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The Agumbe rainforests of the Western Ghats is a precious gift of life to South India. A biodiversity hot spot, it holds within its folds a world of new science yet to be explored. As Tiger is for mainland the flagship of the reptilian world in these forests is undoubtedly the King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), colloquially known as Kalinga. Agumbe lies in the West coastal region of South India, approximately 300 km west-northwest of Bangalore, the state capital of Karnataka in South India. It is approximately 55 km from the Arabian Sea and the coast of India at Udupi which hosts the nearest railway station. The elevation of Agumbe is 643m. As part of the Western Ghats mountain range, Agumbe lies in an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Agumbe rainforest gives you golden opportunity to click endemic species of western ghats
Train Suggestions:
LTT toUdupi : Matsyagandha Express – Train No. 12619
Udupi to LTT : Matsyagandha Express – Train No. 12620
ITINERARY
Depart From Mumbai to Udupi by Matsyagandha Express 12619 at 3:20 pm from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus.
Day 1 : Stay : Our stay will be at Agumbe Rainforest Research Station (ARRS) which is established by leading Herpetologist Romulus Whitaker whose contribution to world herpetology is enormous. He has inspired many with his books and well acclaimed environmental documentaries of which ‘King and I’ and ‘The secret of snakes’ have been created with ARRS.
Please note, ARRS is a field-based conservation and research organization and our stay will be basic dormitory style.
Participants are to reach Agumbe at 11:00am. Upon reaching the base (ARRS) we will have an orientation session regarding the rich biodiversity of Western Ghats, the habitat and the different species we will come across during our trails.We will also share how our days during this tour would be like. Post Lunch we will head for our first herping session which will be more of a warm up to give participants an idea and understanding of how herping and macro photography here would be like.
Day 2 : We will explore different locations on our day & night trails to maximise our chances of sightings and photography. Post lunch, one can relax or join for a photo review session. ARRS is a great habitat in itself and a number of species of snakes and frogs can be spotted to photograph here anytime of the day. After an early dinner, we will head out for a night hike and conclude the day thereafter.
Day 3 : On the last day, we will go for stream walk and herping around the base. The tour will be concluded at 11:00 am and the participants can proceed for their departure.
Please Note : Our mornings will be relaxed and we will be heading out in the field mainly for two or three times during the day which will involve moderate level of walking. Since reptile and amphibian activity is at its peak in the night, we will be going for night hikes which are extremely rewarding in these forests. The length of the session i.e its number of hours depends completely to the location, the area we’re at and the sightings. In the noon time, we will have one photo-review session, where we will discuss outcomes, learning and challenges faced during the sessions. It’ll also give participants an opportunity to learn from one another’s views and experiences.
Stay: Our stay will be at Agumbe Rainforest Research Station (ARRS) which is established by leading Herpetologist Romulus Whitaker whose contribution to world herpetology is enormous. He has inspired many with his books and well acclaimed environmental documentaries of which ‘King and I’ and ‘The secret of snakes’ have been created with ARRS.
Please note, ARRS is a field-based conservation and research organization and our stay will be basic dormitory style.
Disclaimer : This is not a leisure trip. It is purely a trip for gaining an experience in the field, especially for herping and macro photography.
