Moss, Monkeys and Madness: Hiking in Amrabad

Moss, monkeys and madness! Where and by whom? Why this title?

This story is of three hikers around a gorge and further up a forested hill in Amrabad Tiger Reserve in Telangana India. The hikers were looking for wildlife on foot. Yes, on foot! Read on.

Our hike started at the base of Uma Maheshwar Gorge. 

Our forest safari vehicle could go up to the temple. All other vehicles have to park at the foothill. Visitors are then transported by e-vehicles to reduce the pollution on hillside. See the video below.

The Moss

As we started the hike we saw lush green moss growing naturally on the moist surface of the rocks where it remains cool even in summer months. The camera won't stop clicking the various shades of green, Apart from moss, ferns were also growing abundantly. You will get an idea as to how green it is after seeing the video clip. 

Greenery also brings insects. See an insect on fellow hiker Sridhar's tee shirt.

The Monkeys

As we continued, we saw Rhesus Monkeys- singly as well as the whole families. Probably they were getting enough food given by the tourists visiting the Uma Maheshwar temple. They posed in different moods for us. One of them climbed up to the rim of the gorge!

The Madness

We showed you the moss and the monkeys and now comes the madness part! On the rock face of Uma Maheshwar Gorge we saw an opening like a cave. As always, adventurous Ghumakkad wanted to enter the cave to explore it. Nimmala Prabash, our Chenchu guide (the local tribe in Amrabad region)  cautioned us, "There had been a cave right up to the Srisailam Temple tens of kilometres away. But it is not functional anymore. It is dark inside."

Always ready for adventures like this, I climbed up and entered the Cave. After going for a few yards inside, I was in total darkness. I had not carried my torch. However no bats, birds or crawlers welcomed me. I wanted to go further and feel the wall or rocks which had blocked the cave. But in total darkness, I might have tripped on a stone or a rock. So after a while I returned and came out of the cave. See the pictures and the video shot by Captain Sridhar from a distance. We couldn't record the heart beats of my co-hikers! I know many of you will call the cave exploration as madness!

Links to Ghumakkad's stories of some other caves in India are given below. Do browse to get a feel of being inside natural caves.

Bellum Caves- Crafted by Nature

Undavalli Caves Architectural Marvel

Borra Caves- Beauty of Darkness

The Climb Up the Gorge

We continued our hike and climbed the stairs leading to the rim of the gorge. The rocks in different shapes made nice frames. The only sore point was the graffiti on the rocks. Sadly it is a national malaise of which Ghumakkad has written enough (you may browse one such story here. The graffiti part comes towards the end of the picture story). However, as we gained height, the view of the valley, thick forest and the gorge was simply breathtaking. Sharing few pictures below.

Rim of the Gorge

Once on top, the view from the rim was phenomenal. 

Further climb led us to an opening with a surprise meadow on top of the rim! Few pictures.

Fan-throated Lizard

We spotted a female Fan-Throated Lizard likely pregnant. It had such remarkable camouflage that it blended with the rocks completely. See the picture below.

Our guide Akhil Head Naturalist, Telangana State Forest Development Corporation (TSFDC) explained to us the details about the lizard. See the short video below.

Akhil knew every tree, plant, insect, the droppings as well as the foot prints of the animals around. He stopped at a plant bearing red berries which were edible. He ate even the leaves of that plant. See the video below.

Looking for Leopard and Sloth Bear

We continued and encountered some dug up roots- indication of a sloth bear. Akhil told us, "We are looking for wild animals. In case we come face to face, stand still. Do not panic. I would be in the front and Prabash at the rear. You three will be in between." That was very reassuring. We continued our hike around the top of the gorge with no visible trails.

We did encounter more telltale signs of the sloth bear. But it did not oblige us. Continuing further we had to then descend on a very rocky and uneven slope. It had rounded boulders strewn all over. We had to be very careful not to sprain our ankles or get hurt. 

Sloth Bear

As we were climbing down, the Sun was also going down. And then our guide Prabash suddenly stopped by one tree. The bark of the tree had clear scratch marks of sloth bears. We could see distinct marks of an adult and a young sloth bear as you can see in the picture. The tree was not fruit bearing. Then why did the sloth bear try to climb it? Probably, the young ones did it in a playful challenge. 

In the Tigress Territory

Moving on as the darkness surrounded us, Akhil stopped by another tree. Its bark had the territory markings by a tigress with her sharp claws. See the video below.

Moving With A Torchlight

By now the darkness had engulfed us and we had to take out a torchlight to find our path to the village and then back to the camp.

That night we did a walk in darkness around our Jungle Resort. We had shared a separate story linked below:

A Night in the Wild; Frogs, Fangs and Stings

While our cottage lights were still on next morning, we had to assemble for the forest trek at 5:45 AM  

We had to drive a few kilometres down the highway to reach the spot to start climbing the Pratap Rudra Hill. The video below shows speeding taxis, cars and trucks on the highway heading towards Srisailam, one of the nine major Shiva temples in India.

Language of the Birds

It was a bright day for the birds to be out in the morning. Though there are no pictures of the birds but here is a video which has captured the loud and sonorous call of a Magpie Robin high up on a tree. Turn on the volume and listen to its musical call. We titled the video 'Which language is this?'

If you wish to see another story of Pratap Rudra Hill and the Fort, please click on the link below. We had written the picture story during our visit about a year ago.

Amrabad Tiger Reserve- Not Only Tigers

Water Body and Baya Weavers

The forts and palaces built atop any hill always had some water reservoir for survival of the inmates. Pratap Rudra Hill also has a water body. And it was the season (mid- August) for the Baya Weavers to weave their intricate nests hanging over the water body. Safe from all predators.

Pratap Rudra Hill View Point
The viewpoint from the fort gives a magnanimous panorama of the valley below. It is a steady hike up to the view point. We also diverted to see a Porcupine Pathway which is abuzz at night. See some pictures and a video

Camera Trap

It was time for us to return to the resort. Don't miss the camera trap mounted on the base of a water tank. It is meant to record the movement of the animals passing by. Though we could not sight any large animals, the tour was definitely worth it.

Around the Resort

There was enough action inside the resort as well. Like the monkeys climbing a vertical wall with ease. Although the video below, courtesy Sridhar, shows only two monkeys doing it, we actually saw a whole bunch of them doing it one after the other, effortlessly.

Dung Beetle

Dung beetle is an incredible creature. It can carry a load many times heavier than its own weight with ease. See the picture and video below, both shot by Sridhar. Akhil explains about the dung beetle in the picture below.

Nature Lovers

We met another nature loving family. Sagar Sharma, his wife Usha and son Shanmukh from Hyderabad. Sharing below the group picture taken before our departure on 16th August. Don't miss Padmavathi garu, our 'youngest' traveller at 87 years of age!

The Package

Hope you enjoyed the hike around Ahmedabad Tiger Reserve conducted by Telangana State Forest Development Corporation. We would recommend their package to all the adventurers and Nature lovers. The package includes AC accommodation, all meals, one Tiger Safari and a jungle trek. All between 4K to 5K per person per day. You can visit their website www.deccanwoodsandtrails.com and book your package tour online.

Thank you Sridhar and Sagar for sharing your pictures.

Special thanks to Padma Ramesh for suggesting the title.

Thanks for browsing and stay connected.

Do leave a comment, few words will suffice to encourage us.

    - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with N Sridhar and Arundhati Rao/ 26th Aug 2026/ Amrabad and Secunderabad

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