Jungles and beaches as holiday destinations never disappoint. There is something so absolutely relaxing about them. So, yes have emerged awfully relaxed after the break. Nagarhole was a sanctuary I had not visited until now. The drive from Bangalore is about 5 hours and the road is fantastic.
Nagarhole is strategically placed, in that it is bordering on Coorg and leads into Kerala. Unfortunately, about 4 months ago a ban was placed in the Nagarhole wildlife sanctuary on private vehicles. So if you are looking to spot animals then you have to take one of those noisy, government-run buses. Since it is really a worthless option, we had to cross over into Kerala and enter from the other side of the forest, which was the Wayanad wildlife sanctuary. The forest, I believe, is much drier than say Bandipur or B.R. hills. But it sort of grows on you, I guess.
We weren't very lucky with the 'sightings' . We did see elephants, even a teeny tiny one, a huge herd of bison crossing the road, few breeds of deer and some interesting birds. But the much longed for species of the Cat family remained elusive.
If you are not too crazy about taking frequent safaris, then try visiting Iruppu falls (in Coorg). It's a pretty waterfall, though I have seen it ages ago, and offers water sports like still and white water rafting. There's also a Tibetian monastery close to Nagarhole.
But if you are lazy, like I was, just stay put at your resort. You won't regret it at all. There are quite a few resorts in and around Nagarhole which are priced fairly decently. But, Kabini looks like a better option because as far as I know the ban does not extend to that side and the Jungle Lodges resort there is beautiful and very pricey, of course.
So, may be it is Kabini the next time. In summer. And may be it will also be the cats I spotted that I'll be talking about the next time around.
4 comments:
i guess i am just as lazy as you which is why this weekend i chose to stay put in the resort the whole time i was in masinagudi, esp since my luck with safaris is mostly limited to monkeys ...
Since when did they stop private vehicle safari at nagarhole?
It was allowed when I went there last
basically you need a SUV
you can see some of my bandipur mudumalai wildlife / bird pictures at http://www.wildlifesanctuaryindia.com/wildlife/
Best regards
Bala
Sav: Clearly you dont need to see any monkeys now, do you? i trust you own a mirror :P Also, I lazed at the resort after the safaris, that counts for soemthing!
Bala: Not sure how long ago you went... but we were in a jeep provided by the resort and that was not allowed inside nagarhole. And the resort guys kept saying that all private vehicles were not allowed. so...not sure.
I went in March 08 when the schools closed for leave for my kids . We went straight from the school. We had a booking at the forest rest house.
We are supposed be inside by 6PM. We reached the border gate by 7PM. The guards were not willing to allow us inside late. Then finally they allowed as we had a booking. Next day morning, there was a group which went for safari in their sumo while I had gone in my Tata Indigo and hence they didnt allow my vehiccle. Other option was to get a jeep from Kutta but didnt have time to wait for the jeep to come. BTW the leopard crossing picture was taken during that time at noon.
Best regards
Bala
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