Southern Wildlife

Mysore, or ‘Mysuru’ as it was recently re-dubbed, is popularly known as the south’s ‘city of culture’ thanks to its profusion of palaces and arts and crafts workshops – a legacy of its status as capital of the Wadiyar dynasty, who ruled the region until 1956. Aside from several extravagant royal palaces and temples, the city holds a particularly atmospheric market, and hilltop temple complex. It’s also a great place to sample traditional South Indian cuisine.

Mysore is dominated by its grandiloquent Maharaja’s palace, a building conceived in a surreal combination of architectural styles.

Srirangapatna, outside the city on the Kaveri River, was the site of the region’s capital for more than seven centuries. After visiting Tipu Sultan’s summer palace and tomb, you’ll drive to the nearby Ranganathitoo Bird Sanctuary, where around 40,000 winter migrant birds congregate from mid-December onwards. On a scattering of islands in the Kaveri River, the reserve holds an exceptionally carried population of wildfowl and waders, with 170 species so far recorded.

Created from the private hunting reserve of the Maharajas of Mysore, Nagarhole encompasses a tract of jungle-clad hills and the banks of a reservoir fed by the Kabini River. When water levels are low between February and March, elephants are enticed out of the trees to drink, along with herds of deer and antelope, and the predators that prey on them: leopard, striped hyena, dhole (wild dog) and even the occasional tiger. 

In addition to towering teak trees, Nagarhole’s forest protects jungles of rosewood, silver oak and, most highly prized of all in this part of the world, sandalwood, which is used to make incense. Birdlife is also prolific, with 270 species recorded, among them the endangered Oriental white-backed vulture, Greater-spotted eagle and three kinds of hornbill.

The woodland lining the banks of the Kabini is especially rich in birdlife, with around 300 species present, among them rare endemics such as the Malabar pied hornbill, Nilgiri flycatcher and the Malabar parakeet. You can see an amazing number of species just by following the trails around the lodge, but keen ornithologists are advised to take at least one spin on the river, whether by boat, kayak or coracle, to spot the many aquatic birds residing in this borderland between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Part of the world-famous Nilgiri Biosphere, Bandipur National Park covers another area of forested mountains bordering Nagarhole. The reserve is a prime spot for sighting elephant, which roam in large herds here. The tiger population has also revived well over the past decade, thanks to a concerted effort on the part of local conservation bodies, with an estimated 220 animals living within the confines of Nagarhole and Bandipur combined. The odds of a sighting have never been greater here since the inauguration of the park in 1973!

Located high in the Nilgiri Mountains, Ooty was developed by the British as a hill resort in the early 19th century, when it became the summer capital of the Madras Presidency. Its mild, subtropical climate makes it a perfect place for growing plants from a wide range of climatic zones, as you’ll see in the famous Botanical Gardens, whose collection is dispersed over 55 acres of lush, terraced slopes and mature woodland.

The ‘Nilgiri Blue Mountain Railway’, to give the line its official title, is deservedly one of South India’s great attractions – more for the nostalgia value than its speed and comfort, it has to be said!

Coonoor, a tea growing hub and former British hill station just down the mountain from Ooty, is considerably less commercialized than its more famous neighbour, and retains plenty of old-world atmosphere. Surrounded by tea terraces, its leafy outskirts also holds some particularly lovely hotels. Leisurely guided walks in the woods and to nearby viewpoints occupy the day. Visits to local tea factories and the town’s excellent botanical garden are also on the menu if you can tear yourself away from the hotel pool!

For sheer visual impact, no Hindu temple in South India can match the Meenakshi-Sundeshwarar in Madurai. The temple’s gigantic, multi-coloured gopura towers soar 46m above the city’s streets, writhing in stucco figures of gods and mythical monsters. Below, a labyrinth of richly carved pillared halls, colonnaded walkways and interlocking courtyards host a never-ending round of rituals. Although now a sprawling modern city with a population of over one million, Madurai, with its lively covered bazaars and traditional udipi restaurants, remains one of India’s undisputed highlights.

The mountains of inland Kerala are one of the world’s biodiversity hot spots. Although tea, coffee and spice plantations dominate many areas, abundant forest also survives, and the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary encompasses one of the most easily accessible of these. Centred on a flooded valley system, the park is among the largest in India, famous first and foremost for its herds of wild elephant, which can routinely be spotted from the water. A fleet of boats set out on safaris at dawn, but visitors can increase their chances of sightings by opting for less intrusive rafting trips, or treks on foot through the forest.

Boat safaris on Periyar Lake are fun, but too noisy for serious wildlife spotting. A better option is to take to the footpaths in the company of a local guide, who can track and identify the many creatures who live in this well-preserved tract of forest. Malabar giant squirrels, palm civets and sambar deer are commonly encountered, as are hornbills and other spectacular birds. Elephants may be sighted around the water’s edge and are best viewed from the safety of a boat or safari raft.

For centuries the hub of India’s spice and tea trade, Fort Cochin occupies the northern tip of a peninsula dividing the mouth of the Vembanad Lake from the Arabia Sea. Its low-rise, red-tiled skyline bears the imprint of its former colonial residents: Lusitanian chapels, Jewish synagogues, Dutch burghers’ houses, Armenian mansions, and British bungalows and godowns (warehouses) all survive in the Fort’s grid of narrow lanes – the largest collection of early colonial buildings in Asia.

Across the low-lying coastal strip of central Kerala stretches a vast, shimmering saltwater lagoon known as Vembanad Lake. As well as being a prime fishing ground for inhabitants of the surrounding backwaters, the 200-sq-km body of water is also an important nesting site for migratory wetland birds, for whom a sanctuary has been set aside at Kumarakom. Species such as darter, white-breasted water hen and snake birds are commonly sighted between November and March, when the glassy surface of the lake is speckled with dozens of stately houseboats cruising between the resorts located in the area.

On the shores of the lake, your hotel is perfectly placed for both birding and ilding, or indeed a combination of the two! Ayurvedic massages and boat rides are available should your wanderlust be not yet fulfilled.

For the restless, a shopping excursion into nearby Kottayam can be arranged. The town is dominated by Syrian-Christians, and anyone interested in the history of Christianity in India should consider a visit to the two churches on its outskirts, one of which houses a pair of 8th century Nestorian stone crosses. The other holds an apse decorated with naïve murals thought to have been painted by a Portuguese artist in the 16th century. Fans of proper South Indian fast food should also call at the Anand Lodge, just off the main square, to sample the region’s tastiest dosas.