Sunday, November 25, 2018

Nagarhole Tiger Reserve

Bangalore is always hectic no matter what time of the year. If you are looking for a quick escapade, then nature in all its glory awaits you at the Nagarhole Tiger Reserve.

Just at a distance of 258 kilometers from Bangalore; it will take you five hours by road to get absorbed in the stillness of the dense forest rearing the abundant wildlife of the land.

Where is it situated?
Nagarhole National Park is situated in the South-Western corner of the Karnataka located in the Kodugo district and Mysore district. It sprawls across the foothills of Western Ghats spreading down the Brahmagiri Hills. Kabini river separates the Nagarhole National Park from Bandipur Tiger Reserve.

Meaning of "Nagarhole"

The name comprises of two Kannada words "Nagar" means snake and "Hole" means river. The name aptly represents the winding streams that fork through the forest.

Proximity with other cities
Bangalore: 258 km.
Mysore: 50 km (The nearest Railway station)
Mandya: 127 km.

Other attractions near Nagarhole National park
Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary: 12-15 km
Iruppu Falls: 23.8 km.
Nissargadhama: 60 km (Boat rides and a walk on the hanging bridge)
Dubare Elephant Camp: 70 km (Elephant grooming, elephant feeding, elephant ride, Coracle ride)
Barapole Coorg: 15 km (River rafting)
Thirunelli Temple: 30 km (Vishnu Temple and trekking)
Harangi Dam: 70 km (Picnic spot with guest house facility)
Bylakuppe (Tibetan Camp): 70 km


We left for the place on 17/11/18 (Saturday) not so early at 6:000 am. and with two breaks in between comfortably reached our resort "Machaan" at 11:50 a.m.



Favorite music in the car, tucking in pillow-soft idlis on the way and watching the colorful wayside display of soft toys and pieces of furniture on the clear roads of Mandya district had already set the tone and mood for the upcoming destination.
In a trip to a National park, the greenery is expected but as serendipity was awaiting us: we found on reaching that we had to cross a stretch of 25 km of the forest before checking into our resort!

The journey through the woods was the high point of the trip. We soon found ourselves driving on the quaint path through a thick and still forest laden with Rosewood, Kadam, Sandalwood, teak, silver oak, and others. I took a particular liking for the silver oak tree which stood straight like the sentinels of the land. The window shields were put down, and the earthy fresh air was penetrating the body rejuvenating every cell with the life which is never to be experienced in the cities.








Signboards about wild animals were placed at a various distance and were raising our hopes from time to time to get a glimpse of the native fauna  in the most natural state. Tiger: the king seemed to be resting deep inside the greens while elephants too might be busy grazing and playing around some water bodies and hence we could not get to see them at the edge.


We did watch the herds of deer throughout the drive grazing and lying around. Deers as contrary to my belief looked very unperplexed at the sight of the vehicles passing through. The big dark eyes gazing at us innocently is registered in my mind and leaves me longing to go back to catch the sight once again. Amongst other animals we spotted were the playful Langoors, Giant Malabar squirrels: scurrying along the trunk of the trees and a herd of Bisons. The bulky Bisons looked quite perturbed with our presence and attempted to run while crossing the road. It was fascinating to see how those tender, small deer stood fearlessly while the large Bisons looked scared.



We crossed the area within one hour as directed by the authorities and stopped at our resort "Machaan." The beautiful resort is situated at a distance of 1km from the primary forest and is surrounded by dense trees with coffee and pepper plantations in between.

Our cottages had an extraordinary view with sprawling silver oak trees and coffee plantations all around. We relaxed and pretended it to be our private garden!!


After lunch we intended to take the safari, but as we enjoyed the scrumptious freshly cooked balanced food at the resort we missed the last safari of 3:00 p.m.  However none of us regretted as we had not yet overcome the experience forest drive, and hence we headed to visit the Irupu waterfalls located at Brahmagiri range at the border of the Wayanad district of Kerala. It was a ten minutes drive.

The view of the place was splendid as we found ourselves standing at the foothills of Brahmagiri! There again was a thick and enchanting forest walk to the cascade. We walked almost 1 and a half km and climbed high steps to reach the cascade. The path was arduous but quite rewarding. The jungle is home to the most venomous snake in the world: King Cobra. Thankfully we were spared!

Next Safari was early at 6 in the morning which again we skipped and instead absorbed the abundant nature right at our doorstep and loosened up ourselves.

I was touched by nature and couldn't sleep. Got up at 4:30 in the morning and sat alone soaking in the smell of damp leaves and, listening to thick splutter of dew on the roof and orchestra of birds as the day broke in. It was for the first time in my life that I heard the call of "cook-do coo" coming from all directions.


The same day, i.e., on 18/11/18 (Sunday) we checked out, finished our breakfast and left for Shringapattam bird sanctuary which lies on the way to Bangalore. There are other beautiful sites at the vicinity of Nagarhole Tiger Reserve about which I have mentioned above.

Being an ardent Nature lover, I left with the promise to come back again!
Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary @ Srirangpatna


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