Magical and Mystical....Masinagudi

“Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books.” ― John Lubbock

Having staying in Bangalore for the last 10 months, I didn't get to do what I like best...an escape in the jungle for a few days for some peace and solitude! Thanks to a colleague of mine, Dr Mariappan, the plan to head into the jungles of Masinagudi materialised. Masinagudi is a hot spot for wildlife lovers in the fantastic jungles of Mudumalai, Tamil Nadu, about 250 km from Bangalore.

I ended up doing 2 trips in a span of 4 weeks to this brilliant location. And both times, along with my friends and colleagues, we stayed at The Wilds at Northern Hay, a wonderful home stay in Singara village, 6 km away from Masinagudi. Set in a beautiful coffee estate, in the jungle couldn't have been a better option. The peace, tranquillity and the lush green setting, in the midst of the wonderful Nilgiris was pure heaven.



The accommodation was an old house, remnants of the British Raj, about 110 years old. This enhanced an already outstanding experience of being in the jungle. And the service and food was something to die for. I couldn't help complimenting the cook for the lip smacking range of dishes they were laid out for all our meals. Simply outstanding!!!

I had the pleasure of exploring the estate, a haven for several wonderful birds. And all I did was keep my newly acquired "Canon 7D" shooting away capturing the outstanding wildlife on display.

We did a few treks within the confines of the estate and on the fringes of the jungle. The place was bursting with wildlife! We spotted several Spotted Deer, Sambhar, Elephants, several exotic birds like the Malabar Grey Horn Bill, Golden Oriole,Barbets, Woodpeckers, different types of Parakeet...and endless list. And the most exciting part was the tell tale signs...pug marks... of tigers and Leopards that frequent the area. For most of the people with me, this was their first experience of being in the jungle. So they were excited, and at the same time, nervous & wary of the presence of wildlife, especially the big cats.

For the first time, I had the pleasure of seeing and capturing the images of the Giant Malabar Squirrel, a burst of rust, tan and Beige colours on its body and its wonderful and vibrant long orange tipped tail. I ended up getting several good pictures, including one, when it was jumping across tree, the jump frozen in mid air! A really good moment to have captured.

All along my treks, I continued to capture several beautiful birds like the Horn Bill pecking away at the berries, the shy Barbet whistling in the woods, the Black Rumped Flameback Woodpecker hammering the trees with its beak, the swift and elusive Plum Headed Parakeet, the rowdy Hill Mynas fighting & chasing away birds from the trees they occupied, and the Fishing Owl amongst several other feathered fellas.

On one of my drives around the estate, we had the rare but exciting sighting of a Leopard making a kill...a rabbit. This happened right in front of the jeep I was in, coming back from Singara. The darkness didn't allow me to capture the episode, but it remains fresh in mind whenever I share the story with friends. I feel blessed and lucky to have seen such a wonderful moment. Even though it was for a minute of two...the stalking, becoming invisible and then launching itself at its prey with deadly accuracy, was a brilliant experience to have seen.


As I walked on, one evening, I saw the tell tale signs of a Tiger's kill in it's droppings! A wild boar's skin and nails from its hoof. And it was fairly fresh, which meant that the Tiger had probably visited the boundary of the estate very early in the morning.

Seeing & hearing the Elephants, the gentle giants, walking around the estate was another great experience. I stayed a fair distance away, ensuring their peace wasn't disturbed, whilst capturing a few good pictures. Shantanu and Anikhet, my guides and trackers were excellent. Their knowledge of the place, animals and birds and sharing their experiences made my trip worthwhile.

Evenings were spent around a bonfire, having a few drinks, reliving the experience of the day, and sharing lighter moments. Like I said earlier, the food was absolutely fantastic. And the long treks during the day ensured we savoured all the lovely dishes before retiring to bed and sleeping blissfully.



Masinagudi, will remain amongst the best wildlife reserves and jungles I have been to. The experience of the place, the surroundings, the bustling wildlife and everything about the ambience is now so addictive, that I will be reliving the "Tadoba" experience all over again! The only thing left on my tick list is capturing the Big Cats to take the experience to the highest level!