Birds
Hornbills and thrushes
Malabar grey hornbill, Malabar whistling thrush.
Four layers
Read the forest from the roof down.
A walk at Vanvaas moves through four layers, each with its own light, sound and pace.
I
Canopy
The high roof. Light, birdsong, and wind that arrives in the leaves long before you feel it.
II
Understory
Shade-loving shrubs, ferns and saplings. The layer you actually walk through.
III
Water
Streams, seeps and the slow gift of the monsoon, held in the hill and released through the year.
IV
Soil
Leaf litter, fungi and roots. The quiet engine that keeps every other layer alive.
What lives here
A living register, not a brochure.
We are building a species register for Vanvaas, season by season. Until the baseline survey is complete, these are the kinds of life typical of the Kodagu hills.
Mammals
Canopy dwellers
Malabar giant squirrel, Nilgiri langur, bonnet macaque, Indian gaur.
Amphibians and reptiles
The night chorus
Bush frogs, green vine snake.
Trees
The old growth
Rosewood and wild jackfruit, among many others.
Pollinators
Small and essential
Stingless bees, butterflies and moths.
Ferns, orchids and fungi
The quiet kingdoms
Bracket fungi after rain, ferns on every shaded bank.
Indicative species typical of the Kodagu hills. Vanvaas's own register follows its baseline survey.
Through the year
Four seasons, four forests.
June to September
Monsoon
Rain, mist and a loud, saturated green. Streams run full. Leeches come with the territory.
October to November
After the rains
Washed light, fresh growth and fungi everywhere. A very good time to learn the forest.
December to February
Cool season
Crisp mornings, dry paths and long clear walks. The coffee harvest runs through the district.
March to May
Blossom and storms
Coffee blossom after the first showers, warm days and thunder at dusk.
Getting here
Far enough to matter.
Vanvaas is reached by road, by appointment, and the last stretch is unhurried. We send directions and arrange pick-ups once we have spoken.
From BengaluruAbout 5 to 6 hours by road
From MysuruAbout 3.5 to 4 hours by road
Nearest airport and railBengaluru (Kempegowda International Airport and Bengaluru rail)
Coordinates12.398° N, 75.541° E
