie-ups” with private operators who will guide you on these expeditions. If you book through them, the rates will purportedly be lower. Believe none of this hogwash. It is not only costly but also not the real deal. Instead, the Forest Department has an office at the centrally located Ambadi Junction with a list of all their programmes and corresponding rates put up. Nothing can be more transparent.

A recent unfortunate capsizing had put brakes on safaris in boats. So all active safaris were safaris on foot. This itself was a unique experience. Generally, jungles have pre-decided routes on which cars ply, hoping for animals to cross their path. Walking on foot meant that we would be walking on paths created by animals!

We were there at 6 in the morning for the nature walk and lost no time in finding other people who would group with us. One was a genial early-middle aged couple from Kolkatta with a peculiar sense of humour. When asked how many Gujaratis were there in his home town, his reply was, “Too many”. The fifth person in the group, and I hope she is reading this, was Riina, a freelance journalist from Estonia in North Europe, as she unfailingly added. We were given huge, knee-length canvas coloured socks to be worn over our socks. For protection from leeches. They abound in the forest and eagerly latch on to anything that moves.

Periyar lake, minutes before dawn is a sight to behold. A thick mist settles on the surface bringing to mind the Deep Purple song. Chirping birds have just started rolling out for the day, ruffling their features, warming their bodies for the flight that lies ahead. The edge of the lake is indistinct and the forest on the other, uncivilized side is only a big green blob.



By the time we managed to get our raft to cross the lake, the first rays of the sun had hit this part of earth and what was mysterious seconds ago was clearly visible. Visible only and not penetrable for the eyes. The vegetation was so dense, it was impossible to make out what the inside had in store for us.

Cont’d…