Bangalore is a haven of weekend getaways. Lots of places of every interest in and around the city makes it a traveler’s paradise. Somehow hubby and I never ended up making any such plans, content being in the city and sleeping out our weekends. (Sloth IS one of the sins we are guilty of!) So when ma-in-law on their visit, suggested that we do something over a weekend, a wild life sanctuary, if possible made us finally plan our weekend trip to Rajiv Gandhi National Park (popularly known as Nagarhole Wildlife Sanctuary).
And am I glad about it or what?! It was our first trip into the wild and we loved every moment it. So this little travelogue that talks about that super experience! (This is a 2 in 1 kind of review about the sanctuary and the resort)
Where and What is Nagarhole Wildlife Sanctuary?
Nagarhole is a wild life sanctuary in the state of Coorg, spread over a huge area of close to 654sq.kms. It is one of the largest and best maintained sanctuaries in the country. It is around 210kms away from Bangalore, a little over 5hr drive, which is quite pleasant throughout. The Bangalore – Mysore highway with its work completed is a pleasure to drive on. The last 30kms to reach the sanctuary are a bit bumpy, but manageable.
Nagarhole wildlife sanctuary’s claim to fame is its huge forest cover that shelters tigers, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, deers, sambhars, wild Indian gaurs and a variety of birds big and small. The only animals that are domesticated to an extent are the elephants, but that too a very small number. You still stand a chance of coming across a wild tusker ambling by.
Where to stay?
There are quite a few hotels and resorts around the sanctuary, though you do need to book well in advance since they tend to go full over the weekends. I tried different sanctuaries and hotels around them for one whole day before I could get positive response from one place. The resorts are on an average close to Rs.1500 – Rs.2000 per person / per night, including your meals, a jungle safari and the stay. There are two forest dept. lodges also, in the jungle which cost a little lesser, though I could never go through to their numbers while booking.
We stayed at a resort named Jungle Inn which is at the north gate of the sanctuary, around 20kms away from that main gate. It is a beautiful resort. We stayed in the family room, since we were four of us, and they do not just add people on the spare beds, like a dormitory. The resort was clean and green and the brick red cottages with Mangalore tiles make it a pretty sight. The lighting was in the form of hurricane lamps with bulbs fitted in them, which was ok since the time was filled with so much activity that you can hardly expect to sit in the room and curl-up with your book.
All your meals are served in their restaurant named Gudara, a spacious round thatched complex with simple wooden tables and chairs. There is no a la carte menu and a nice buffet spread is served. The food was yummy and very homely. Hot chapaatis and garam subzis along with soft fish from the fresh waters of Cauvery and steamed rice made a complete meal. (I overate like nobody’s business! Sigh!)
They also arranged a campfire and tribal dance in the evening which was a lot of fun. The local people dressed in leaves and garish make-up put up a superb performance to say the least! Soon, the whole crowd joined in with them dancing the evening away and marveling the stamina of the tribesmen.
What else can you do?
Of course the main part of the trip is the open jeep jungle safari that we are taken for. According to few members who have been there and done that, said that this was the best safari ever experienced. This safari is also arranged by the resort and may vary place to place. Our safari was over 4 hours long, taking us deep into forest where the chances of out sighting the wild animals would be better. We managed to catch deer, sambhar, wild gaurs and elephants. The elusive cat family, well, remained elusive. The average sighting of the cat family is expected to be once in 3 to 4 days and it wasn’t our lucky day. Though we did manage catch a tiger roar after a satisfying kill very close to where we were. We waited with bated breath for close to half an hour with the hope of it walking past us, but that didn’t happen, though just hearing the roar at such close quarters gave a fair idea about its majesty.
The next day early morning there would be one additional activity, in terms of either bird watching or coracle ride or a visit to elephant camp or Tibetan monastery. Though you might feel lazy about waking up early again the next morning after the hectic day before, do take that extra effort. We did the bird watching and it was so much fun looking at the different types of birds. (Lot of times everyone will be pointing out at different things and assuming that it’s the same bird your guide is talking about ;) They are so colourful and noisy. In the calm of the forest, you can catch a cacophony of sounds and see a flurry of colours in a way that you never have.
Any specifications for attire?
There are no major issues about what you should wear, though they suggest that you avoid bright colours when you go for the safari, since they scare animals away and reduce you chances of a sighting. Also, cap and sunglasses along with closed shoes is a great idea. Don’t forget your bottle of sun screen before you leave and that of water when you leave for the safari. You will feel thirsty on the longish trip, so make sure you are carrying enough water. Another thing that needs to be followed very strictly is an almost absolute silence. There are times when even Chinese whispers are not ok! So do try to limit your conversation to the minimum and in hushed tones!
Anything else we should know?
There are lot of excursions that you can do en route, which you can check with the hotel or get it off the websites or from Outlook traveler which will add some more spice to your already wild trip!
And yes, don’t go with too many expectations in terms of the sightings. Animals are as unpredictable as humans, and they don’t really have a job of presenting themselves to us! You know come out and great as soon as they see the jeep kinds! Chances are that out of 4 hours, time spent on seeing stuff will be an hour max, but that one hour makes it all worth it. Be patient and you will have fun! The jeep ride on mud roads in the jungle can kill your back. So, if you tend to have back aches carry your tube of Moov with you!
Make sure that if you are hiring a cab, you have a clear conversation with the driver about his eating arrangements. The only unpleasant experience we had was the resort manager taking 200Rs from us for the driver’s khaana and when we told the driver that later, he said he paid for his own food. Left a bit of sour taste in our mouth, so to say!
Now a quick summary:
Distance: 210Kms from Bangalore by road. (KSRTC buses also available)
Stay: Jungle Inn (Smitha/Sandeep – + 91 9448271975)
Activities: Jungle Safari, Bird Watching (others mentioned in the review)
Clothes: Preferably full sleeved clothes in greens or browns with shoes.
Weather: Pleasant throughout the year. Evenings get chilly, so carry light woolens.
Cost: Rs.1800.person/night all inclusive + Rs.3000 for the cab.
Ps: make sure that though you are covered completely, the jeep goes topless! The wilder the better, isn’t it?