The ancient Kulakkochira lake. Photo: Riju JosephA sudden breeze tells you that you just drove into the Karimbinthod-Ponthanpuzha forest road. Your are inside the only reserve forest in Kottayam district.
Drive on the Erumeli-Manimala route for four kilometres and you reach the Karimbinthod forest road. The highlight of the forest is the ancient Kulakkochira lake. The lake with a 100 metre diametre is surrounded by swamps. Small lilac flowers of the Manimaruthu forms a carpet over the lake’s placid water.
#WordlEnvironmentDay: Go wild for life | In pics
Erumeli-Sabarimala Highway. The forest becomes even more mystic in the rain. Hundreds of thousands of leaves make music when the raindrops caress them.
Hornbills and Malabar giant squirrels have a totemic presence in the forest. The shrieks of the eagles can be heard in the villages bordering the forest.
The prevalence of a small yellow fruit makes this forest a favoured destination of various types of birds. This coffee bean-sized fruits, vettipazham in local parlance, is strewn all over the ground.
This forest is relatively safe from big predators. Wild boars and foxes are found here in abundance. Beware of the monkeys though. The pranksters swaying on the branches could deprive you of the meal you are carrying with you.
The drive through the forest is broken by the village of Mukkada after two kilometres. You reenter the forest after the village. On the Placheri-Ponthanpuzha stretch, a stream comes to you from the deep forest. The pristine water and the breeze will make it hard for you to leave the jungle stretch.
