RUNNING like a spine along the west of India, the Western Ghats is a wildlife rich range of mountains spanning six states: Gujarat, Goa, Maharahstra, and the three we visited, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.
While forests cover much of the land, tea plantations seem to be just as common. There are 39 national parks and wildlife reserves.
The Western Ghats covers a huge swathe of southern India. We probably spent a month there all up.
Some of the more famous hill stations are Coonoor, Ooty, Wayanad and Kalpetta.
Some are known for their gardens.
Other for their lakes with the ubiquitous paddle swans and tourist tat.
Tea estates cover much of the area.
And there are many national parks and reserves rich in wildlife.
There are the occaisonal archeological site like the hilltop for Kavaledurga, but largely the Ghats are about nature.
Our first foray was our least favourite- Kodaikanal. Overcorwded, belching with buses, snarling traffic jams at waterfalls and viewpoints.
Other spots we visited are relatively unknown, like Mundgod, which has the largest Tibetan community in southern India.
While we didn't have D&Ms with the next Dalai Lama, we did see some monasteries, eat some Tibetan food, and relaxed in a street-cafe watching the monks come and go.
It's not far from Jog Falls, which talks a big game, but felt a little underwhelming. Access to the foot of the falls is closed and the viewing area was a construction site being turned into a tourist hole.
Maybe it was the wrong season, but at least the surrounding areas provided more joy. And our guesthouse served some of the best food we ate all trip.
Baba Budangiri is one of a cluster of mountain destinations near Chikkamagaluru in the northern stretch of the Ghats.
The views were excellent, if somewhat compromised. The weather was awful and we spent the day staring through fog or worse, riding through rain.
300kms to the south, Wayanad is an area rich in natural sights.
We spent several days based in Kalpetta, seeing waterfalls and hills and tea estates.
The area had suffered a catastrophic landslide, and some of the prettiest valleys were disaster zones, still no-go areas.
Three of Tamil Nadu's hill station, Ooty, Kotagiri and Coonoor are less than an hour from each other. We spent Divali in Kotagiri. Our ears are still hurting.
There are a number of hill excursions can be done from any of them. Doddbetta is one, but walking 2km up to the top is actually prohibited!
Ooty is famed for its old botanic gardens, as well as its history of British invaders escaping the heat.
Coonoor also has the excellent Sims Garden, which felt less sculpted and more forested than Ooty's.
Tea estates can be found outside any of the three, and returning by bus to Ooty, we saw wild elephants in the fields.
Kodanad viewpoint was easily reached by bus from Kotagiri, but like many of the areas hills, once you're there, you're restricted in where you can wander. Nice walk back to town though.
200+kms to the south in Kerala state, Munnar was another hill station with more of the same: misty weather, tea, gardens, parks with limited walking options.
The transport mafia was pretty tight here. I remember a (public) bus driver refusing to tell us where to catch a bus- until we couldn't be seen by the jeep drivers!
There are several national parks near Munnar, including Eravikulam.
Eravikulam is one of the last places to see these fellas: Nilgiri Tahr, whose population was down to its last 100 just 25-odd years ago.
Unfortunately for us, it was the wrong time of year for big game wildlife viewing. Too much water and too much grass.
We made about half a dozen jeep trips into several parks, including Nagarhole NP, Tholpetty Wildlife Sanctuary and Periyar Tiger Reserve.
Indian safaris aren't a scratch on African. The drivers are too rushed, the guides not as knowledgeable as Africa's.
Getting information on jeep safaris can be hard. Usually, but not always, heading to the gate or the gateway town and seeing what is available will work.
We saw no tigers this time (tracks, yes). This leopard was the highlight along with the one-trunked elephant and dhole (wild dogs) from the last two pics.
One of our favourite places was a small bird-watching destination, Thattekad.
Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary was one of the few forests where we could walk freely, without guides.
We stayed in the wonderful Jungle Bird homestay, run by an incredible family. The tea-shop owner-turned bird guide Auntie is cult personality among twitchers.
We probably should have stayed another day. We did some guided birding and saw a number of local specialties- none of which I was able to photograph!
Jungle Bird attracts many repeaters for is location, its food, the family, the birding knowledge.
Our last taste of the Ghats was Periyar Tiger Reserve. The main access town is the likable Kumily, which had good food and the cleanest guesthouse in India, Ammus Homestay.
There a boat trips on the lake, and some unguided walking is allowed. We didn't see much besides birds on our own.
We also took a guided walk, which was excellent. I remember seeing some rare birds and hearing bears close by. Oh, and tiger tracks.
The western section of Periyar near Vandiperiyar offers overnight stays inside the park, and this guided trek up and down the hills was a hard slog through tiger country, with excellent guides.
This is the area around the Vandiperiyar camp, where we did some bird trekking, with a pair of noisy, unprofessional guides! Still, Periyar was one of our favourite parks in the Ghats.