Flirting with the Rain in Mizoram’s Murlen National Park

From the watchtower, wildlife photographer Dhritiman Mukherjee and I scan the horizon stretching out in front of us. Undulating swathes of the canopy cloak the mountains, unfolding like vast carpets of broccoli. Myriad greens — khaki, olive, lime, jade — of Murlen National Park beckon invitingly, freshly bathed from the recent deluge. Sudden showers peppered our trek to the watchtower as well. The thick forest is impressive. Trees tower over me, woody lianas reaching up like gangly arms from the forest floor to the canopy. As we walk further into the forest, orchids and ferns greet us at every turn — elegant white, fiery orange, cheery yellow, delicate lilac, and dramatic emerald. In some spots, the foliage completely swallows the daylight before it can reach the forest floor.

Our excitement is palpable. “I can see canopies of some primary forest. The habitat seems promising; I hope we see an amazing diversity of life,” says Mukherjee expectantly. Along with naturalist Omkar Dharwadkar and filmmaker Tukai Biswas, we’re on an exploration of Mizoram and the life this enigmatic state sustains. We had already seen plenty of bird movement in the buffer areas, including a pair of mountain bamboo-partridges ambling along a few metres ahead of us on a mud road. The now-familiar song of the Chin Hills wren-babbler that we had encountered during our visit to Phawngpui National Park announces its presence in the bushes. Spot-breasted parrotbills, with beaks that make them look like they wear perpetual genial smiles, grace the bamboo and grass stands along the road. 

A day and a half’s journey from Mizoram’s capital, Aizawl, and a mere 30 km from the Myanmar border, this protected area falls within the Indo-Burma Biodiversity hotspot. Like Phawngpui National Park, Murlen is significant in terms of biodiversity because of its proximity to the Chin Hills. With its mix of rocky outcrops and forested patches, the winding road to the small town of Vapar on the outskirts of the national park is good for wayside birding during the day and herping at night.

Floral diversity in Murlen National Park

With altitudes ranging from 400-1,897 m, the 100 sq km of Murlen’s protected area is a rich mix of tropical moist broadleaf, semi-evergreen, and evergreen forest. The mid-elevation habitat is starkly different from other parks in Mizoram, like the high-elevation vegetation of Phawngpui National Park (319 km from Murlen) and the low-elevation forests of Dampa Tiger Reserve (307 km from Mulen). Several parts of this lush ecosystem are notoriously impenetrable. Ecosystems high up in the canopy easily capture attention in these forests, soaring above us and bustling with activity. But closer inspection of the understory and forest floor reveals equally busy networks of life in fallen leaves, seeds, and fruit on the forest floor, notably further inside the core area.

The national park is a cornucopia of plant life. In 2018, researchers discovered two new species of Ceropegia (Ceropegia mizoramensis, Ceropegia murlensis) in Murlen’s wilds. Ceropegia are climbers commonly referred to as lantern or parachute flowers on account of their distinctive flowers. 

Mosses

Then there are the mosses, growing in tufts or spreading mats and contributing to the luxuriant greens of Murlen’s landscape. Mosses are vital ecological niches, sometimes evolving and adapting to flourish in specific environmental conditions where other plants might not survive. A survey of the moss flora of Murlen conducted in 2016 found several rare species like Hookeria acutifolia, Hypopterygium tamarisci, and Cyathophorella tonkinese.

Orchids

Murlen is also fascinating in its diversity of orchids. A 2012 study revealed 32 species, including several rare species. Studies in Murlen have also found new distributional records in the state for notable species of orchids like Bulbophyllum crassipes, Epigeneium naviculare, Oberonia caulescens and Oberonia mucronata.

As we approach the national park, the vegetation is a feast for the eyes. Thorny shrubs overflowing with juicy yellow Himalayan raspberries (Rubus ellipticus) dot the road to Murlen. In the buffer zones, deciduous or evergreen mixed secondary forests in the fringe villages add to the faunal diversity but face growing pressure on account of human habitation. I speak to wildlife biologist Amit Kumar Bal, based in Murlen village for the last three years researching small carnivores in the national park. He has had significant sightings and camera trap records of birds and small and large mammals in the buffer zones. While the moustached laughingthrush and blue-naped pitta have been sighted in the buffer areas, camera traps have also recorded clouded leopard, leopard cat, Asiatic golden cat, slow loris, and civets.

In search of Murlen’s wildlife

While en route to Murlen village, near the walking trail to the Nature Camp and watchtowers, another downpour catches us off guard. Our guide quickly leads us to the wooden huts of Bear Lodge for shelter and lights a small fire in the corner of the otherwise ramshackle room. From the doorway, we watch the movement of large mountain imperial pigeons, their deep “ouh-woo-woo” adding to the sounds of the rain-drenched forest that envelope us. Leeches make their appearance. Argus (Callerebia orixa) butterflies, bright orange rings flashing in the filtered light, appear to dance in the air, and the area is alive with birdsong. 

Bird diversity

Despite the onslaught of human-induced environmental changes, Murlen National Park is a treasure trove of diversity. The thick forest fills you with the anticipation of a visual hunt for the denizens of its mysterious depths. Spotting wildlife is a challenge in this thick forest that cloaks everything with its dappled light and shadows; it only reveals life at serendipitous moments. And that is why any sighting fills me with excitement, that feeling of having just won a jackpot. I feel privileged to catch the hurried scuttle of squirrels and the more hushed signatures of tree shrews running up tall trees, almost always a step ahead of us, dissolving into the canopy with ease. The green-tailed sunbird that perches within arm’s length to feed on bright fuchsia flowers, is a picture-perfect tableau against the verdant green. And the blue-winged minla that decides to alight close to us after a light drizzle, wearing a necklace of pearly water droplets around its neck. Special treats are the red-faced liocichla that surprises us on more than one occasion, and fire-breasted flowerpeckers flitting busily in the understorey, the male flashing his brilliant red chest patch. Then there is my personal favourite — the rarely seen, canopy-loving green cochoa. A striking bird, but often overlooked thanks to its penchant for sitting absolutely still and blending into the foliage. Once you spot the bird, however, you wonder how you missed such a flamboyant bundle of feathers, with its gorgeous green body, black and silver banded wings, and sky-blue head. 

Elusive cats

Though Murlen’s famed small carnivores proved elusive, we spot fresh civet droppings on the trails, tell-tale signs of the park’s wild enigmas. “While there is diversity in Murlen, the density is low in spite of the health of the habitat,” notes Amit. There are several theories on why this could be so, but there is no single reason for it. Cats like the clouded leopard and marbled cat usually occur in low densities in most habitats.

Amit shares that he walks around 15 km a day and goes deep into the core area to place his camera traps for extended periods of time, and that he might record rarely seen cats like the clouded leopard once in two months. On the other hand, on a routine walk to check camera traps only 5 km from Murlen village, he once encountered an Asiatic golden cat just 6 m from where he stood. This perhaps best describes the enigmatic quality of Murlens’ forests. 

New discoveries

Murlen’s mysterious wilds seem to have many revelations in store. In 2020, photographic evidence confirmed for the first time the presence of the marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata), one of Southeast Asia’s rarest felids, in the national park. In 2022, a new species of non-venomous snake, the Murlen keelback (Herpetoreas murlen), was described and named after the national park. What we saw was a teaser, a glimpse that told us there was much more to its depths than met the eye.

Back in our rooms at the interpretation centre in Vapar after an early morning in the forest, the clouds descend suddenly and dramatically, enveloping us in a diaphanous curtain. The trees sway in the wind that also blows the windows and doors open. And then the downpour announces its arrival, raindrops drumming on the roof. My room is dark in the morning, and as I sit in candlelight and watch the skies, the chances of another walk to bid these forests adieu seem slim. But the hide-and-seek is not over. A few hours later, as unexpected as the sightings that the forest gifted us, the sky clears suddenly and beckons invitingly, and by dusk, we are making our way back into Murlen. 

Tips

1. The best time to visit Murlen National Park is from October to March.

2. The closest large settlement is the border town of Champhai. Accommodation options are the Champai Tourist Lodge or the basic rooms at the interpretation centre in Vapar.

3. There are frequent power cuts and no connectivity when it rains in the region. It’s advisable to carry power banks if travelling with equipment.

4. Carry any generated waste out of the forest with you.