Nature · Wildlife · 11 min read

Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary: Kerala's Rain-Shadow Wilderness of Giant Squirrels and Dolmens

Over the hills from Munnar, the rain stops and the forest changes: cactus and thorn scrub, tamarind trees by a rocky river, silver-grey squirrels the size of cats, and stone tombs older than history. A guide to Chinnar, the driest and perhaps strangest wilderness in Kerala.

By GK Global, Adimali, Munnar · Trails & Tales by GK

Drive north from Munnar through the sandalwood valley of Marayoor and something strange happens. The green, dripping hills fall behind you, the air turns warm and dry, and the roadside fills with cactus, thorn bushes and the pale trunks of dry deciduous trees. You are still in Kerala, but you might be in the Deccan. This is Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, tucked into the eastern flank of the Western Ghats on the border with Tamil Nadu, and it is like nowhere else in the state.

Chinnar lies in the rain shadow of the mountains. The southwest monsoon, which drenches Munnar, spends itself on the high peaks before it can reach these eastern slopes, and Chinnar receives only about 500 mm of rain a year, a fraction of the 3,000 mm or more that falls on the western side. That single fact shapes everything here: the forests, the animals, the rivers and the lives of the people who have lived in these valleys for thousands of years.

A landscape of contrasts

Chinnar climbs steeply from the dry valleys in the east to the grassy ridges and shola forests that join Eravikulam and Anamudi Shola in the west. In a few kilometres, the vegetation changes from thorny scrub, with cactus and acacia, through dry deciduous forest and riverine forest along the streams, to moist deciduous forest, grassland and shola on the heights. Two rivers, the Chinnar and the Pambar, run through the sanctuary; the Pambar, rising near Anamudi, is one of the very few rivers of Kerala that flows east, joining the Amaravati and finally the Kaveri. Along their banks, tall tamarind, arjun and other trees form green ribbons through the dry country, and it is here that much of Chinnar's wildlife gathers.

Surveys have recorded some 963 species of flowering plants in the sanctuary, many of them medicinal, and a remarkable variety of animals adapted to both wet and dry conditions: about 28 species of mammals, 225 birds, 52 reptiles (the richest reptile fauna of any protected area in Kerala), 15 amphibians, 14 fish and more than 150 butterflies.

The wildlife of Chinnar

The grizzled giant squirrel

Chinnar's most famous resident is the grizzled giant squirrel (Ratufa macroura), a large, silver-grey tree squirrel with a long, bushy, grizzled tail, found only in a few pockets of South India and in Sri Lanka. It is classed as Near Threatened, and Chinnar holds one of the most important populations in India, living in the tall riverine trees along the Chinnar and Pambar. Look for it in the early morning and late afternoon, leaping through the canopy or resting on its large leaf nest high in a tamarind tree, its tail hanging below. The sanctuary was created largely to protect it.

The Indian star tortoise

The dry scrub of Chinnar is home to the Indian star tortoise (Geochelone elegans), whose domed shell is patterned with bright yellow stars. Heavily poached for the illegal pet trade, it is now protected, and Chinnar has India's only rehabilitation centre for the species, where tortoises seized from smugglers are cared for before being returned to the wild.

Primates

• Tufted grey langur: the pale, long-tailed langur of the dry forests, often seen in troops along the road and river.
• Bonnet macaque: common and inquisitive; please do not feed them.
• Grey slender loris: a tiny, large-eyed, nocturnal primate of the dry forests, rarely seen but recorded in the sanctuary.
• Nilgiri langur: in the wetter forests of the higher slopes.

Elephants and other mammals

Herds of Asian elephants move through Chinnar with the seasons, along ancient routes that link the forests of Kerala with the Anamalai hills of Tamil Nadu; in the dry months they gather near the rivers. Gaur, spotted deer (a rarity in Kerala, found here thanks to the dry habitat), sambar, wild boar, leopards and the occasional tiger also live here, along with the Nilgiri tahr on the high western cliffs.

Reptiles, crocodiles and birds

Chinnar has Kerala's largest population of mugger crocodiles, which bask on the rocks of the Chinnar and Pambar rivers. With 29 species of snakes and many lizards, it is the reptile capital of Kerala. Its 225 bird species range from dry-country birds such as the yellow-throated bulbul and the Indian peafowl to forest species like the hornbills and paradise flycatchers of the river valleys.

(Read more about the wild animals of the Western Ghats, the birds of the region and its butterflies.)

Stones of the ancestors: the dolmens

Chinnar and the neighbouring valleys of Marayoor and Kanthalloor are one of the richest megalithic landscapes in Kerala. Scattered across the rocky hillsides are dolmens, known locally as muniyaras ("the cells of the sages"): burial chambers built of great stone slabs, with a capstone resting on upright stones, raised by Iron Age communities between roughly 1000 BCE and the early centuries CE. Several groups lie within or close to the sanctuary, including at Alampetti and Thittavayal, and the forest department runs guided treks to some of them. Standing among these silent stone chambers, with the dry hills all around, you feel the depth of human history in these valleys.

(Read the full story in The dolmens of Marayoor.)

The people of the forest

Chinnar is not an empty wilderness. Within the sanctuary are about eleven tribal hamlets of the Muthuvan and Hill Pulaya communities, who farm small plots of ragi, maize and other millets and grow lemongrass on the slopes. The Muthuvans are known for their traditions of living in harmony with the forest, and many members of both communities now work as guides and watchers in the sanctuary's eco-development committees, sharing their knowledge of the forest with visitors. Respect their privacy: do not enter settlements or photograph people without permission.

(Read about the tribal communities of the Munnar hills.)

The adventure: exploring Chinnar

The road through the sanctuary

The Munnar–Udumalpet interstate road runs right through Chinnar, and the drive itself is part of the adventure. From Marayoor the road winds down through dry forest past the Chinnar check post, with chances of seeing langurs, deer, gaur and even elephants at the roadside, especially early and late in the day. Drive slowly, do not stop or get out near wild animals, and never feed them.

Thoovanam Waterfalls

The best-known trek in Chinnar leads to Thoovanam Waterfalls on the Pambar. Starting from the Alampetty check post, a guided walk of about 4 km follows the river through dry forest and scrub to the point where the Pambar plunges over a broad rock face in a curtain of white water, about 84 m high. The trek takes about three hours and is rated moderate; the sun can be strong, so carry water and a hat. The falls are at their best after the monsoon.

▶ Video: Thoovanam Waterfalls

Thoovanam falls in Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, near Marayoor. More in our video gallery

Guided eco-treks and stays

The Kerala Forest Department and the sanctuary's eco-development committees run a range of guided programmes, including:

• River trekking along the Chinnar and Pambar, the best way to see grizzled giant squirrels and muggers.
• Nature trails and bird-watching walks.
• Trekking to the dolmen sites.
• The watchtower near the check post, with wide views over the forest, and machans at Koottar, Karakkad and Champakkad.
• Trekking and camping at Vasyappara.
• Tree house and forest stays inside the sanctuary.
• A medicinal plant garden.

Programmes, fees and timings change with the season, and all treks inside the sanctuary must be done with forest guides. Contact the sanctuary office, under the Wildlife Warden, Munnar, to book.

Best time to visit

• September to January: the forest is greenest after the rains, the rivers and Thoovanam falls are full, and the weather is pleasant.
• February to May: hot and dry, but the best time to see animals gathered near the rivers, including the grizzled giant squirrel.
• October to December: Chinnar gets much of its rain from the northeast monsoon, so expect some showers.
• Early mornings and late afternoons are best for wildlife.

How to get there

• From Munnar: about 60 km (about 2 hours) via Marayoor on the Munnar–Udumalpet road.
• From Tamil Nadu: about 40 km from Udumalpet.
• Nearest railway stations: Udumalpet (Tamil Nadu) and, on the Kerala side, Aluva or Ernakulam.
• Nearest airports: Coimbatore (about 120 km) and Cochin International (about 170 km).

The untamed side of the Western Ghats

Most visitors to Munnar see only the wet, green face of the Western Ghats. Chinnar shows the other side: a land of sun-baked rock and thorn, of silver squirrels in tamarind trees, of crocodiles in a mountain river and stone tombs older than written history. Spend a day here and you will understand how much variety these mountains hold, and how much depends on the rain.

(Read also: the sandalwood forest of Marayoor, Marayoor jaggery, the ecological hotspots of Idukki and the waterfalls of Idukki.)