[pravdr]

with the help of many teambhpians especially the hyderbad gang fazal et al my trip did happen amidst telangana agitation.

january 4 2010 to jan 10 2010

we had hired a car indica diesel for all days.

day 1 hyderabad airport to srisailam

9am

it was very exciting to see the new hyderabad airport it is quite spaced out and was well maintained.
better part was that it saved us a few kms and time as we proceeded towards srisailam on a spanking road from the airport which gradually gave way to the usual roads.
10.30
traffic was sparse and we made good progress towards our first halt at kulwakurty where we stopped for a tea break as this was a laid back trip we were in no hurry.
my first impression about andhra pradesh rural areas was that there was tremendous paucity of dhabas and hotels on the way. but acknowledging that this was part of andhra that is sparsely populated.the paucity of facilities on the way had been known to us due to teambhp feedbacks and net research.
11 noon
we filled up on diesel at dindi reservoir and spent a few minutes walking along the embankment.the dam was holding good amount of water.a few birds made the scenery enticing.
the real test started once we hit the srisailam forest and made good our way to the mananur checkpost which held the promise of some food for us.

12 noon
reached mananur checkpost and were already impressed with the road which had absolutely sparse traffic and the forest area was quite dense. we could not see much into the foilage as dense undergrowth hid the secrets of the forest.
manaur checkpost is an oasis in srisailam forest for humans.
the newly opened chital restaurant served traditional thali of local food for INR 40 it was basic and spicy but we loved it.we spent almost 1 hour checking out the forest guest houses and beautiful gardens.it sis an excellent option to stay as the surroundings are peaceful but always there is no facility of advance bookings unless you are a local person.mananur checkpost closes in the evenings due to a debate on this i checked out the reality.entry into the srisailam forest closes early. so if you want to proceed to srisailam you have to cross the checkpost before 7pm.if you are coming out of the reserve you are allowed out till 9pm.somebody please correct me on this.

1pm
we then decided to make a move towards farahabad viewpoint made famous by hyderabadis like fazal et al in teambhp.the forest of srisailam reserve is most impressive and i hope it stays this way and is not opened to freeflowing traffic at night.it helps immensely if road traffic at night is halted to enable smooth movement of animals across the raods during the time they are most active.the best example of this is the kabini mananthavady road boprdering karnataka and kerala which has allowed the nagarahole national park to really thrive.

2.30pm
we reached farahabad viewpoint entry gate where we discovered we had a flat.we decided to make the most of it by taking the jungle safari.

now some starter pics

[pravdr]

on the way to srisailam

dindi reservoir

[unoczar]

nice start buddy.. keep going..
have never been to this place.. but i now i guess should plan a trip....


keep more details coming in.... and more PICS PICS PICS!!

[Guru_DTSi]

That's a great place to drive, and the Road from the Mannanur Check post all the way along the forest cover would make even the weirdest of speed freaks slow down to enjoy nature.
Around 10-15 Kms from the Mannanur Check post, you get to the village that leads to the Mallela Teertham Waterfalls. The drive around here, for a couple of kilometers suddenly changes from Dense forests to lush green fields and in monsoon, looks absolutely wonderful.

The roads are terrific except for the stretch at Dindi village, which is not more than 2 Kms and almost the same distance around the Bridge opposite to the Srisailam Reservoir, this was messed up big time by the floods in October and Might take a long time to get fixed, since it has eroded the soil and rock beneath the existing roads as well.

[mobike008]

Nice coverage of ground to these places as they are quite interlinked.

From your title, it looks as if you came back to hyderabad and then went to warangal? Is that how it happened? If yes, then why?

[pravdr]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Nice coverage of ground to these places as they are quite interlinked.

From your title, it looks as if you came back to hyderabad and then went to warangal? Is that how it happened? If yes, then why?

had some work in hyderabad.

also had to see hyderabad as i was here the first time.

so made hyderabad the pivot point.

rgrds

pg

[pravdr]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Nice coverage of ground to these places as they are quite interlinked.

From your title, it looks as if you came back to hyderabad and then went to warangal? Is that how it happened? If yes, then why?

Originally Posted by Guru_DTSi

That's a great place to drive, and the Road from the Mannanur Check post all the way along the forest cover would make even the weirdest of speed freaks slow down to enjoy nature.
Around 10-15 Kms from the Mannanur Check post, you get to the village that leads to the Mallela Teertham Waterfalls. The drive around here, for a couple of kilometers suddenly changes from Dense forests to lush green fields and in monsoon, looks absolutely wonderful.

The roads are terrific except for the stretch at Dindi village, which is not more than 2 Kms and almost the same distance around the Bridge opposite to the Srisailam Reservoir, this was messed up big time by the floods in October and Might take a long time to get fixed, since it has eroded the soil and rock beneath the existing roads as well.

yes guru

the road was good except few patches. i will make it to mallela teertham some time in future in monsoons.

you are right the roads at dindi and close to srisailam dam were in bad shape and at places large tracts of tarmac were missing.however the drive more than made up for it.

pg

[pravdr]

some photos at mananur.

there are staying facilities with dormitory accomodation and individual houses.

the recently opened chital restaurant is very basic and you can see my brother enjoyiong a basic "ricey"meal. it is better to have meal here itself families can pack lunch as we could not spot any decent restaurant on the way.

person in maroon shirt is my younger brother and im in green shirt

some photos of signages at mananur.apparently there is one more FRH t domlapenta just before the dam where you can book at mananur check post itself.

[pravdr]

2pm farahabad viewpoint jungle safari junction

this is a must see forest drive to the farahabad viewpoint which is a sudden drop in the nallamallai(means beautiful forest) correct me if im wrong.
the vistas from the viewpoint are the good and the plus point is the journey itself. best time to visit is early mornings and evenings.
the forest guard ? who doubles up as a driver of some very sturdy jeeps told us that at this hour in afternoon sightings cannot be guaranteed. we told him we are nature lovers and want to experience the forest. this put him at ease and he got into his groove as due to agitation in AP the tourism had come to a standstill and he explained us nuances of this forest in detail.
this is a dense forest and hence difficult to spot big cats.
numerous waterholes with salt licks made us happy that the range officer was taking good care.
we loved the safari drive and came to a run down nizams palace which had its own well from which there used to be water supply.
sson we enetered the viewpoint zone.there is a resort which used to function here destroyed by naxalites.
the viewpoit was a great experience the smell of the forest was beautiful in the afternoon sun.
we spent clos eto one hour at the viewpoint enjoying the silence broken at times with natures own sounds.
what interetsed me the most was numerous anthills some as big as 1 storey which are seen everywhere.
stories of tiger sightings by the guide reminded us that this was a live forest and i hope it remined the same.

[pravdr]

the drive to farahabad viewpoint takes around 15 mins you drive through dense forests scrublands tall elephant grass and feel at points you could be ambushed easily.
the thick undergrowth at places makes ideal playground for camouflage to predators.
your ascent to farahabad viewpoint is broken by bird calls sightings of deer sambhar and peacocks and serpent eagles.
you drive past through old nizams palace which was run down after hyderabad state ceased to exist and tribal homes and villages.
the tribals as our guide told lead traditional lives till date and have heavy alcohol habit.
the viewpoit was enchanting and the photos speak for themselves

[fazalaliadil]

Very close to the real thing, the Farahabad experience.
I am sure you had a great time and pug marks too!
The old building you see on the way to Farahabad is Shikargah (Hunting Lodge) built by the 6th Nizam and it was not a palace. The 6th Nizam was very fond of hunting, there are a couple more hunting lodges in other parts of Nallamalla.
The lake you see from the view point is Rasulcheruvu, tigers come here for water. You must have been taken to Farahabad through the gate in pic. and taken out through Gundem gate, in-between here too are a couple of tigers.
Thanks for sharing.
Regards,

[pravdr]

Originally Posted by fazalaliadil

Very close to the real thing, the Farahabad experience.
I am sure you had a great time and pug marks too!
The old building you see on the way to Farahabad is Shikargah (Hunting Lodge) built by the 6th Nizam and it was not a palace. The 6th Nizam was very fond of hunting, there are a couple more hunting lodges in other parts of Nallamalla.
The lake you see from the view point is Rasulcheruvu, tigers come here for water. You must have been taken to Farahabad through the gate in pic. and taken out through Gundem gate, in-between here too are a couple of tigers.
Thanks for sharing.
Regards,

dear fazal saab

thanks for a true wildlife enthusiast to pay attention to my humble travelogue.
im trying to document it as much as possible.
yes the palace that i mentioned was indeed a hunting lodge but when writing it inevitably became a "palace" by mistake.
fazal saab i was taken in by the main gate and was brought out by the same gate as my car was waiting there although i did ask the guide to show us the place where pugmarks were seen.
the guide told us that walking and treks had been stopped in the area.at one point on the return journey back he did stop near a tribal home and ponder whether he could take a alternative route(was this the gundem gate route?)

i loved the srisailam forest i thought it has a dense undergrowth and thick foilage(unlike some parks in central india) wildlife spotting in such areas is limited but its best to leave wildlife alone. i hope srisailam forest remains a domain of true wildlife lovers.

fazal saab any new news of tigers in srisailam. the guide told me he spotted a tiger 6months back at the waterhole shown in the picture.any leopard sightings in srisailam forest?

im following your other tiger travelogues with interest. hope to meet you in hyderabad in furure.

rgrds

pg

[fazalaliadil]

Originally Posted by pravdr

dear fazal saab

thanks for a true wildlife enthusiast to pay attention to my humble travelogue.

i loved the srisailam forest i thought it has a dense undergrowth and thick foilage(unlike some parks in central india) wildlife spotting in such areas is limited but its best to leave wildlife alone. i hope srisailam forest remains a domain of true wildlife lovers.

fazal saab any new news of tigers in srisailam. the guide told me he spotted a tiger 6months back at the waterhole shown in the picture.any leopard sightings in srisailam forest?

im following your other tiger travelogues with interest. hope to meet you in hyderabad in furure.

rgrds

pg

Pravdr,

I am just a very humble wildlife enthusiast/ photographer.

Just before the three Chenchu huts on the way to Farahabad is where you need to take a right to Gundem, that is the route they should have got you out from and not the same route you entered.

Next time get this to the notice of the concerned officer on duty at Mannanur check post before you proceed to the Farahabad gate.

There are Tigers and Leopards here but only1/3rd of the official claim.

It is not like you have missed sighting tigers by not going through Gundem,
(I have been in many parts of Nallamalla at all times of the night and day,since 19 years and am yet to sight a tiger there) but there are other wildlife too and it is a bit more dense. Most of the wildlife on my Srisailam threads were photographed at Gundem

Do make it a point to contact DKG (Deepak) or me before you start for this place again.

Regards,

A couple from there, if you don't mind.
Early morning at Farahabad view point.

River Krishna from the Octopus view point.

[pravdr]

Originally Posted by fazalaliadil

Pravdr,

I am just a very humble wildlife enthusiast/ photographer.

Just before the three Chenchu huts on the way to Farahabad is where you need to take a right to Gundem, that is the route they should have got you out from and not the same route you entered.

Next time get this to the notice of the concerned officer on duty at Mannanur check post before you proceed to the Farahabad gate.

There are Tigers and Leopards here but only1/3rd of the official claim.

It is not like you have missed sighting tigers by not going through Gundem,
(I have been in many parts of Nallamalla at all times of the night and day,since 19 years and am yet to sight a tiger there) but there are other wildlife too and it is a bit more dense. Most of the wildlife on my Srisailam threads were photographed at Gundem

Do make it a point to contact DKG (Deepak) or me before you start for this place again.

Regards,

A couple from there, if you don't mind.
Early morning at Farahabad view point.
Attachment 319410
River Krishna from the Octopus view point.
Attachment 319411

dear fazal saab

the chenchu huts is where he was contemplating to take us out from but abandoned the idea.i will keep this point in mind.

the maallecheruvu lake...........have u been there anytime?waterholes/waterbodies are the points where you have the maximum chances of spotting wildlife.have you waited at the farahabad viewpoint waterhole and others in vicinity?
i will make it a point to ctc your group next time im in hyderabad.
just a question to all wildlife enthusiasts..............
with all the hullabaloo over saving the tigers has anyone thought of a plan to GPS track the tigers by collaring them with GPS devices?that would provide us an immediate resource of protecting them and tracking their movements.
just a thought....

pg

pg

[ampere]

Any long shot of a river valley is amazing. Till date I have seen many including Kali, Teesta, Narmada etc. Added Krishna to the collection. In spite of it being hot, place looks amazing.