[jacs]

Since Tea & Snacks were getting prepared, we decided to proceed to the Coffe Day Express which is few hundred meters away from Champakaranya towards K.Gudi road intersection. After a refreshing Cappuccino and some snacks from our kitty, we headed towards K.Gudi Wilderness Camp.

Monsoon had blessed mother nature with lots and lots of green. However due to the tall and thick bushes, animal spotting was almost impossible on the roads. We could hardly spot some deers and birds on the way till the JLR.



There was a receptionist welcoming guests infront of the K.Gudi Wilderness Camp.



Unlike the Bandipur or Wayanad, there were barely any crowd or tourist vehicles. Very calm and serene atmosphere. Deers and Wild boars had no hesitation to move freely through the forest quarters and lodges.










And we had a golden opportunity to pose with a deer and that became the most memorable family photograph in our collection. What more to expect. This deer came near to the forest quarters and sat down near us. Photography trick avoided the building nearby




It was getting dark and the gate closes at 6:30PM, so we started back after walking around for about half an hour. By the time we reached, the forest gate was closed (sharp 6:30) but the guard was courteous enough to pay a smile and open it for us.


(to be continued...)

[NPV]

@jacs - Nice log and excellent pictures, Thanks for sharing
Did you visit Gopalswamy betta as well ?

[jacs]

Originally Posted by NPV

@jacs - Nice log and excellent pictures, Thanks for sharing
Did you visit Gopalswamy betta as well ?

Thanks NPV. This time we did not go to Gopalswamy Betta. We were strictly sticking to BR Hills and did not wanted to tighten the schedule.



After some chit-chat, we headed for dinner. Weather was so good with temperature around 18 degrees. There were Chapathi, Rice, Special rice, Vegetable Salads, Dry curry, Gravy etc to choose from. We had ordered a Pepper Chicken Full as extra for dinner. According to the resort manager, these orders were serviced by a muslim family in the locality. They charged 600 bucks for the extra dish. Quantity was really sufficient for 4 adults however quality can't be compared with what we expected. Still fine since no color or excess oil was there, very natural and local cuisine it was.

After a relaxed dinner, we discussed with Resort manager on the options for next day. There is a group going to K.Gudi camp for Government led safari and we were supposed to reach reception by 5:30AM since first batch starts at 6:30 from K.Gudi camp. We confirmed that we are joining and went to bed.

Night was really cold and we realized it was raining heavily once we got up. While getting ready, the room boy came and informed that the Safari plan is dropped due to rains.

Anyways we decided to proceed on our own. It was dark and misty. Bit scary after the checkpost. Luckily no tuskers on road and we reached the camp safely. There were few vehicles on road and we headed to reception to enquire about Jeep safari.




Hurray! Jeep Safari is on. Ticket charge was 350 per head for a shared Jeep Safari. Each of the long chassis Jeeps can hold about 8-10 adults. We were super excited as the journey started through the mud trails.




Spotted deers were seen in herds every now and then.








I was sitting in the rear and got the opportunity to click the S path left behind.




Bushes started getting thicker and we bumped upon a herd of elephants.








After spending few minutes with the elephants, we headed further. Almost in the end of the route, near the waterbody, JLR group who went before us were waiting. They asked us to hush and be silent as they were expecting the arrival of the majestic striped cat.




(to be continued...)

[jkrishnakj]

Jacs - Thanks for sharing this lovely trip. I have very fond memories of this place - I stayed with JLR. The great memory is that, this is where I could see a "tiger" , after several wasted trips to Bandipur and Mudumalai for a few years. And what a sight it was.

[jacs]

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

Jacs - Thanks for sharing this lovely trip. I have very fond memories of this place - I stayed with JLR. The great memory is that, this is where I could see a "tiger" , after several wasted trips to Bandipur and Mudumalai for a few years. And what a sight it was.

Wow! A tiger? Its no doubt a fond memory. My one and only spotting was at Mudumalai . My friend recently spotted a leopard on road while driving by Bandipur in the eve while another spotted a tiger chasing deer across the Wayanad road. So its sheer luck.





Now back to my story, we also waited along with the JLR folks for about 5 minutes but unfortunately we were on a budget safari that driver had to return. Not really sure whether the guys who waited there patiently did get the golden opportunity to sight the majestic!

Well. Did I say anything about the jeep drive? It was a roller coaster ride with 4 wheel low and high back and forth. One could start realizing how damaging a bad seating position can be to backbone. However its an experience, we enjoyed it.

This water body was a detour and we reached back the tuskers once again.



A fairly large Spotted deer stag



My wife has a sharp eye, she spotted this Serpent Eagle who was camouflaged among the trees.



Another deer stag, but with a soft and velvet horn. Any experts?



A barking deer



We reached back the JLR Wilderness camp reception. Ah its 7:50AM! The safari was little more than an hour. Worth it for 350 bucks. No regrets except the impatience to wait for a tiger.

Hunger! Quickly munched some biscuits from Kid's quota and started back to the resort. This wild board family was funny to watch.




Again some Spotted deers who posed well for us on road side.






While driving further, we could spot a Barking Deer Stag. Interesting creature.





Flora




Back in the resort, we couldn't wait but had the breakfast. Iddly, Dosa, Kara bath, Kesari bath, Vada, Chutney, Sambar, Stew, Tea. Tasty and homely food it was. Checkout time is 12 noon and its already heading to 10AM. We walked like snails to room. So lazy to pack up but need to reach Bangalore before sunset to catch up with some pending tasks in the Vacation agenda.

Settled the bills in the resort, no surprises except the charges for kids which they waived off upon my request. We started back with a satisfied mind. Roads were not crowded except for Kollegal, Malavalli and Kanakpura. We reached Electronic City Toll before 3PM. Took a parcel Biriyani and headed to Aji's home.


Take-away : A very serene yet economic get-away for Bangaloreans. No travel hassles.


Moral of the story : A faster zoom lens with image stabilization coupled with a mono-pod could have done magic. Yes, had a tough time shooting at 300mm hand-held with the Sigma but then it is the cheapest Zoom one could afford .


Thank you for stopping by this travelogue or rather the Photologue.

[sathya6600]

Sir

We request to share us the road condition between
1) kanakpura to kollegal
2) BR hills forest check post to K GUDI

Thanks

sathya