Bandipuru, A drive through tiger reserves and hills
This was the 3rd time we were coming back from Calicut in Kerala to Tamil Nadu by our foliage green Nexon. We always took the Palghat gap route. This time a new route was to be tried.
So instead of hurrying to finish hilly terrain to pick up the luxury of highway driving in Tamil Nadu, we practically stretched our path through more of the hills.
We took the Wayanad route. This means after crossing Kerala we’d enter Karnataka. The last part of Calicut district, that makes you landing in Wayanad district, is through steep ghat roads. This road has 9 hair pin bends. It enters Wayanad at Lakkidi. This village has a strange sight to behold. There is a big banyan tree here on the main road. A long iron chain half coils and half hangs on this tree. This is called chain tree. Legend has it when British were making road to Wayanad, they took help from a tribal man. Later they killed him to keep the path known only to them. This man’s soul is tied in chain with the tree where he was assassinated to keep him haunting the hills.
There are a lot of hill produce shops lining up the roads of Wayanad. Some of them sell local handicrafts also. They are worth visiting.
One pro tip here is, before leaving Wayanad, eat your stomach full and if possible carry some edibles from here. Because the entire trail through Karnataka will not give you any proper food joint until you reach Erode in Tamil Nadu. You can opt for Suthan Bathery or Kalpetta for your last comfort food joint for the long upcoming adventure and joy ride through the forests and hills.
After leaving Wayanad, once you’ve entered Karnataka, forest starts. Somewhere down the road, there is a small outlet of Kerala forest department, selling wild honey. There are 2 varieties, bitter-sweet and sour-sweet from earth and giant bees respectively. Well, honey tasting anything other than sweet is worth trying. Moreover, the shop’s presence in the given location is very pleasant.
Now you are going through the very famous Bandipura tiger reserve. This road has a lot of restrictions, and for goor causes. There are as follows: the road is not operating in night, you can’t park your vehicle anywhere, no photography allowed by coming out of your vehicle, you have to maintain speed limit. Failing to observe any of these rules will directly lead you to fines.
We saw some deer in this forest. Strangely, there was no bird sighting, though sounds told us they are there.
After crossing Bandipur, there is a good stretch of road that goes through villages and small towns before you enter the Sathyamangalam tiger reserve – the reigning ranges of late notorious bandit Veerappan, who killed tuskers for self satisfaction and smuggles their tusks and sandalwood for decades.
Both Bandipura and Sathyamangalam forests are quite similar, situated back to back with each other. While driving through dense foliage and cool and fresh forest breeze (we kept our windows and sunroof open), we could see streams beyond the trees. They were wide, narrow, sunny or shady, but always bouncing from rock to rock. They create tranquil sand shores. These definitely are the points for animal spotting. But we were not that lucky.
Monsoon has yet not given way totally to autumn in that region, so forest is still fresh. Only the breeze keeps warning of upcoming chills.
Once done with the forest of Sathyamangalam, we are to come down to the plains. It’s again another ghat road with 27 hair pin bends and no parking permission for 30 km at a stretch.
It sounds cool, but better the driver concentrates on the winding downhill path. Pro tip again, take tea or coffee if you must before entering Sathyamangalam tiger reserve. It will save you some lightheadedness.
When we started driving down, we were at the same level of the hill in front of us (or at least we felt so). A deep valley separated the ranges. As we were losing altitude, the front range started becoming towering over us in a slow steady determined and intimidating manner. The feeling was like losing yourself in front of a supremo. It’s thing to feel, than to tell. If you can overcome nausea issues if any, ride through this parts.
After crossing Sathyamangalam town at the foothill, you practically have to keep your patience to keep on driving through endless small towns with every shop striving in the markets other that food joints (sweet and bakeries are aplenty though). Or we faced this situation as it was the previous day of Diwali!
Anyway, finally you reach Erode and the NH then. Now on, you can rest your tired limbs on a steady highway with plenty of shops to satiate your appetites.
Well, as expected, this route takes an hour longer than the usual Palghat gap route. But this is a much more scenic and rewarding route if you want to extend your holiday through your journey.
Point to note: wherever you see a petrol bunk, use their toilet. Even you don’t fill petrol from them. You never know, when you get the next. For fuel, petrol pumps are well marked in Google map, so practically you have rare chance to run short of fuel.