I had driven to Wayanad last December. Spent a few peaceful days in the midst of nature.
While driving to Wayanad, I barely made it to Nagarhole before the gate closed (no entry b/w 6 pm – 6 am). While passing through Nagarhole and Tholpetty, I encountered elephants, gaurs, sambar, cheetal and a civet cat. Was impressed with the prey density at Nagarhole. Very large herds of cheetal, and many gaurs. Pench National Park has the highest prey density per square km, Nagarhole can’t be far behind.
At the resort, I passed my time sitting in the balcony, listening to the sounds of the jungle and reading. Wasn’t in the mood for any exertion e.g. jungle walks. Didn’t even do Nagahole safaris as I had planned to. However, I did go for night drives, the first day in my vehicle, and the second day in the resort jeep. During the last drive we saw a tigress on Thirunelli temple road around 8 pm in the evening. She stood beside the road for a couple of seconds before melting away into the darkness. My first tiger sighting in Kerala. One of the resort guys was super excited, since this was the first time he saw a wild tiger.
I wasn’t in a mood to take any photos while in Wayanad, but on the way back, I did a spontaneous stopover at Ranganathittu. Spent some time with the pelicans, testing the Nikon 200-500mm lens. Sharing a few shots from that afternoon.
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