Nilgiris.

After my honeymoon almost 3 decades ago at Ooty, I had never been to Nilgiris side! This time I managed to see a large part of the Nilgiris and more! Lovely green landscapes of trees, meadows, and tea estates! From Coimbatore it is about 2-3 hours drive to both Valparai side and to Ooty side. While raining continuously at Valparai where I stayed in one of the estates with a homestay, I had some good clicks for the Legge’s Hawk Eagle, Malabar Parakeet, and the rare Lion-tailed Macaque, Nilgiri Langurs. From there I went to Kothagiri, about an hour away from Ooty. Hoped to see the Black Leopard but was not lucky enough! Around Ooty and Coonoor, got to see the famous Niligiri birds, namely the Nilgiri Pipit, Painted Bushquail, Nilgiri Laughingthrugh, Nilgiri Sholakili, Black-and-orange Flycatcher, Nilgiri Flycatcher, Rufous Babbler, and the Malabar Giant Squirrel. From Ooty is another 2-3 hours drive to Mudumalai / Masinagudi forests where I got to see the White-browed Fantail and the Indian Nuthatch, and some amazing natural beauty!