When my friend Kalpalatha offered the prospects  of a  weekend getaway to chinnar and a stay deep in the jungle I didn’t have to think twice before nodding a yes- Forever drawn to the wild. 🙂

We started off  from Coimbatore at 5 am, picked up our  friend and naturalist Ranjith Ram  from pollachi   and proceeded to our destination.  As the morning broke,the trees lined up on either side of the road forming a green tunnel  as we approached Amravathi from Udumalpet offered a stunning  and soothing view.  We stopped for breakfast enroute at a small hotel by the roadside at the outskirts of the sanctuary.The lady who doubles up as the cook and her daughter kausalya generously served  us piping hot idlis and vadas as we sat on the outdoor  swing that was hanging  from the nearby  tree  .The backdrop of  mountains looming  behind the mango orchard made  a spectacular scene jolting up our moods to a great start to the day. We reached Chinnar checkpost and from there started our trek into the wild accompanied by two forest guides. The  creaking vines, the chirping birds and the gurgling streams.. the sounds of the jungle made the experience one of  pure bliss.  It was about losing and finding oneself in the wilderness.

 We spotted peacocks, kingfishers woodpeckers , minnivets ,deers, grizzled squirrels,  langurs   to name a few and the elusive  spot bellied eagle owl.Butterflies flitted around as we trudged our way across streams ,rocks and  giant gnarled roots .The  sunshine filtering through the tall trees  lent  a surreal magical feel to the whole place. 

 After resting for a while near the river side  we trekked back and had  lunch. And then we  resumed our trek  to the cabin tucked away deep in the jungle where  we were to stay for the night _ Pambaar log house.

 Though we could hear thunder as we walked and was hoping for some cool shower that would have been a respite from the summer heat, the rain clouds  were soon blown away.

 We reached our log house  about an hour later .The accomodation was basic and minimal. The sky was a pallete of myriad hues as the sun set. The jungle hummed with the din of crickets . Time stood still here with just  us ,mountains and streams around.  

 Our log house was lit up with solar lights as it turned dark. After having explored the nearby rocky terrain , we returned to sit back in the verandah  and munched on some juicy mangoes that tasted heavenly after all that trek and climb.The forest guides who had accompanied us offered us black tea.Therapy to the wearied soul .

 We retired for the night after having an early dinner .

 As the dawn broke we were up and  ready  for a birding trek. It was amazing how the jungle wore a different look each time ! Having  exolored and taken a couple of pictures of the various sightings  we trekked back to the log house amidst tiny water falls and thickets.It was time to return and we braced ourselves for  the 3.5 km return trek after having a fill of  instant cup noodles .In a hour we were out of the jungle and   back to civilization all recharged and healed.

 Until next time ..it was adieu to the raw wild and untamed Chinnar !