Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Andaman & Nicobar Islands are an 800 kms long archipelago of 572 islands (only 26 are inhabited) that lie east of mainland India in the Bay of Bengal. The southernmost island is only 200 km from the northern tip of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The capital, Port Blair is located on South Andaman Island.

The islands are hilly with evergreen tropical forests and sandy beaches fringed with coconut palms and mangrove lined creeks. The islands comprise 0.25 % of the total land mass of the Indian sub-continent whereas contribute a whopping 12 % of the endemic avifauna of the region. Our stay should enable us to see a good number of these. The sea around the islands abounds with marine life including a wide variety of corals. Considering the diversity and uniqueness of fauna and flora and the fragile nature of the eco-system here, 96 wildlife sanctuaries and 9 National Parks have been established in the Andaman Islands.

Cochin, Kerala

Cochin, Kerala or Kochi is a cosmopolitan city located in the southern state of Kerala, called the 'Queen of the Arabian Sea'. It is a palm-fringed, lagoon-studded town where the red of the earth contrasts with the green of the vegetation. Kochi sprang into being in 1341 when a flood created a natural safe port. The local royal family relocated here in 1405 after which the city grew rapidly attracting Christian, Arab and Jewish traders from the Middle East.

Periyar Tiger Reserve

Periyar Tiger Reserve is set amidst the foothills of the Western Ghat mountain range of Kerala, India's southern most state, is the Periyar National Park and Tiger Reserve. A scenic lake that lies at the heart of the sanctuary was formed with the building of a small dam in 1895. The lake meanders around the contours of wooded hills providing a permanent source of water for local wildlife. Periyar is well located as a centre for seeing most of the specialties of the Western Ghats, as well as large numbers of other resident hill species and migrants. 266 species of birds have been positively recorded, approximately 67% of them are residents, known to breed or suspected of breeding here. Its attraction for birdwatchers is enhanced by the proximity of low plains on three sides. There is considerable local migration in dry weather, of lowland species up to the foothills.

Apart from herds of the Asiatic elephants, other animals to be seen in the Periyar sanctuary are the wild bison (gaur), wild boar, sambar, barking and mouse deer, dole or Indian wild dog and maybe the tiger - as there are an estimated 40 tigers here. Four species of primates are found in Periyar - the rare lion-tailed macaque, the nilgiri langur, common langur and the bonnet macaque. Monitor lizards can be spotted basking in the sun on the rocks along the lakeshore and visitors who hike into the park often see pythons.

Thatekkad Bird Sanctuary

Thatekkad Bird Sanctuary is one of the most popular National Parks of Kerala.This sanctuary is situated in dense tropical evergreen and deciduous forests with grassland patches. The renowned ornithologist, Dr. Salim Ali designed the sanctuary which was created in 1983 based on his recommendation made many years previously. Ali described Thattekad in the 1930's as the richest bird habitat in peninsular India, comparable only with the eastern Himalayas. Since then much of the forest has been diverted to cultivation and teak and mahogany plantations but what survives gives a glimpse of the phenomenal bird diversity of the once widespread lowland forests of Kerala. The sanctuary is spread over an area of 25 sq. km. covered with deciduous forests and plantations of rosewood, teak and mahogany. The Bombay Natural History Society has identified 253 species here.

Eravikulam National Park and Munnar

Eravikulam National Park and Munnar is a hill town 125 kms east of Cochin. The altitude of Munnar at over 5000 ft means a pleasant climate throughout the year though in Dec-January the temperatures can fall to single digits. The shola-grassland eco-system typical of Munnar is home to a large numbers of birds, many of them endemic. Eravikulam National Park is a plateau at an average altitude of 6500 feet, about 30 kms from Munnar in the Western Ghat mountains. This park was originally established to protect the Nilgiri Tahr which is in the endangered list of Indian mammals. It was declared as a sanctuary in 1975 and considering the ecological, faunal, floral and zoological significance, it was declared as a National park in 1978. It covers an area of 97 sq. kms of rolling grasslands and high elevation 'sholas'.

Sundarbans National Park

Sundarbans National Park is the largest estuarine mangrove forest in the world. It is classified as a Tiger Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Biosphere Reserve and is located in the Ganges delta in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal. The region is densely covered by mangrove forests and home to a variety of mammal, bird, reptile and invertebrate species. The Sundarbans forest is also home to more than 200 tigers. The Royal Bengal tigers here have developed a unique characteristic of swimming in salt waters and are notorious for their man-eating tendencies.

Apart from Royal Bengal tiger, fishing cats, macaques, wild boar, jungle cat, flying fox, pangolin and Chital deer are also found in abundance in the Sundarbans.

Some of the more popular birds found in this region are - Open Billed Storks, White Ibis, Spotted Billed Pelicans, Large Egrets, Night Herons, Paradise Flycatchers, Fishing Eagles, White Bellied Sea Eagles and Whistling Teals.