Old Growth Forest in Western Ghats – Silent Valley National Park

This was the view from the watch tower in Silent Valley National Park. This jungle is the home for many endemic species including the endangered Lion-tailed Macaque. The core area covers just 89.52 sq.km but it is one of the last remaining untouched forests.

Western ghats plays an important role in natural wealth in India. Monsoons are always heavy in the Kerala section of western ghats and we decided to visit Silent Valley National Park during the peak monsoon season. We were so excited seeing FoxBrush Orchid in full bloom on a roadside tree and drove 23 miles more to reach the Silent Valley National Park Office in hope to see more orchids. Rain was pouring heavily and the park guard told us that we could take the jeep ride but warned us that spotting any wildlife in this pouring rain would be impossible.  So we decided to come back once the rain subside. We got the brochures,  phone numbers for pre-booking and started off to explore the flowers that bloomed on the forest roadsides.

Fox Brush Orchid is a dwarf orchid species growing on trees. The fragrant flowers are usually long-lasting.The long pendulous racemes look very grand on the trees they grow on.We saw this beautiful orchid hanging on a tree on the roadside enroute to Silent Valley.

Once the rain subsided after few weeks , we again ventured to Silent Valley National Park. We had pre-booked the first safari that starts at 8.00 AM and landed at the park office at 7.00 AM. We heard many birds singing nearby, so we took our camera and binoculars to explore the areas nearby park office. We had a close encounter with Malabar Barbet but it flew away immediately. Malabar Parakeets were screeching and flying above our head. A Black Hooded Oriole sat on a tree and was looking at the neighborhood.

Black-hooded Oriole is a colorful bird and is usually seen on tree canopies. They love fig fruits and have a distinctive call. This bright yellow one looked glorious in the morning sunlight and he was eagerly searching for some food. 

We didn’t have the mind to leave the place, but we saw park officials opening the office. So we rushed there and to our dismay they told there was no booking in our name. The place was not yet crowded, so they didn’t make a fuss about the pre-booking and asked us whether we need a jeep just for the two of us. We wanted a jeep just for us so that we could stop the vehicle anytime we spot a bird or an orchid. We paid for the jeep and started off the ride to Silent Valley National Park accompanied by a guide assigned by the park.

The guide warned us to expect a bumpy ride. He didn’t know that only if we get a smooth ride we would feel unhappy !  For us forest roads should be rugged as we do not like any vehicles speeding inside the forest.  Initially there was estate on one side and forest on the other end. After we crossed the final tribal settlement areas we started seeing difference in the vegetation.

Impatiens scapiflora was in full bloom when we went to Silent Valley National Park. The rock crevices with water dripping looked beautiful with this endemic flowers. These Leafless-Stem balsams were really a treat to our tired eyes during the jeep journey.

Wherever a rock was dripping with water there were balsams in full bloom. The Impatiens looked so beautiful on the rocks. We worried that the driver may not stop for these common flowers but surprisingly he also enjoyed seeing the flowers. The guide showed us the charcoal tree, curry leaf tree and explained the history of Silent Valley National Park. We were watching the forest keenly to see any wildlife movements though we were told its so tough to see wildlife in this forest. We saw a Malabar Giant Squirrel hanging upside down and eating some fruit. I  love this furry ball who always seems to be in awkward positions with food in his hands.

We never miss this Malabar Giant Squirrel whenever we are in the forests of  Southern India. They are always very keen eaters and they don’t mind people. They are usually found on tree canopies and they never leave the trees.

Sighting of Lion-tailed Macaque

We continued our drive seeing old,huge trees in the jungle. The driver stopped the vehicle suddenly and showed us a monkey. He was sitting casually on a very tall tree and munching mul palam ( wild Durian fruit ). That monkey was none other than the endangered Lion-tailed macaque. He is the pride of Silent Valley National Park. Just behind him Nilgiri Langur was sitting on a tree. Now that I saw these two animals together, I understood how different that two species were! Vinod had gone to this western ghats endemic Lion-tailed macaque Survey, so he always told how silent they are and how different they are from other monkeys. I was seeing the Lion-tailed macaque first time and was so happy to see him. At the same time I felt the same upsetting feeling whenever I see an endangered animal. These poor creatures don’t deserve the sufferings they are enduring because of deforestation of virgin forests.

Lion-tailed Macaque is the endangered, endemic old world monkey in Western Ghats. Their favorite food is wild durian fruit (Cullenia exarillata). The tall tree is also endemic to Western Ghats and the trees had lots of fruits when we visited the park. So the macaques, squirrels,langurs were happily munching this delicious fruit. We were also tempted and tried a bite but we didn’t quite liked the taste.

Now another jeep with tourists joined us and curiously asked us what we were seeing. When we showed them the macaque , they were disappointed as it was just a monkey. They didn’t seem to appreciate the difference between this endangered Lion-tailed macaque and the commonly seen Nilgiri Langur. We continued the ride with excitement and suddenly Vinod screamed at seeing one of the most colorful birds in Western Ghats. We all put our heads out of the jeep in different angles and finally spotted the Malabar Trogan who was silently sitting inside a dense tree. The driver and the guide who came with us also were excited to see the Malabar Trogan as it was not an easy sighting.

Usually wildlife sightings are tough in rainforests as the trees are tall and have dense foliage. So any wildlife sighting in Silent Valley National Park is a special one. Finally our ride came to an end and we were surprised to see a huge watch tower. This total trip was only for 5 hours, so the guide urged us to quickly walk up to the watch tower. We obliged him and ran to the top of the tower. The 360 degree view from the tower was breathtaking and we were thrilled to be inside one of the last remaining virgin rainforests of Western Ghats. The river flowing amidst the forest had the purest water we had seen after the streams in Himalayas. When we got down from the watch tower, the guide told us there was a short trail to the river and if we were interested we can do it. Obviously we were interested!

The trek inside Silent Valley National Park was a very short one. Still this is one of the last remaining untouched old forests in the world. So being inside the forest with the old, tall trees gave us a glimpse on how rich an untouched forest could be.

We quickly started walking with our guide  But within few minutes Vinod spotted a Liparis Orchid on the sides of the trail. So we stopped to see the unique colored orchid and we did stop few more times to see the Necklace orchid (Pholidota imbricata) and a Habenaria species. The forest guard warned us not go close to the grasses fearing for leeches. As if that is going to stop us searching for orchids hidden among bushes !!

Liparis nervosa is a unique looking orchid and the inflorescence merge well with the surroundings. So it was quite tough to spot them in wild.

We were deeply impressed with the tall trees and watched in awe at the magnificence of those giants. We enjoyed the croaking of frogs as these voices are sorely missed now in urban and rural areas. Vinod was always eager to spot the tiny frogs who were well camouflaged under the leaves and rocks. So he was very excited when he saw the bronzed frog hopping on the dry leaves. Years before we have seen bronzed frog inside Kalakkad mundanthurai tiger reserve (KMTR) so it ws nice to see him again.

Can you spot the bronzed frog on those brown leaves?

We reached the trail end to have a hilltop view of a beautiful stream. The Forest Guard was restless as it was just daily work for him but for us that was not a everyday scene.  Anyway time was running out, so we started our return journey. On our way back, I was bragging how I didn’t get a single leech bite even after visiting the dense rainforest. Only after reaching the entrance I checked  my leg to find that it was all covered in blood! So the leeches won again.

You cannot escape leeches when you are in rainforest! The sticker at the entrance of the Park is cute right?

We visited Silent Valley national park again for Birds and Butterflies survey but we couldn’t explore the jungle like we wished. The jungle was dry and we were assigned only to buffer area not the core forest. Still, I saw an unique phenomenon in this jungle which is not easily witnessed even by naturalists who have spent years inside the jungle. It was the congregation of butterflies. Monarch butterfly congregation in Mexico is a world famous event but less do we know about the butterfly congregation in India.

Dark Blue tiger butterfly congregation is an annual event but not easily seen as they prefer to have their congregation in dense jungles which are inaccessible. They huddle together so densely that one cannot even see the branches.

So I was stunned when I saw thousands of Dark blue tiger and Common crow butterflies in a single spot. Vinod was assigned to different zone, so he missed this fascinating scene. I am still enthralled when I think about that lovely experience. Silent Valley National Park holds lots of secrets and we hope this old growth forest will be protected.