Galibore Nature camp -1

I will try to narrate here the good time we spent in the jungles, with friends and family. The idea is to capture the memories before Alzheimer's catches up. The jungle visits taught many life lesions.

Our first experience of Jungle Lodge was for an official team building at Bheemeshwari during 2006. While we didn’t get to do much of other things, we developed and instant liking to the concept of Jungle lodge. We were a group looking to unwind and decided to visit a Jungle lodge on a weekend. Our first destination was Galibore (http://www.junglelodges.com/galibore-nature-camp) that was not too far away from Bangalore. Sowmya and Jayshree were the lead organizers and we took a Force Traveler (known as Tempo traveler those days). We traveled on Saturday May 26, 2007.

Gulmohar

Tent

We were 12. The journey was easy. The place was then known for game fishing, but there was no fishing activity. The last stretch before reaching the camp was a mud road with gul mohar spread all over. It made a beautiful scene. The tents were very comfortable, and the place was rustic. The view of Cauvery was mesmerizing. There were many hammocks and swings tied to the trees. The place had many tamarind and mangrove trees. The lunch was simple, sumptuous and delicious. It had both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. After lunch we rested for some time and at 4.30 pm, we went for a coracle ride that offered great view of the jungle. After coming back there was cricket on the sands followed by sitting by the riverside watching the butterflies. I wouldn't be exaggerating if I say that that was the largest number of butterflies I had seen in a single place.

In the evening we had a great unwinding session, the highlight being lighting beedies using the lantern. Our session went beyond the dinner. After that we sat watching the river and could feel the many crocodiles in the river. When you focus the torch at the river, you can see pairs of eyes like shining lights indicating the crocs. Sowmya was a great fan of the crocs.

The next morning we went for a trek behind the camp on the hillock called Galibore. One can see the beautiful landscape from a watch tower on the hill. There was good breakfast after the trek. Though not included in the package, we had lunch by paying extra as we really liked the food. 

Snake skin

The visit to Galibore opened up a new chapter in our lives and led to many future encounters with nature. I visited the place again twice in the coming years.