Pampadum Shola National Park is the smallest national park in Kerala, but it  can surprise visitors with its incredible collection of flora and fauna. It is very picturesque and gives a misty and cloudy experience in most mornings and evenings.

We were there in Mamalakandan forest area adjoining the Dr.Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary (Thettakad) when a friend suggested us to go to Pampadum Shola, he said it’s a totally different landscape and forest division which we may not have seen before elsewhere. The colors during dawn and dusk are just brilliant there he added.

We drove all the way from there to Adimali then took a detour to Mankulam and then towards anaikulam before munnar…. Although it was very scenic, we were getting very late so we thought to get back and drive stright to Pampadum shola. We tried contacting the forest department for stay within the national park area. But they said it might be too late and park gates will be closed, so they recommended us to stay just on the borders of the park.

So we again slowed down and drive via Lekshmi estate was very nice, sunset was amazing…. Reached munnar had an early dinner and drove along the mattupetty dam to reach the forest gate. And stayed at a small cramped lodge in a near by village….

Next morning woke up early and started towards the park, watchers there said just drive through the national park on the main road and get back to gate after having breakfast because the eco tourism office opens at 8.30 am only. Drive was pure bliss. What colors!

The misty morning, with a bit of sunlight peeping through the dense evergreen forest, a kill on the roadside (could still see the flesh and blood),  droppings of elephants and gaurs, some spotted deers grazing…  We were the first vehicle to enter the forest area once the gate opened. Cannot explain the feeling in words.

After a while we reached a small village named Vattavada after going out of the forest zone, had coffee and got back once again crossing the same forest patch. Then we went to the eco tourism office, got the formalities done and were ready for the trek. Until the guide was ready, i was reading a few books on this National park and on a few adjoining ones.

We started walking in the core area, the light couldn’t peep through such a dense vegitation. Wow! the real experience of walking in an evergreen forest. As we walked, a few leeches as expected were clinging on to our shoes.

After a brief walk our guide said sir wait, look at the pugmarks…..”It’s a very fresh pugmark of a huge tigress”. Just next to it we kept seeing some small tiny pug marks of the cubs… wow the tigress is back roaming in this territory again with her new born! She has 2-3 cubs we suspect, generally this tigress stays on the other side of the park, at times it moves in this region for a month or two… Apart from this we also have a huge male who roams this territory he added…

We were exited but with a lot of fear….For about a kilometer the pug mark was visible… Then it disappeared, guide said the tigers must have gone in side the busy region on the right side, so better we go down the woods on the left it jas some open area…. He said few months back he brought a group of trekkers through the same path and could here a loudroarr of tiger and returned to the starting point!

The guide made us walk through the woods and at one point he said sir just wait i will go and see any wild animal moments are there only after my signal start walking…. We were in a little fear bcoz of the tiger pugmark sighting but stood our groud as instructed by our guide. Finally we got the signal and we moved ahead.

After sometime we reached the forest guest house where we must have stayed the day before night if reached early. View from that place was surreal. What a sight! Could see the forest road as a small black line admist the forest. We did see a Indian red gaint squirrel on a tree near by and a few birds as well in the open…

We spent a bit of time there….. Continued our trek and the guide kept telling us the stories of sightings he had here before  then we reached spot were the kill had happened. He said it was a kill of a deer by pack of wild dogs. This happened late last night and he also sighted the wilddogs late last night/early that morning too in the same spot….

Then we went back to our starting point and left Pampadum Shola with some real adventures…… Although this is a very small national park but had lots of experiences to share and scenic beauty is something to relish for a long time…