this was clicked from a viewing platform at an eco-lodge located in a biodiverse jungle at lakkidi. it is at about 2,900 feet and can be reached only via a 3-4 km off-road ride. the resident naturalists were a passionate group of youngsters doing guided bird watching off property (which i gave a miss as the rains had made the jungle paths slushy) and on property herpetology walks. we attended revealing nature talks on frogs, snakes, ants, and tracking wildlife. it was really amazing to interact with these naturalists who have taken up conservation and wildlife research, a tough career choice starting out with interning and field based volunteering at various organizations.
this place is perfect for nature seekers who want an immersive stay. the food offering was great, with both local and other cuisines. we did not need air conditioning as the hill slope rooms are naturally cooled. we were surrounded by dense greenery and treated to a variety of bird calls (warbers,malabar parakeets, malabar hornbill, malabar laughing thrush, blue robin, puff throated babbler etc) and the very loud (80 to 120 db) calls of the male cicadas. we did bird watching without a guide for the first time ever and managed to spot some birds (but photographed only a few). we had our first encounter with leeches, which was more horrifying than painful. saw malabar pit vipers, malabar gliding frogs,ochlandra reed frog, a variety of butterflies (including malabar tree nymph butterfly,malabar banded peacock butterfly), the nilgiri langur as well as the giant malabar squirrel and other creatures tiny, small and medium. we did a bit of sightseeing off the resort. it was a refreshing trip and i have not walked as much up and down hill in a long time.
