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Published: August 6th 2005
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CauveryAtTheFootHills
the fierce cauvery at the foot hills... perhaps, the truest of nature lies at the deepest of the jungles. and this very thought
drove us to the bandipur forest; we started from bangalore at the wee hours of
morning. after driving 230 kms, (taking a single stop at maddur for breakfast)
we reached our destination, bandipur. located at the foothills of mysore-ooty
highway, the place is a beauty with lush green and that drove us wild.
from badipur we drove another few kilometers to our cottage, 'tiger ranch'.
this private cottage is at the heart of deep forest. with about 8 private huts,
the cottage provides you with an amazing experience of staying deep inside the forest.
the hut we took was furnished with 5 beds, a not so clean toilet and wooden hammocks.
the food was gr8. and you'd get enuff drink(very costly though), a broken tt board,
carom boards, badminton courts etc at your disposal. enjoy taking a few pegs along
with the hundreds of monkeys jumping around you! it's nevertheless an wonderful
experience. the movie "jungle" was partly shot here and ramgopal verma, urmila, fardeen khan
camped for almost a month over here in this secluded private cottage.
after having lunch, we decided to
thePython
sleeping python on our way... check out on the wild habitants. we walked into the
deep jungle and found a few pug marks, snake skins and elephant leftovers. we spotted
a leopard (not sure, it just appeared like a flash and disappeared). we were told that
there's a safari arranged by the forest dept. on the way, we spotted deers, langoors,
peacocks, sambhars, wild boars and elephants. but the best find was a huge python,
lying on the road side. it cud be atleast 16 feet, coiled and lying peacefully after
having its prey. tigers were so elusive(thanks to veerappan and his gang of poachers)
that it's existence has become a myth in the region. the official esimate
is 80 though we were not so sure. a local confided that he had seen the wild cat only
once in his 15 yrs of forest life!
we decided to feast on the beer that we brought in with us from bangalore in the evening.
after some desi style dances with the foot tapping music at the resort, we thought of
sneaking into the jungle. and we drove around the forest hoping for a few wild
animals. the drive was chilling for a few urban guys
HillTop
from the top of gopalSwamyBetta... who never witnessed such
wilderness. though we had a glimpse of some wild boars, rabbits and deers but other majestic
wild habitants refused to appear on the hind sight. the night at the cottage was awesome.
imagine yourself in the midst of a jungle staying at a hut. the fierce wind making some
horrible sound and the darkness playning havoc all around. and we were plagued with the
loo as almost all of us were desperate to release ourselves. to add more spice into the story,
we found that there was no water. somehow, the sheer call of nature prevailed and we ....
it was a different story all together!!!
woke up early in the morning to have a ride to the hill top, locally known
as gopal swamy betta. the road to the hill top was amazing. and we were suddenly greeted
by an amazing landscape with fierce rain and thick clouds. it reminded me of cherapunzi.
there is a famous temple out there and some vintage british made bunglaws. dont miss
this place if you come to bandipur.
our next destination was mysore. bidding good bye to the bandipur and tiger ranch, we
headed towards balmuri falls, mysore. the place was a total disappointment. and we left
quickly after seeing some ranchy scenes at the riverside. mysore gals so desperate???
after a quick lunch at mysore, we started for cauvery fishing camp. it is a beautiful
landscape with cauvery flowing wildly all over. just 80 kms from mysore, located
on the kanakpura highway, this place is really chilling with the deep forest and a fierce
cauvery complimenting each other.. you can book a hut at jungle resorts (from bangalore
office only; they wont let you in if you dont have the booking) and have rafting, trekking,
and a peaceful lay off at the river side. wonderful it sounds. isnt it? time was running out
for us. time to leave. after spending a couple of wild days in the foothills of mysore, we
drove back to bangalore; it was fun. give it a try if you're a true nature lover. you'll
love it.
details that may help you:
Bandipur(karnataka)-Madumalai(tamilnadu) forest:
distance: 216 kms from bangalore (on the mysore-ooty road)
accomodation: a few private cottages like TigerRanch and jungle resorts (govt)
attractions: forest dept safaris, elephant joy rides
and night safaris (dare it if you have the courage; take your own vehicle and
sneak into the jungle, dont go very far though - might be lost), camp fires at the
resorts and gopal swamy betta hill top (5 kms from bandipur)
Cauvery Fishing camp:
distance: 100 kms from bangalore (kanakpura highway, nagahalli village)
booking shud be priorly made at bangalore jungle resorts office
(contact aranya bhavan, malleswaram / MG road office, jungle resorts)
Attractions: rafting, fishing huge mahseers, river side trekkings, wooden huts, camp fires.
ideal place for a wild weekend.
see the
Photos
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Pradeep Shetty
non-member comment
Tiger Ranch Bandipur
This is to all of you who are planning for a trip to Bandipur (National Forest reserve), and looking for a stay in a close by resort. Please be ware of a place called “TIGER RANCH”. This is my sincere advice to all those who book there cottage and room through internet. Tiger ranch is cheating people through its website. The website is filled with contents which is deceiving many people. The photos in the website makes you feel very pleased and happy but these decorated rooms in the picture are purely fictional and illusory. The website also speaks of corporate offers and things like that to pull the attention of the corporate crowd. The corporate offer is also a big bogus and this is how it is. Any person who mails to tiger ranch asking about the offer will be replied back with the discount rates. But when confronted, the owner refuses to give the offer saying the discount rates were offered in his absence and blames the staff for such mistakes. With other resorts running full you will have no other options but to surrender to your fate. The package also offers a trekking on paying some extra amount. We have learnt that the trekking in the forest is illegal and is not offered by any resorts. Two of the staff members will be sent with us as a guide, but these staff members will go missing if they see any forest guard in their vicinity. As these forest guards will abuse any one who enters the forest without permission. There are few blogs written on Tiger ranch which I think is brain child of the owner, the blogs along with the website is acting as a powerful tool to trap many of the visitors. This place is 3 km inside the forest and condition of the roads is not so good. If you are traveling on a small car and if it is rainy day, It is very difficult or impossible to reach Tiger Ranch. No spot booking, I am sure no body will after looking at the place. The rooms are mostly made of recycled materials with Bamboo sticks strengthening the walls and the coconut leaves covering the roof. If you are getting a picture of a broken hut in a slum you have made right guess. The rooms have a luxury of attached bathrooms. With doors broken one should not contemplate about privacy and security. The bathrooms have facilities like the leaking tap, broken sink and unclean commode. Hot water will not available at any point of time. If the generator is in good shape and if there is enough diesel, electricity will be available for some hours late in the evening otherwise you will have to do away with lanterns. This is Tiger Ranch for you. The worst experience was the treatment given at the resort and the kind of food given there .The rates are very high considering the food and service you get .The owner is shrewd and abuses very badly if you ask for any clarification on the bill amount. Overall this place can be rated as a very poor place for accommodation especially for families. If you are looking to spend some peaceful time with your friends and beloveds this is definitely not the place. Even if you have to choose this place, please make it as a last option.