[Coyote]

Prologue

We have two dogs at home, and off-late we have been taking them on long drives and trips, the furthest being to Goa. They seem to enjoy accompanying us and I have been more open to the idea of taking vacations with them.

Previously I had driven Loki, our Terrier to a treehouse building camp at the edge of Kali Tiger Reserve and he had an absolute blast, as you can see below!





We had also taken them to a dog park and overnight camping, so we knew they would have a blast joining us.

Our drive would be our year old Kia Sonet, which incidentally completed 16k on the ODO on this drive.


Swarga

As 2021 wound to a close, we wanted to enjoy a low-key have a pet friendly destination. Sakleshpur jumped out at us, being home to an amazing pet-friendly home stay, aptly named Swarga. This place is quite popular with pet owners in Bangalore, being nestled amidst coffee plantations and a swift 4/5 hour drive away.

Here's how they describe the place:

Is the gently flowing Hemavathy River winds its way through the hillocks, with lush green coffee plantations like a carpet on the seemingly endless plains of the Western Ghats Range.Perched atop these gentle slopes is Swarga, tucked away from anything that resembles modern civilization. Time stands still here; leaving you breathless and in awe of this little pocket of paradise. Colorful flowerbeds merge to form a multi-coloured quilt around the cottages.The cottages are infused with design touches hinting to the 5 elements of nature, Chandra, Surya, Prithvi, Jala and Vayu.Located just 25 Kms from Sakleshpur and 250 Kms from Bangalore, Karnataka, Swarga offers hospitable service and complete privacy for a memorable stay and the utmost in soothing relaxation

Swarga, home to a number of very friendly dogs and a retired race horse, is an ideal place for a pet-friendly vacation.

Here are a couple of sneak pictures:




PS: This travelogue will be light on words and I am going to let the pictures do the talking.

[Coyote]

Itinerary

The itinerary turned out to be as below:

Day 1 / December 30 - Drive to Swarga



Day 2 - December 31 - Lounge at Swarga, drive to Bisle Ghat with our dogs!


Day 3 - January 1 - Manjehalli Water Falls and return to Bangalore
.

[Coyote]

Swarga and around

Having started around 8, we managed to reach the homestay around 1, just in time for a yummy meal. Welcoming us were the caretakers of the property, the resident dogs and the retired race horse!





Here's looking refusing to get down after taking a look at the horse!


The parking is at one end of the property, with the rest being downwards on a slope.


Here's the resident horse in question! A very friendly fellow that approached us to size us up and promptly let us be.





Loki running down the path after interacting with the horse!




The cottage we chose was at the end of the this path to the right here. Each cottage has a semi open bathroom attached, and opens up to a balcony at the back.





These cottages overlook a man-made pond accessible from the room as well as from around it. A great place for some solitude.





The pond in question.

[Coyote]

Swarga Continued

On the second day we woke up early for a long walk off the property, exploring the countryside.





Exploring the pond and the nearby areas!



This is a beautiful piece of land accessible from the property, ideal for some exploration with dogs. The homestay is actually visible to the top left in this picture.





Having had quite an exploration, we returned to the homestay for a sumptuous breakfast!


All (extremely tasty) meals are served in this standalone structure. Here's Loki inspecting the structure and giving us the go-ahead!



Lily posing on one of the outdoor chairs made of wooden logs.

[Coyote]

Bisle Ghat!

Having retired after a hearty lunch, we decided to head out to the Bisle Ghat viewpoint, both for the drive and the famed views itself. We were still unsure of whether the dogs could actually come till the viewpoint but decided to risk it.


On the way to Bisle Ghat View point.





At the viewpoint entry (now chargeable) we enquired with the forest department officials about our dogs who gave us the go ahead. They were quite amused we had brought them along!


The views from the ghat.


The dogs soaking in the sun at the viewpoint! Other families there were amused but none gave us any bother. We did get a few interested kids looking to meet our dogs and we were happy to oblige.

[Coyote]

Manjehalli Falls

On the first day of this year, and the final day of our trip, we decided to roam around the homestay a bit more, and then check out Manjehalli water falls on the way home.



Loki and Lily seem following a scent!


Our early morning explorations.




An impromptu sunrise photoshoot!










Tired out after the morning shenanigans!

We checked out after a hearty breakfast and decided to head to Manjehalli waterfalls. We didn't have a particular reason for choosing Manjehalli - it was listed on google maps as places of interest and we were flexible on the schedule.




At the waterfalls.



We still had some time to spend, so we decided to seek out some countryside for some exploration before pushing off to Bangalore. Where better than the beautiful surroundings near our homestay.


Lily on an old bridge that's no longer used by vehicles! Seems mighty impressed by the water!


Further along on our walk!




Here's us saying goodbye to the beautiful Salkeshpur. With the dogs tuckered out after such a day, the drive to Bangalore was mostly spent sleeping it off!

[Coyote]

Epilogue

Thus ended the short yet fulfilling vacation we took to bid adieu to 2021 and welcome 2022.

Note about Swarga:The property is about 5 acres and there are several dogs that reside at and visit the property and the cottages during the day and in the evenings. If you do go with your dogs, be prepared for a visit from them even at your cottage! This did serve as an excellent opportunity for us to socialise our dogs.

Although we could not meet the owner on our trip, I'm told he generally makes it a point to meet each guest and make them feel welcome. We did receive calls from him every day to touch base, and were ably attended to by the caretakers.


Finally, the food, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian was exceptional. Great food, great location, pet friendly, and 4 hours drive from Bangalore. What more could one ask for!

Thank you for reading!

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[katoom]

Wonderful place and excellent account of your trip!
We have two dogs and it's so heart breaking to plan trips without them, find a pet sitter and yet be anxious.
Places such as this will help us travel together and they too can have their share of fun!!
Thanks for the information.
Cheers.

[PearlJam]

Nice travelogue, @Coyote!

Originally Posted by Coyote

Note about Swarga:The property is about 5 acres and there are several dogs that reside at and visit the property and the cottages during the day and in the evenings.

Just wanted to know, does the homestay actually own these dogs, or are they just friendly strays? Are they safe and friendly when children are around? Thanks!

[Coyote]

Originally Posted by PearlJam

Nice travelogue, @Coyote!

Just wanted to know, does the homestay actually own these dogs, or are they just friendly strays? Are they safe and friendly when children are around? Thanks!

I'm not certain if they own those dogs but I do think they feed them and the dogs have made Swarga their base, so to speak. Plus, because it is surrounded by plantations and secured with porous wire fences, strays and other farm dogs have easy access.

All of the dogs we met were quite friendly, being used to seeing new dogs and folks every week. It should be safe with young kids as well.

[aKrain]

Originally Posted by Coyote

Swarga and around


Attachment 2264345

Here's looking refusing to get down after taking a look at the horse!

Great post. Can you tell me where you got this travel carrier for your dog? I was looking for something similar but couldn't it on Amazon.

[Coyote]

Originally Posted by aKrain

Great post. Can you tell me where you got this travel carrier for your dog? I was looking for something similar but couldn't it on Amazon.

I bought it from amazon itself. Here's the link. The product is alright, not great, not bad.

While it is good for keeping dust and mud off the seats, it is not waterproof, and not very useful if your dogs get carsick or pee. Fortunately I have not faced such issues yet. Also, it isn't an enclosure per se, more a seat cover. A dog can easily get paws through the sides, especially if they react to dogs on the street. Like I said, good for keeping most of the dirt off the seats but pretty basic.

With respect to longevity, I'd say it should last 1-1.5 years. Mine is a little over a year old I can see the need to replace it in a few months.

[RT13]

Lovely! Thank you for sharing. We've been looking for places to head with our pack of four and this definitely looks promising.

Cheers,

[aKrain]

Originally Posted by Coyote

I bought it from amazon itself. Here's the link. The product is alright, not great, not bad.

While it is good for keeping dust and mud off the seats, it is not waterproof, and not very useful if your dogs get carsick or pee. Fortunately I have not faced such issues yet. Also, it isn't an enclosure per se, more a seat cover. A dog can easily get paws through the sides, especially if they react to dogs on the street. Like I said, good for keeping most of the dirt off the seats but pretty basic.

Saw the link. It is the full hammock type seat cover. I was looking for something like this that is for one seat only:
https://www.amazon.com/PET-PRODUCTS-...%2C340&sr=8-14