Shendurney, the only wildlife sanctuary in the district that is part of the Agsthyamali Biosphere Reserve, is launching Rosemala safari, a 14-km trip through the deep forest to woo visitors.
The sanctuary, strewn with scenic vantage points and trekking trails, is expected to offer tourists a memorable experience and the package will officially start on July 1. A gorgeous ecotourism spot in the forest, Rosemala, with its long-winding roads and lush greenery, reminds the visitor of rose petals. It is located 26 km away from the sanctuary home office and most part of the safari is through the deep evergreen forest with rich biodiversity. The area is home to diverse flora and fauna that include elephant, tiger Malabar giant squirrel and Nilgiri langur.
The duration of the safari is two-and-a-half hours and the department will be operating two trips daily. While the first trip will begin at 9.30 a.m. from forest information centre, the second trip starts at 2.30 p.m. A 24-seater bus will be used for the safari and the package cost is Rs250 per person. Children below the age of 8 are not required to pay and the safari travellers do not have to take watchtower tickets. An additional jeep service will be available if there are extra visitors. The cost of the jeep safari will be Rs3,000 and more than seven passengers will not be allowed.
The department has also planned to reopen Rosemala Heaven jungle cottage at Pallivasal, around 2 km from Rosemala Junction, the same day. It will offer camping facility to the visitors and around 10 persons can stay at a time. Since Shendurney offers both soft and hard trekking programmes, the visitors can opt according to their choice while staying there. The Rosemala safari package will be flagged off by Wildlife Warden J R Ani on July 1 and Assistant Wildlife Warden C K Sudheer will preside over the inaugural function. For bookings, contact 8547602937,8547602943 and 9048789779.
