Trekking and Camping at Pampadum Shola National Park ~ Vinod K's Travel Blog

Munnar is my favorite place in the whole world. I’ve been fortunate enough to have visited this breathtaking place multiple times, and each time I fall more in love with it.

This time, my travel is to Pambadumshola, the smallest national park in the Indian state of Kerala. It is situated 35 kms from Munnar town.

The drive to Munnar from Kochi was uneventful. I decided not to stop till I reach Munnar town. After breakfast from Munnar town, started my drive through narrow road amidst tea estates. When I passed through tourist destinations like Rose garden, Mattupetty, Echo point and Kundle Dam, I saw huge rush in those areas. The road was good till 3 kms away from the Top station. And as I drove, I could see mist spreading all over the area. From Top station, I turned left through a small road and the road was not good till the entrace of the Pambadumshola National Park. After that the road was excellent.

Our two day camp was arranged near to the Forest Department training centre. It was already 1 p.m., when I reached the camp site.

The Forest Department had also arranged enough facilities to accommodate tourists who wish to stay overnight and enjoy the park. There is one amenity center and two log houses for tourist accommodation. You can book the rooms directly from Kerala forest department website.

RESTORING GRASSLANDS

After lunch, our first activiy was to participate in the Grassland Restoration Project. And we walked through the tar road and both sides of the road is interspersed with eucalyptus and conifers. Forest department doesn't allow passengers after 6 pm in this route. The long walk through woods is always an awesome experience.

After a few minutes walk through tar road and then the dense forest, we reached an open space. There are grandis (a variety of eucalyptus) that threatens the ecology of the area due to its dehydrating and quick-spreading character. We removed extensive growth of sprouted wattles. This project started few years back and we could see the grasslands that are coming back. I felt proud to be a part of this project.

The dusk turned into night, we returned back to the camp site. 'There are some actvities tonight' our coordinater pointed out. We had some fun filled activities and an interactive session with Dr Rajan, a biologist, who spoke about the bio-diversity of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It was interesting to listen to his personal experiences and how he escaped from tribals.

It was too cold in the night. With a bit of luck, we saw gaur herds near to our camp site. Suddenly the full force of thunderstorm hit with all its pent-up fury. A torential rain poured down. I crawled in the sleeping bag and felt myself drifting away. Of course, I dreamed.

Day 2

When I stepped out of my room in the morning, I could see mist covered in the area. The air smelled clean and crisp.

Our first acivity in the day was a visit to Vattavada strawberry farm. Vattavada, situated 6500 ft above sea level is just 7 km from the camp site.

We made a short jeep ride to Vattavada. Further, the jeep turned down to small mud road from the main road. The path was slippery with mud. Our local guide was waiting for us and he directed us to his farm. And I plucked carrots and strawberries from the farm and asked the farm people to pack for me.

On the way back to the camp site, we were lucky to see gaur herds.

Our next activity was a five-kilometre trek through the Bandhar route. Our guide had already reached the camp by that time. We walked till Pampadum Shola National Park entrance. Some of us bought T shirts with logo of the park from the counter. After a few instructions from the authorities, we started our trek.

The area is home to wildlife animals such as elephants, buffaloes, lion-tailed macaque, gaur, and Nilgiri langurs. There are various types of medicinal plants (herbs), of which studies have been made. We caught the sight of the dazzling rhododendron blooms on the side of the path