K-Gudi Wilderness camp

K-Gudi stands for Kyathadevaraya Gudi named after the local deity. This is near Biligirirangana Betta (B R Hills), 197 Kms away from Bangalore. We visited during the weekend of September 13-14, 2008. The place is very beautiful, and has lot of wildlife. The deer are most common and are seen everywhere around the camp. Just like the other JLRs, the staffs are very hospitable and the place is very comfortable.

This time we were back to the smaller number of 11 and went by a Tempo traveler. We reached the place by noon. Post lunch we went around and climbed into a tree house.

At 4:30 was the safari by jeep. The naturalist here was one of the best we had seen. His name was Narayan, and he had profound knowledge of the flora and fauna of Western Ghats. We sighted many deer, stags, barking deer and one wild elephant. We could also see many birds and Narayan was expert in following the bird sounds. It was really amazing.

Narayan, a remarkable naturist

The next morning was nature walk that involved rock climbing. It was the first time for many of us and was quite thrilling. K-Gudi does not have flowing river, but has a beautiful lake.

We visited the local temple as well as the famous Biligiri Ranganathaswamy temple before returning back with fond memories.

Dubbare elephant camp

Dubbare elephant camp is a joint project of Karnataka State Forest Department and the jungle lodges and resorts Ltd (http://www.junglelodges.com/dubare-elephant-camp). This place is mainly used for training the elephants that participate in the Mysore Dasara procession. Dubbare is near Kushalnagar in Coorg district 234 Kms away from Bangalore. We visited on Saturday, 1^st March 2008. The team was much bigger as this was meant to be a farewell for our dear friend Ramesh who was leaving for Singapore. Accordingly we hired a bigger vehicle, Swaraj Mazda.

It was afternoon by the time we reached the Camp. The vehicle was parked on the opposite shore, and we reached the camp by coracle. The first thing was a sumptuous lunch. The stay here was in cottages.

After lunch, we stayed on the river side, soaking our feet in Cauvery getting pecked by the fish. After relaxing for some time, we left for the safari by jeeps. This was thrilling, as we kept looking for a wild elephant. All of us sighted elephants at some distance, but one group had a close sighting.

Pedicure by fish

Post dinner was the farewell part, and all of us participated in singing and talent show. The youngsters were very enthusiastic. 

Next morning we were taken to the elephant camp where we could join the naturalists in bathing and feeding the elephants. They also explained lot of things about elephants.  This was followed by a ride on the elephant back.

We came back to the camp and went around the river side. The return was once again by coracle to the opposite shore and return to the vehicle.

Dubbare remains memorable for the elephants, both tamed and wild. This was the first time I got so close with them.