Tuesday 11 March, 2008

Tiger Ranch- Bandipur wildlife sanctuary






Hi!
This post would give an insight into the rich flaura and fauna as well as the accomodation facilities available at the Bandipur national park located in Karnataka.Located on the wrinkled layers of the western ghats, this magnificent sanctuary offers refuge to a varied species of flora and fauna.
The Sanctuary is located at a distance of approximately 210 kms from bangalore and around 45 kms from mysore.Travelling would be ideal by road as the journey from mysore to the sanctuary would be worth the effort.The Sanctuary mostly consists of dry deciduous flora with the temperatures ranging from mild cold to chilly between october-february and from pleasant to hot between march-june.The Rainy season starts in mid-june and continues way beyond august.The best time to visit the sanctuary is between november and april.
It so happened that on a dull and boring week end( make that 29th december 2007) ,the 4 of us decided to make an adventure out of the boredom.We decided to head towards the Bandipur national park.well!! it happens to be my 5th visit there and i'm still in as much love with the place as i was the first tme i visited.
We embarked on our journey in Dev's ford Icon.We departed Bangalore at around 7:30 am on 29th dec.We did stop at a break fast joint on the bangalore-mysore highway for a quick bite in our 2 hours drive to mysore.Travellers travelling on this route for the fast need not worry as far as foodie goodies are concerned:).Do not think twice to make a stop over either at 'maddur tiffany's 'or 'kaadu Mane' for a delicious treat!!! Or for that matter 'Kamat's and our ever present 'Cafe Coffee day'.In short do not take the trouble of carrying food for breakfast once ur on this route.For the non-veggies(Like the 4 of us), there's always the ever-prevalent 'Dhabas'.
Well!! now getting back to our journey: we reached mysore at around 11:00 am and went on a guided tour of mysore( courtsey sriki,since we had to fill gas but out friend dear had very conviniently lost his way 'round the town). So after the 'Gas hunt' and subsequent satisfaction of having filled the Car's belly with a full tank, we headed towards our destination.
It is 45 kms drive from Mysore towards Bandipur sanctuary, but do not be surprised if it takes more than a couple of hours since few stretches of the road are in a pitiable condition( it took us 2.5 hours).But people looking for a little fun and adventure on the way shouldn't complain about the roads:) It's all part of the package, right??
Anyways after an alternate ride of smooth and topsy-turvy turf, we finally reached Gundlupet( The nearest town to Bandipur), for a last minute shopping.Travellers travelling to Bandipur for the first time be aware that this is the last town to get your provisions.
It was around 13:15 pm when we entered the periphery of the National park.Nature enthusista would share my enthusiasm with the feeling one associates with venturing into the wilderness and feeling the pulse of it!!!
We had booked our accomodation in a 'Not so well-known' place called 'Tiger Ranch'.People who have been to Bandipur would be well aware of the Accomodation facilities available there.The bandipur forest lodges located in the Bandipur national park on the ooty highway(the last stretch of the mysore-ooty highway runs through the park).The Bunglows are excellent and quite economical(In the range between Rs.250-450).The only draw back being the crowd which one witnesses during the week-ends and the peak season.With so many people around, one can but wonder as to how much wildlife can be viewed.
It's due to these reasons that we had decided to accomodate ourselves in a place which would be secluded,adventurous as well as comfortable.And we found our answers in 'Tiger Ranch'.This place was referred by a friend of mine who had earlier been there and just couldn't stop talking about it.So we decided that this was the place where we would stay.The problem being though that this place is pretty hard to locate since its located at around 5 kms inside the forest.We learned the hard way because we missed the diversion, right after the Government forest bunglows which i had mentioned earlier,and went all the way to the karnataka-tamilnadu border( the two borders are located inside the forest and the forest in the tamil nadu division is named as the Mudhumalai wildlife sanctuary).
Well! we did drive back all the way till we found a forest guard who gave us the direction.Note the fact that there's no sign-board or any form of display on the roads indicating the presence of 'Tiger ranch':).Take the first diversion after the Government forest lodge(a kutch road) and travel leisurely for around 3 kms whilst enjoying the wilderness around you.Only then do you get a small stone slab giving you the direction to our secret abode:).Follow the diversion to the right for around 2 kms more(Trust me the road is a real challenge to even the most accomplised driver as well as the vechile), and there u have the magnificent piece of accomodation you would ever find in a jungle.
'Tiger Ranch' was never made for luxury but that doesn't mean that staying there would give you jitters!!!!!!!!! On the contrary, it would be one of the most amazing experiences ever.Enjoy the scrumptous buffet prepared by the staff there(Trust me, its delicious!!). Laze around the camp fire.And for the adventurous just grab your guts and venture out to explore the jungle(There's no fencing around the place).
All in all, 'Tiger Ranch' would give you the perfect peace and serenity which one would look forward to in a Sanctuary.Sadly though this has become virtually impossible at other forest resorts due to the uncontrolled influx of tourists during the week-ends and peak season.
Well!! Well!! after a hearty meal, the 4 of us set out for the Jungle safari which originates from the Bandipur Forest lodges on the Mysore-ooty highway.It's a nice experience but do not pin hopes on getting a view of the Mighty 'Tiger' or the ever elusive 'leopard'.Yes! what you do get to see are the herds of 'Cheetal'( The spotted dear) and sambhar.Monitor lizards,common mongoose and peacocks are in plenty.If luck goes your way, can also get to see the bear.A note of advice for all the aspiring forest travellers.Big cats or for that matter elephants do not relish being in view of humans.They do cross our paths in the forest as a matter of chance and co-incidence.Viewing wild life requires utmost patience with complete silence, so if u get to see any form of wildlife during the safari ride, thank ur stars that you have been able to atleast see them:)
After returning back from our safari we put on some warm clothing since the coolness of the air became to pinch us( Beware of the fact that theh temperature in the jungle can fall drastically within a very short period of time). So carry some warm clothing irrespective of the season of ur visit.
The camp fire gave us the warmth which we were looking for as that was the only reprise from the sudden plunge in temperature to about 5 C.
The beds in the cottages are comfortable and exteremely cold during the nights.So do remember to carry a couple of extra blankets if u can.Of course you can ask from the staff there itself!!! We did have a good night's sleep except on a few occasions when mud from the ceiling sprinkled onto us and on the beds with the ominous presence of a creature on the roof.It was thrilling,scary but a great experience.After all thats what we had been looking for, a little bit of fun,adevnture and thrill.
We left tiger ranch at 11 in the morning,after a superb breakfast, for gopalswamy betta.An ancient krishna temple with some out of the blues scenary would take anyone's breath away, it surely took ours!!! After a brief stay for a couple of hours we started our descent and eventually reached bangalore by 10pm.
The photos of the trip can be accessed by clicking the following link:
http://photos.ibibo.com/albums/viewalbumphotosonepage/9494/e4ea0bff0ec3f34b96c4d0db0e734d2a42-v1/1




3 comments:

souvik said...

Thanks Vinesh!

Unknown said...

Hi Souvik,

Can you provide some options with contacts for stay at Bandipur? We are 4 guys, planning for a weekend trip. Kindly suggest us!

Unknown said...

Hi! Arun,

Tiger Ranch is a nice retreat if you wish to avoid the hustle and bustle of the lodges provided by the state government. The cost would be Rs.1000/- per person!
Take a left after the Bandipur lodges compund (maintained by the state govt on the Mysore-Ooty highway). Travel for around 200 meters. You would see a sign-board which would give you directions to 'Tiger Ranch'.

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Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Hi!I am an avid traveler who loves exploring new and unexplored places.I also enjoy internet exploration and the various means of discovering new work from home methods!