Day 27 – Jan 14th
Thattekad bird sanctuary or Salim Ali bird sanctuary is a must visit place for bird lovers. It is the first bird sanctuary in Kerala and boasts to be the home for around 300 species of birds.
We had breakfast at Peppers cafe on the way and reached the sanctuary at around 11 AM. We took tickets for the sanctuary and boating. The entrance to the sanctuary is around 200 m from the ticket counter. We decided to do boating at the end as it was hot and went to the sanctuary first.
We started walking after writing down our names in the register at the entrance. The area was not too dense. We could hear some birds chirping but it was difficult to spot them. Since we didn’t have binoculars, we used my camera’s zoom lens to spot the birds. In some areas we walked on our toes and sat down in silence for a while hoping that the birds would show up.
In addition to the beauty of the forest, the place offers some pleasant views of the Periyar river as the sanctuary is nestled between the branches of the river. Towards the end, we wandered off the trail and ended up at a plantation area with some huts. On the way, we got a glimpse of couple of a deer running.
By the time we are out of the sanctuary, we had walked 8 KM and spent around 5 hours. After having a refreshing lemon juice in a local shop outside the sanctuary, we went boating. We also made a stop at a small butterfly park and interpretation center around the sanctuary. To know about other available facilities click here and here.
Just a few kilometers away there is St. Thomas Mount which offers good view of the surrounding area. It is a steep hill with a cross on the peak. As we were already tired we climbed only half way, but even from there the view is good. We watched the sunset over the forest and climbed down.
On the way back, we stopped at Marlee’s bake junction. Its a small bakery with lively ambience run by a group of women. We had coffee, banana puff and pineapple pie.
Day 28 – Jan 15th
We spent our time at the Homestay.
Though we spent so much time in the sanctuary, we didn’t spot a lot of birds considering the number of species the place has and that’s because we got late by the time we reached. Birds are active at dawn and dusk, so if you can reach the sanctuary by 7 AM, there is a good chance of spotting more birds. We also spent way too much time at the sanctuary wandering about, and there is no need to walk as much as we did to cover the area. Expect to spend around 3 hours there. If you love birds or enjoy walking in the forest, this place is worth a visit.
Summary
Following are the places we visited:
- Thattekad Bird Sanctuary
- St. Thomas Mount
- Marlee’s bake junction