Eagle Nest Wildlife Sanctuary

This was a long awaited trip. The name itself, Eagle Nest Wildlife Sanctuary, had captured my imaginations when I had seen it in the itinerary, as I have always been fascinated by eagles.

We left for the sanctuary at around 8 in the morning. Forty six of us left in three vehicles - two Sumos and an open Trax with many happily perched on top of the vehicles. Infact everyone wished to sit on the top as it is a different thrill to sit holding on to your lives. The light drizzle and cold wind adds further to the excitement.

This time I was not lucky enough to find a place on top and envied the guys having fun sitting atop on the vehicles in front of us. They kept disappearing and reappearing in the winding roads which in some places were at the very edge of precipitous slopes, while at other places very narrow. Soon the ride became bumpy as the tar road disappeared into an off road leading inside the forest. Then I heard the ‘ahhs’ and ‘oohs’ of people sitting on top and realised how blessed I was!

Our vehicle being an open half- truck people were either standing or squatting. So our driver had to slow down as the ride became too rough. Soon the vehicles in front of us disappeared into the hairpin bends. After some time our driver stopped the Trax and informed us that he would not be able to go any further into the forest as he did not have enough fuel. Without many options left we decided to walk.

What began as an unintentional walk to catch up with the group in front later turned out to be one of the best experiences in my life.

As we walked through the forest with my pace I had got separated and was now walking alone. It was just me and a trail leading me into an unknown terrain of green, lush forest, welcoming me to take notice of its details. The vegetation was very rich and exhaustive.

An unusual thrill soared within me.
Suddenly I heard songs. Loud, noisy camp songs! The delight that was sprouting within me was trampled. I hurriedly walked towards the source and saw the other two Sumos parked onto the side. One of the Sumos had a flat tyre so they couldn’t go any further. So the other vehicle had to leave for the town to get the tyre fixed. The group was enjoying singing and dancing and some still sitting happily atop the vehicle.

Good thing was all forty six of us had to walk.
Not so good being the fact that now I had to share this space of solitude and tranquillity with the rest of us. We started walking together. It is like the standard marathon race where every one starts off together but then soon settles down at their own sweet pace.

Soon I was walking alone, this time intentionally. After I managed to have good distance from everyone around I stopped for everything that caught my attention.

The clouds, the rain, the trees, the mist and the mountains, they were playing amongst themselves. Even though the changes were quick and dramatic it was all so perfect.

I noticed the moss and the other epiphytes draping the branches of the lofty trees, the colourful butterflies fluttering by, from one flower to the other. The musical notes of the chirpy birds, the rain drops falling on to the leaves and the wind echoing through the branches produced a harmonious symphony.

I soon regained my eccentric solitude with absolute silence. The forest had a spiritual realm where everything was at peace. With itself, within itself.

As I walked I came across a patch of lush, grassy undergrowth with bare, charred trunks towering amidst the green canvas like a sore in the eye. I came across various such patches through out the whole walk.

Later I learnt it from the guides that the Indian army had set certain patches of the forest on fire. They wished to build a road through the sanctuary which was not possible otherwise. By burning and clearing up the tree cover the top soil would be lost, a healthy, green forest could then be declared as degraded land. Then with such claims the land is lawfully encroached upon and yet another forest is gone. Pure murder!

Fortunately this time some vigilant social watchdogs prevented this ecological disaster. Now with time and almost nil human interference this patch has re-generated into a beautiful forest, but still bears an ugly testimony of our impending desires and our unsatisfied needs.

It was almost noon but there was still no sign of sun. It had been misty and cloudy throughout with slight drizzles which made the walking pleasant. No leeches made it carefree and more enjoyable as compared to the walk through Pakke National Park where every one was more worried about leech bites.

After walking for about four hours, with innumerable breaks, we reached a small shack. It was here where lunch was supposed to arrive by jeeps but there was no sign of it. Often guys wonder why girls carry such heavy backpacks for short trails. If and when they need to shoulder the load, as poor little thing is not able to carry it anymore, they even grumble. But it’s in moments like these, that we guys are grateful for that extra load they were carrying.

Thirty five girls compared to twelve guys so food was never a problem. While we had a snack-lunch everyone was hoping for the vehicles to arrive. Finally with no signs or sound of the vehicles we decided to walk back. Honestly, I was happy as I wanted to walk back. I wasn’t tired, thanks to the pleasant weather and easy walking.

The group walked faster and was much quieter. That’s what probably hope and despair can do to you, hope of meeting the vehicles on the next turn, despair of walking till that next turn.

The Sanctuary is located in the West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh covering an area of 217 sq km. It is truly a bird watchers paradise as we spotted sunbirds, laughing thrush, crow pheasants, chest nut bellied minlas, fly-catchers, bee-eaters and many more.

The guides told us that they have sighted elephant herds, tigers, leopards, gorals and other small mammals. Though we weren’t lucky to see any of them partly because we were making too much noise and secondly because they move onto higher altitudes during monsoons. We did see elephant trails which were nothing but crushed vegetation and trampled trees.

Finally after having walked for an hour or so the two vehicles arrived, with food. Ever since we have started this camp we have been eating non vegetarian meals at least once a day. Today it was fish curry which was simply delicious. It may be also because we all were very hungry. It is a different experience of having food out in the open, in the middle of a forest.

Once we ate full we packed both the vehicles with maximum number of people, especially all those who were tired and could not walk any further. The two guides and only nine of us were left behind. It was almost four by the time the Sumos left for the hotel. We decided to walk hoping for that the Trax was coming back for us.

The sky was clearing up. It had stopped drizzling and now one could see the clouds descending from the horizon. It was a sight to behold. There was still no sign of the sun only the rays falling on to the green blanket below. With the mist clearing up the forest was revealing a different sight. Infinite shades of green.

Slowly but steadily it was getting dark.

After having walked for over seven hours now we were walking at snail pace. Since it was getting dark it was important that every one had to walk together. Even though we were not covering great distance we kept walking. Our observations of the forest had completely narrowed down to the trail in front of us. By now our walk too, had become mechanical, I don’t know if you have ever experienced it. Our feet were just carrying us where our eyes were looking.

Finally we reached an open camp site which is often used by the locals and the guides. If it was raining then probably we would have continued walking. Since it wasn’t we decided to rest there until the Trax arrived. By then the guides had lit up a fire and we all sat around it. The moon was shining bright creating a silhouette of the canopy above, added a spooky feeling, with the trees taking on eerie shapes.

Perfect timing and set up for listening to stories and experiences! Forgetting everything about our surroundings, our physical state and worries we had a good time until we heard the roar of an engine at a distance. In another few moments two beaming headlights shone bright at our faces, lighting up our faces. Finally our ride had arrived!

Tired, soaked and hyperbolically euphoric we packed ourselves into the Sumo and bid farewell to the forest which has been so beautiful throughout the day. Though I didn’t sight any eagles but this one truly is one of the best walks of my life.