Travel has always been about fun, exploration and people but never about wildlife and nature. Having learnt about the rain forests as a child, I've never had the opportunity to wander into one or even think about what it might be like. When one of my friends suggested that we should go on a wildlife workshop to the rain forests, I should say I was mighty excited and jumped at the opportunity. The best part about this was the I had no idea that a place by the name 'Aagumbe' existed until this trip came up. You will be surprised to know that this place is called the cherrapunji of the South as it receives maximum rainfall; locals say it's usually upto 1000mm. Lush and beautiful, it is the home to the largest population of the majestic king cobra. After learning so much about the place, I just couldn't wait to set out on the journey to get to this hidden treasure.
As part of the trip itinerary, we were given instructions to be prepared for heavy rains, lots of hungry leeches and some exotic species of flora and fauna. Leeches and snakes are the two things that can shake my gut and the amount of research that went into reading about leeches and how to protect myself from one was boundless. Tons of Internet surfing later, I was mentally prepared to face my fears of the slimy and slithering.
Like all backpackers, there was no plan. There was a destination and one backpack and we just had to get there. Two trains and one bumpy bus ride later, we landed at this green, fresh, gorgeous village of Aagumbe. Aagumbe is home to a research centre and the reserve forests which the karnataka government takes care of. We were instantly greeted by the amazing people organizing the camp and were taken on a small Orange van to the camp site. Camp site is a huge place tastefully designed such that the environment is not troubled by us humans inhabiting the area. We had little tents all laid out to perfection. Quick freshening up and settling down later, we got to meet more camp participants and the various fields they've been associated with. It was very interesting to see the amount of knowledge each of these people had about the forests and life within.
We had all finally assembled and it was time to start off with camp. After yummy breakfast, we set off on a quick walk to the nearby forest area, technically backyard (we're already living inside the forest ). I was paranoid of leeches because it was the first time I was encountering them so I spent most of my time looking down at my feet to make sure nothing was climbing on. In between my leech fight, we spotted some rare species of fungi. If I remember the name right, it was called dead man's finger because it actually looks like one. We spotted some more rare plants and birds and frogs. We then headed back to camp for a quick session on snakes.
Snake man Ajay Giri took us through some amazing snake facts and some really exciting stories about rescuing snakes from the local community. From looking at snakes as scary, poisonous creatures, for the first time, I looked at them as scared, majestic creations of nature. Although the fear in me hasn't completely left me, I think I now have a different perspective of wildlife altogether. Not just snakes but frogs, insects, mammals and every single thing in that forest had something to tell and something to learn from.
As part of the trip itinerary, we were given instructions to be prepared for heavy rains, lots of hungry leeches and some exotic species of flora and fauna. Leeches and snakes are the two things that can shake my gut and the amount of research that went into reading about leeches and how to protect myself from one was boundless. Tons of Internet surfing later, I was mentally prepared to face my fears of the slimy and slithering.
Like all backpackers, there was no plan. There was a destination and one backpack and we just had to get there. Two trains and one bumpy bus ride later, we landed at this green, fresh, gorgeous village of Aagumbe. Aagumbe is home to a research centre and the reserve forests which the karnataka government takes care of. We were instantly greeted by the amazing people organizing the camp and were taken on a small Orange van to the camp site. Camp site is a huge place tastefully designed such that the environment is not troubled by us humans inhabiting the area. We had little tents all laid out to perfection. Quick freshening up and settling down later, we got to meet more camp participants and the various fields they've been associated with. It was very interesting to see the amount of knowledge each of these people had about the forests and life within.
We had all finally assembled and it was time to start off with camp. After yummy breakfast, we set off on a quick walk to the nearby forest area, technically backyard (we're already living inside the forest ). I was paranoid of leeches because it was the first time I was encountering them so I spent most of my time looking down at my feet to make sure nothing was climbing on. In between my leech fight, we spotted some rare species of fungi. If I remember the name right, it was called dead man's finger because it actually looks like one. We spotted some more rare plants and birds and frogs. We then headed back to camp for a quick session on snakes.
Snake man Ajay Giri took us through some amazing snake facts and some really exciting stories about rescuing snakes from the local community. From looking at snakes as scary, poisonous creatures, for the first time, I looked at them as scared, majestic creations of nature. Although the fear in me hasn't completely left me, I think I now have a different perspective of wildlife altogether. Not just snakes but frogs, insects, mammals and every single thing in that forest had something to tell and something to learn from.
It was time for another walk and this was to spot snakes. We were lucky to spot the green vine snake and we learned a ton load about local plants and their medicinal value (Courtesy Aditya who was doing his PhD in flora and fauna in the shimoga district) . There was this one plant that could actually numb your taste palette for about twenty mins(crazy stuff ). We even spotted some exotic butterflies and a rat snake going after its prey. It's a pleasure watching these animals in their natural habitat.
I didn't risk carrying my dslr on this trip as we expected rains every minute but this was the only time I regretted not carrying it with me. So much beauty, so much to capture and I had to do it with my phone.Luckily, I was in the company of some amazing wildlife photographers and I'll make sure to use their pictures.. :P
Pictures Courtesy: Manikandan Dhayal
Beyond these short walks, everybody was very eagerly looking forward to the night trail which would've left us exploring more nocturnal creatures. Unfortunately, we were bound to our camp site due to a lone tusker strolling the locale at the exact same time. Slightly disheartened and adhering to our facilitator who declared that our safety was more important, we went on to explore the fenced area around camp site to find more amphibians like the common Indian toad, golden frog and a few other exotic species. It was then time to retire for the night. Tucked away safely in our tents , we drifted into the silent night.
I didn't risk carrying my dslr on this trip as we expected rains every minute but this was the only time I regretted not carrying it with me. So much beauty, so much to capture and I had to do it with my phone.Luckily, I was in the company of some amazing wildlife photographers and I'll make sure to use their pictures.. :P
Pictures Courtesy: Manikandan Dhayal
Beyond these short walks, everybody was very eagerly looking forward to the night trail which would've left us exploring more nocturnal creatures. Unfortunately, we were bound to our camp site due to a lone tusker strolling the locale at the exact same time. Slightly disheartened and adhering to our facilitator who declared that our safety was more important, we went on to explore the fenced area around camp site to find more amphibians like the common Indian toad, golden frog and a few other exotic species. It was then time to retire for the night. Tucked away safely in our tents , we drifted into the silent night.
Soon, it was bright. The surprising part was that the sun hadn't set until about 7pm the previous night and yet, it was early sunrise the next morning. The slightly sunny morning brought out more green vine snakes to bask in the sunlight. We were also lucky to spot some beautiful birds like the Grey Hornbill, Yellow Bulbul,Malabar Crested lark and Coucal.Soon it was time to fill up our bellies with some yummy food and head out for a trek in the Someshwara Forest reserve.
This was the point where leeches just become a part of your life because no matter what you do,the creepy slimy thing will not leave you until it's had its meal.Moving on, the trek was adventurous and we spotted more snakes (Shiels Tail,Pit Viper and a Checkered Keelback)
A 3km trek led upto the tip of a gorgeous waterfall. One with crystal clear water and the symphony of water against rocks. After spending a considerable amount of time at the waterfall , munching on some snacks and clicking photos like there was no tomorrow, it was time to head back. to base. A quick trek back took us to the entrance of the forest.A few more group pics later,we were done for the day and that was the end of camp.
Highlights of the wildlife workshop at Aagumbe for me would be:
P.S. I have overcome my exorbitant fear of snakes and leeches and the wild in general.
These places of unadulterated and unexplored beauty deserve to be treated with respect and protected with love.You don't have to be an animal lover to love wildlife, you just need to be willing to make the human race live longer .If you're reading this, spread the word and help people connect with nature and understand it's importance.
-Sharanya
This was the point where leeches just become a part of your life because no matter what you do,the creepy slimy thing will not leave you until it's had its meal.Moving on, the trek was adventurous and we spotted more snakes (Shiels Tail,Pit Viper and a Checkered Keelback)
A 3km trek led upto the tip of a gorgeous waterfall. One with crystal clear water and the symphony of water against rocks. After spending a considerable amount of time at the waterfall , munching on some snacks and clicking photos like there was no tomorrow, it was time to head back. to base. A quick trek back took us to the entrance of the forest.A few more group pics later,we were done for the day and that was the end of camp.
Highlights of the wildlife workshop at Aagumbe for me would be:
- The organizers (Mohammed Ismail, Ram, Vishwas and Akshay) were super meticulous with the planning of everything and their knowledge on every aspect of the rain forest was just commendable.
- Everybody who spoke (Ajay,Ram, Ashok,Ismail) had immense patience to answer our innumerable questions on the subject.
- Other participants in the camp were wonderful people to share their knowledge with the rest of the group (Aditya, Shwetha, Pallavi)
- The awesome videos that showed various species, their rescue operations and the effort that's gone into preservation of these animals is just inspiring.
- Travel was made easy with my super awesome company (we took a train from Chennai to Bangalore, Bangalore to Shimoga and then a bus to Agumbe so this was a really loooong journey and couldn't have survived it if not for my fun gang)
- I have to say there was this special discussion on rain forests and as nature lovers what we're doing to protect them and how we could go about bringing a change in the society to encourage conservation of wildlife. (Dr.Ashok the great , was the man behind this!!)
P.S. I have overcome my exorbitant fear of snakes and leeches and the wild in general.
These places of unadulterated and unexplored beauty deserve to be treated with respect and protected with love.You don't have to be an animal lover to love wildlife, you just need to be willing to make the human race live longer .If you're reading this, spread the word and help people connect with nature and understand it's importance.
-Sharanya
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