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Notes -
Man-eating tigers is in the Sundarbans in the north-east. But it is a good thing to mention either way.
There are tiger preserves in the western ghats, but those are easy to spot on the map and avoid. It is near impossible to run into a tiger outside a tiger preserve in the ghats. Some forests have Leopards, but Leopards do not attack adult humans, so you should be fine. It is like hiking in Yellowstone or Glacier national park. Don't fuck with the Bears. 99% the bears/tiger/leopards won't fuck back.
India doesn't have trail systems like the US, and the western ghats are rain-forests otherwise. So backpacking in the western ghats, means going from village to village using routes that used by humans, bullock carts, farmers and motorbikes. These are well occupied lands, and you'll see the occasional person as you traverse through people's fields, orchards and occasional well-travelled jungle routes. Wild animals steer clear of these areas, they they'd rather avoid humans if possible.
Agreed
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