After visiting Ooty, I was heading to Mysore, and Masinagudi was on the way. Stopping for the safari in Masinagudi allowed me to see some wild animals and broke up the journey, making it less long and tiring. So, the decision was spontaneous.
Masinagudi is a village in the beautiful Nilgiris – the biggest biosphere reserve in India, spreading across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala. Masinagudi is situated in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.
Masinagudi is part of Mudumalai National Park, which is a wildlife sanctuary. It is also one of India’s tiger reserves. The forests here are home to a diverse range of flora and fauna, making it a fascinating spot for nature lovers. Besides Asian elephants and tigers, the reserve protects a wide variety of endangered wildlife. Countless species such as the Leopard, Flying Lizard, Golden Jackal, Leopard Cat, and Striped Hyena call it home. On a Masinagudi jungle safari, you can catch a glimpse of Sloth Bear, Grey Langur, Sambar Deer, Gaur, Bonnet Macaque, Jungle Cat, Great Indian Rock Python, Bee Species, Beetle Species, Indian Muntjac, Dholes, and many more species.
Masinagudi Road
From Ooty, I went down the railway to Coonoor. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway, built by the British in 1908, is called the “toy train” by the locals. The track gauge is 1,000 mm. This is the only cogwheel railway in India, and real steam locomotives pull the train. This is a UNESCO site, and it is an impressive experience to ride over mountain canyons through tunnels cut into the rocks. The views are quite stunning.
Since I spent a few days in the beautiful town of Coonoor before visiting Ooty, I did not delay there and immediately took a bus to Masinagudi. The bus station is next to the railway station, you can walk there.
The road down is worth mentioning separately. It is 30 km 36 hairpin curves. Masinagudi Ooty Road has become a viral meme among Indian drivers. The turns are really sharp, and the descent is very steep. The difference in altitude between Ooty and Masinagudi is 1290 meters. This road is permitted for only local vehicles – downhill.
A flatter road from Coimbatore (116 km), where the nearest railway station and airport are also takes you to Masinagudi. This is the common recommendation. However, Mysore is 97 km away, and the road is straight and flat. Of course, there is also an airport and railway station in Mysore. Plus Masinagudi Mysore Road has a nice bonus, but more on that at the end of the story.
Masinagudi Weather
I visited Masinagudi in March when Ooty was very cold, Coonoor was cool, and Masinagudi was quite hot, being at the foot of the mountains. Despite being at the same altitude as Mysore, around a thousand meters, this place feels fresher due to its natural surroundings.
The best time to visit Masinagudi is from October to May. The pleasant weather makes it perfect for spotting wildlife and enjoying outdoor activities. Since it’s the dry season, the vegetation is denser, which makes animal spotting easier.
Masinagudi Forest Safari
As we stepped off the bus at Masinagudi, we were immediately surrounded by people offering their services. My friend and I negotiated a good deal on a basic room within walking distance of the bus station. Perfect for one night. We settled in just in time to catch our first safari at sunset.
Safari tours happen twice daily, early morning and late afternoon before sunset. This is when the animals are usually most active, mobile, and playful. Most interesting scenes of animal interaction happen during these times when the animals aren’t forced to seek shade from the scorching sun.
So, before sunset, we got into the car.
For me, everything turned out a little different. I thought it was like in the pictures of Africa – an open jeep, me in sunglasses and a fluttering scarf, and the desert all around. Indeed, it turned out to be the most ordinary shabby car, not a jeep. Well, we chose the most budget offer, that’s why. I gave up the fluttering scarf and there was no desert; why would it be the desert? There was a forest.
The safari took place in a pristine forest. In the Masinagudi area, the Moyar River meets the Bhavani River, 7 km from Masinagudi. Maravakandi Dam is located at this point. Surrounded by lush trees and distant mountains, it’s a serene spot where animals from the entire region come to drink. We arrived at the dam and took a different route back to Masinagudi.
We also passed by a village of a tribe living right in the forest. We were invited to go out and take a look but we didn’t.
In Masinagudi, they all talk about nothing but the tigers. The driver told all the cases when he had a chance to show tigers to tourists. Judging by his stories, there were not many of them, and every tourist who managed to see a tiger was very lucky. Bengal tigers appear only in India, and this species is on the verge of extinction. It is one of the largest wild cats living today. Mudumalai Tiger Reserve is one of the last remaining habitats of these wonderful animals. As of 2018, the reserve was home to 103 tigers. It is not yet known how many tigers there will be in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in 2024; at the time of writing, a census was being conducted using camera traps.
Apart from tigers, Mudumalai Tiger Reserve is home to Indian leopards, which are believed to be even less numerous than tigers, as well as jungle cats, rusty-spotted cats, and leopard cats. It is rare to see any of these animals.
I was not so lucky and did not see any big cats. I was not too upset because there were so many other animals. I do not even remember all the ones I saw.
We spotted deer of all sizes more than once: large Sambar, small Chital, and Southern Red Muntjac. They grazed in the trees, eyeing our car cautiously, but didn’t flee. The Mouse Deer, or Chevrotains, are the world’s smallest ungulate mammals. They live in Mudumalai National Park too.
Besides deer, Masinagudi is home to two types of antelopes: the Four-Horned Antelope and the Blackbuck.
A couple of times we saw a small group of bears in the trees – Sloth Bears, also known as the Indian Bear. Like the deer, the bears did not run away but were busy browsing trees and bushes. The driver claimed they were not dangerous and stopped near them for a while, letting us watch them properly. They seemed to me to be small cute animals.
Suddenly meeting an elephant right in front of us on the road left the most vivid impression of the safari in Masinagudi. I was thrilled – an elephant, so close, and so enormous! What a stroke of luck! The driver briefly froze, accelerated sharply, swerved around the elephant, and sped away. It was only then that I realized how risky such encounters can be. The elephant could easily overturn and crush the car like in the video below.
When we returned to the village, the driver had to persistently ask several times: “Are you happy?”, until we understood that we should give a tip. Especially since we really were quite happy.
Walking Jungle Safari in Masinagudi
In the village, we met a guide who suggested going into the forest early in the morning to see more Masinagudi wildlife. We thought it might be interesting.
When we set off, it was not very early in the morning. The guide led us in the opposite direction, not to the river where everyone goes on safari. He looked for tracks on the ground and followed them. Very soon, we saw a huge herd of running wild boars.
A Malabar Giant Squirrel was singing and dancing in a huge clearing. I have already seen one in Coonoor. They are amazing, and for the squirrel, they are giant for real!
We saw some other animals, but in the end, all my attention was focused on a huge beautiful bamboo tree. This was the first time I saw it, and I was amazed. I took a break, admiring its beauty. Meanwhile, the sun began to rise higher. We had to return to the village.
This jungle walk lasted an hour and a half, just like yesterday’s so-called jeep safari, but it was much cheaper and turned out to be a wonderful addition to the previous experience. It’s clear that walking around on foot isn’t a good idea in a place like Masinagudi, surrounded by wildlife. We had an experienced guide with us, and that was a different matter.
In the afternoon we took a bus to Mysore, and for almost an hour, as we moved away from the national park, we watched from the windows as huge herds of elephants ran across the open spaces surrounding the road.
No responses yet