[darklord]

My dad always wanted to go on a drive through Bandipur Tiger Reserve. We planned it on multiple occasions during our multiple TVM-BLR drives including during our Thirunelly drive (Through Mysuru and Thirunelly Temple - A circuitous BLR-TVM drive), but it did not materialize due to various reasons. One prominent reason was my reluctance setting out on long drives on Kerala roads; either in a TVM-BLR format or in a BLR-TVM format through Bandipur, a substantial part of driving would involve Kerala roads.

Then one fine day, there came a time where we had 2 days while we were in Bangalore and the Bandipur drive looked possible. We checked and failed to add more days, so a quick dash it was. Since it was one of the last weekends before schools reopened, we had trouble finding suitable accommodation, but eventually, we found Abad Brookeside Vythiri having just enough vacancy for our group (5 adults, 1 child, 2 toddlers).

As the day approached, there were severe rain alerts going on all along our route, KA, KL, and TN. We decided to press on with our plans because no rain was going to stop our drive this time around.

The map of our onward route:


The return route:


It was readily agreed by everyone that it was a quick dash, that the driving part was the highlight, that the resort stay was a side act, and that sightseeing off-route was a no-no.

We started from near Jigani by 6 a.m.

The sunrise looked cheerful enough:


All set to reclaim two days from our lives:



Somewhere near the new campus of IIM-B:



The roads were wet and there was a slight drizzle going on, but this guy held steady:


After this little break right after our start, my co-travellers dozed off and my dad who was riding shotgun gave me company. We did a nonstop drive till Mysore, except for a fuel break in between, where we filled the tank to the brim and did not refuel till we were back in KA (~Rs 10 diesel price difference b/w KL and KA). Breakfast stop was at Mysore.

Another stretch of nonstop driving brought us to Bandipur-Muthanga stretch of road at approximately 11 a.m.:




Probably because it was noontime or probably because it was raining, we did not have much wildlife sighting. A noteworthy sighting was a pack of wild dogs, which were resting at a distance. Neither did I have the camera handy nor was the location safe enough to stop. We did spot and photograph a herd of deer though:


We had an uneventful drive till Kalpetta from where we had lunch. Soon after, thick fog set in with visibility dropping very low. We soon reached the turn off from the main road to our resort. It is a narrow and mild off-road climb for about 2 KM from the main road. Gets slushy too in the monsoons. My 4x2 Safari 2.2 did just fine though. They have parking by the main road for sedans and hatchbacks and they will ferry you in their jeep or Bolero.

A slight glimpse of our drive to the resort, also note a Wagon R ahead of us:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wgRdm3HOLo

We arrived at the resort just past 2:30 p.m.

[darklord]

As we completed the check-in formalities, the fog had gotten thicker. As viewed from the reception area:




Can you spot the Safari:


I picked up a glass of welcome drink, chukku kappi (dried ginger black coffee), and went out to have a moment for myself with my machine:




Post check-in, we set out to explore the property. By this time though, along with the fog, there was a slight drizzle going on. Nevertheless, we decided to have a quick dekko.

One of their so-called Brookside Villas:


The brook that names the resort so:






A natural pond and its inhabitants:


The fog and drizzle were still continuing unabated:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEOMniCVFAU

The long continuous drive and the walking and the fog and the drizzle had worked up quite a nice appetite for coffee and snacks:


Cheese sandwich:


French fries:


Onion pakoda:


Veg spring rolls:


Even though the weather continued to be like this..


..we still decided to hit the pool:


The son made sure that none of his open skin was coming in contact with the cold water:


The pool session did not last long thanks to the weather and the cold, cold water. We retired to our rooms and stretched our backs for a while. Dinner mostly was liquids, thanks to heavy tea time.

Sweet corn clear soup:


Cream of Victoria soup:


The moment we hit the bed, we fell off into deep sleep, thanks to the hectic day.

[darklord]

The morning started off clear. The fog was still present, albeit much reduced. After a leisurely morning routine, went and had a light breakfast:


After hitting the pool once more and walking around a bit, it was time to say goodbye and begin our return drive. We were taking a circuitous route back to Bangalore, via Meppadi-Gudalur-Mudumalai-Bandipur-Mysore-Mandya-Bangalore. We knew that Pookode Lake was just off the route we were taking, so we decided to visit it en route. The rain alerts were still in place, but we decided to try our luck driving through Mudumalai-Bandipur anyway. Having decided the day's agenda, we checked out and bid goodbye at around 11:30 a.m.

Thanks, we had a nice time:


The road was still slushy:


But as the nature had lifted its curtain of fog, we realized what we our eyes had missed the day before:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STfd_Mhhwd4

After a bit of driving through slush and uneven roads, we reached a part of the road which was better:


NH-766:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJEL0sQ_8vM

The weather stayed bright, and soon after, we reached the main highway and 10 minutes later, we were queuing up for tickets for Pookode Lake:




We felt kind of underwhelmed by the lake. After spending a few minutes and clicking a few pics, we drove on. The ladies had to have their shopping and had a round of shopping in one of the many "Gandhigram" stores.

We soon hit the Vythiri-Gudalur road:


At around 2 p.m., we reached Vaduvanchal and stopped for lunch.
Ghee rice:


Chicken masala:


Just as we finished our lunch, weather turned for the worse:


The next couple of hours was one of the worst weather conditions I have ever driven. It is as if we hit the orange alert head on. Rain and fog of very severe to very mild intensity made our progress slow, the geography was not kind either:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhsx7l_JmEg

The ladies and kids dozed, while me and my dad kept our eyes peeled and drove through it.

[darklord]

We endured this weather for the next couple of hours. Thankfully though as we left Gudalur and approached Mudumalai, the weather cleared up enough. Unlike yesterday, I made sure the Canon D1300 with 250 mm lens was at arm's reach.

As soon as we entered Mudumalai, we were greeted with a herd of deer:


Next up were a wild boar mom and kid:


No sooner had we gone a couple of minutes, we saw a bunch of vehicles stopped and people clicking away to glory. Can you spot the subject of interest?


How about now?


Happy with ourselves and thanking our luck, we slowly drove on, enjoying the forest and the cool weather:


Soon after we crossed the Mudumalai safari centre and found another herd of deer grazing:


Not too long after, we crossed into Karnataka:


The drive continued to be interesting:


We found this guy slowly moving along without a care in the world:


After a few minutes, we found a KA Forest Department vehicle stopped at the roadside and directing traffic. They were shooing away people, but were not being overtly aggressive about it. They gave a few seconds to clicks a few photos of this:




The tuskers appeared to be not aggressive, they were at a distance and on a ledge.

Moving on, this guy struck a majestic pose for me:


Even the kids were enjoying the drive:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_ToXpzSNlU

Continuing the drive, I saw another bunch of vehicles stopped at a distance:


On reaching the spot, it was due to this:


He gets the priority on this road:


As we were exiting Bandipur..


..these guys were there, as if to see us off:




We got out of the forest by 5:45 p.m. and soon stopped for a tea break at a roadside stall. They were serving fresh vadas right off the pan along with chilli chutney:


After the break, we drove onwards to Mysore, but not before filling up from Shell, Gundlupete:


We reached Mysore without any drama and had dinner. As soon as we finished dinner and started our final leg of the return drive, the weather turned bad again and continuously rained till we reached Bangalore:


This, along with the under construction Bangalore-Mysore Expressway, meant our progress was slow. We finally reached home by 11:30 p.m., tired, but happy.

[Aditya]

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

[Truck_Monk]

Amazing and simply breathtaking. It is very beautiful travelogue and pictures are simply superb. It is really a treat for eyes watching those beautiful pictures.

Cheers.

[TorqMaster]

Fantastic time of unwinding with family.
Beautiful pictures there buddy.
May God bless you all with many such beautiful moments.

I guess the old school safari is the right combination of charm, space, power, practicality and comfort.

[mohansrides]

Nice and crisp read Sir. Pictures are quite a treat. You are fortunate to have spotted some majestic animals. Maybe you mentioned and I missed it; but could you kindly let us know the resort you stayed at?

By the way, as someone said, that Safari looks quite apt in these surroundings. Drive safe.

Cheers

[darklord]

Originally Posted by Truck_Monk

Amazing and simply breathtaking.

Thank you for your kind words.

Originally Posted by TorqMaster

Fantastic time of unwinding with family.

I guess the old school safari is the right combination of charm, space, power, practicality and comfort.

Thank you.

It indeed is.

Originally Posted by mohansrides

Maybe you mentioned and I missed it; but could you kindly let us know the resort you stayed at?

By the way, as someone said, that Safari looks quite apt in these surroundings. Drive safe.

Cheers

Thank you very much.

I did mention it. It is Abad Brookside in Vythiri, Wayanad.

Website: https://www.abadhotels.com/brookside...esort-wayanad/

Location: https://g.page/brooksidelakkidi?share