Gavi is a best kept secret for all nature lovers. It is preserved with its natural beauty untainted. Located in  Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, Gavi is well known for the endangered Nilgiri Tahr and Lion-tailed macaque. There are plenty of wildlife around as it shares the boundary with famous Periyar National park and few other notable wildlife sanctuaries.

Pathanamthitta is blessed with abundant green forests. This green canopy does not just offer a visual treat but helped Pathanamthitta win the status of second least polluted town in India. Though Pathanamthitta has several beautiful locales, Gavi deserves a special mention.

Gavi comes under the restricted Periyar Tiger Reserve and entry to the forest is controlled by forest department. Only 30 vehicle permits are issued for entry into the forest. Entry time for permitted vehicles is between 8.30 am and 11 am from Angamoozy, after this time the permits issued will not be valid and need to get new permit for next day. Kerala government runs couple of buses at specific time a day on this route. There are number of dams and some power generating stations along the way.

Konni is a reserve forest near Pathanamthitta known for its elephant population and Kerala forest department also runs an eco-tourism here. We spent a bit of time in Konni and drove towards Angamoozy check point where we stopped for the day before entering the Gavi forest division.

Angamoozy is a small village by the Kakkattar River. We stayed at “Muruppel homestay” situated right next to the river and a kilometer away from the forest check post. One can spend any amount of time seeing the scenic view of river and mountains from the homestay. Perfect place to stay just before entering the reserve forest.

Early morning dip in the river was refreshing. After having a good local breakfast (Puttu and kadala curry) we went to the booking office(Vanasree) to exchange our passes that were booked online. After all formalities at the check post, our vehicle was the first to enter Gavi forest division. This place seemed very raw and one can feel the aroma of unpolluted environment around.

It felt like elephant land with broken branches in middle of the road and fresh dungs were seen everywhere. The unspoken feel of beauty and serenity together meet at this place. The sacred Pamba river was following us on one side and driving in the jungle with some waterfall/stream crossings….a misty morning….. That was nothing but heaven!!

We had to cross lot of reservoirs in middle of the jungle. Moozhiyar dam, Kakki reservoir, Kocha pamba dam, Gavi reservoir and of course the well know Periyar Lake. The view of Kakki dam was mesmerizing with mountains all around and a small island like projection in the middle. It also started to drizzle slightly that time.

At one place we could see grass hills at a distance and tiny dots(Indian Gaurs) were grazing there. We needed our binoculars to confirm it was Gaurs. Traces of elephants were everywhere. Saw quite a few raptors as well on the way. Total drive from Angamoozy to Gavi was about 60 km but it took nearly 4 hours to cover this distance.

We drove very slowly so as not to miss any glimpse of this beautiful land. The roads were very narrow through out, little bumpy too. Once you enter through Angamoozy check post, one cannot return back the same away and need to exit after Periyar national park only (just before Kumily).

Forest department check points were there every few kilometer once and have to show them your permits every time. Also you will be crossing multiple forest reserves and at one point while crossing over to Periyar National Park from Gavi we needed to get a new permit. We travelled on the fringes of Periyar Lake and some tributaries of Periyar river. Saw some Nilgiri Langur, gaint squirrel, sambar deers and some birds on the way.