Visit to Bhadra tiger reserve forest was planned couple of months before and was a welcome break in July when there are no calendar holiday.
It was a weekend gateaway from Bangalore with 10 friends. We started early on Saturday and took the route to Mangalore highway . The journey was comfortable compared to the Mysore highway except the toll services at regular intervals.
However we made it in good time and reached approximately 300kms around 12.15 pm. It's is a jungle lodges property and unlike other properties of jungle lodges the area was comparatively big surrounding the backwaters of Bhadra river with extremely ravishing views from all the cottages.
The rooms are beautiful and spacious with attractive balconies attached to each cottage facing the river. We had our lunch about 1.00 pm and with almost no time left after lunch we were ready for our jungle safari.
Monsoon was late and the jungle was not lush green as expected, but nevertheless the silence and the smell of the dried leaves had an intoxicating effect. The first few hours was s lazy ride on the gypsy. However as the sun light became sweeter , the activity in the jungle became prominent. We could spot herd of spotted deer, a mother elephant with her two little ele, malabar giant squirrel and Indian hornbill.
At about 7pm we returned to our cottages and called off the day after having dinner.
We were given an option of a second jungle safari the next morning or a boat ride to the Bhadra river . We preferred the second as I was more keen to spot the birds.
At 6.00 am we went for the boat ride. I must say this was a great experience. The weather was just perfect with light cool breeze brushing us and there was still sometime for the sun to rise. The backwater was filled with beautiful drift woods and the small islands nested by river terns gave each frame a exquisite view. We could spot an Osprey lurking around and islands nested by River Terns. We were thrilled with the overall experience.
For 3hours we had the boat ride and finally was ready for breakfast once we were back to the cottages about 9.00am . The food was simple yet delicious. We were ready by 11pm to say goodby .
