After the trip to the Gandhi museum, we check out of the hotel and catch a tuktuk to the bus station. We’ve already contacted the bus station to enquire about times. The information we got over the phone turns out to be incorrect. Not entirely surprised, we have to wait an extra 1.5 hours for the bus. To pass the time, we ended up going to the only restaurant in the vicinity. It’s a sight to behold; with every thali you get 100 flys for free and rat poop in the wash area. Nasty.
The bus journey takes around 4.5 hours. We see the landscape changing from flat and dusty, to hilly and lush green. The closer we get to Kerala, the more mountainous it becomes. The views are fantastic as we approach Kumily. I make a point of shaking the bus drivers hand at the end of the journey. Some of his driving thought the twisty mountain roads was impressive.
The wildlife reserve is home to elephants and tigers (amongst many other animals). We checked into our guest house and immediately booked a safari for the next day.
The jeep picks us up at 5.30AM, and we proceed an hour or so to the entrance of the reserve. The first portion of the day involves a game drive of sorts. We spot black tail moneys, elephants, and bison. Unfortunately all were a little far away, so didn’t get any pics
After the drive, we had some breakfast and then headed out on a 3 hour trek. Pretty intense as the sun became stronger. 
A couple of poisonous snakes make an appearance, which we freak out about. The trek guide laughs. We found one with a squished head on the road. 
The trek guide takes us out on the lake for a bit of rowing.
The bus journey takes around 4.5 hours. We see the landscape changing from flat and dusty, to hilly and lush green. The closer we get to Kerala, the more mountainous it becomes. The views are fantastic as we approach Kumily. I make a point of shaking the bus drivers hand at the end of the journey. Some of his driving thought the twisty mountain roads was impressive.
The wildlife reserve is home to elephants and tigers (amongst many other animals). We checked into our guest house and immediately booked a safari for the next day.
The jeep picks us up at 5.30AM, and we proceed an hour or so to the entrance of the reserve. The first portion of the day involves a game drive of sorts. We spot black tail moneys, elephants, and bison. Unfortunately all were a little far away, so didn’t get any pics
We didn’t get a chance to see the landscape on the journey to the sanctuary as it was dark. On the way back, we can see that it’s all dramatic hilly tea plantations. This reminds us both of Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka. Awesome.
First impressions of Kerala are good. The landscape is beautiful. It is however much more touristy than Tamil Nadu. It feels much less off the beaten path, and slightly less of a challenge. All good as we could do with some R&R after Tamil Nadu.
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