SUNAAD RAGHURAM writes: In the jungles of Kakanakote, the shrill trumpeting of the elephant mingles with the deep, guttural rumble of the tiger’s roar.
The ‘dhoink’, ‘dhoink’ of the alarmed sambhar with his panic-stricken foot-stomping; the furtiveness of the spotted deer as he desperately scurries for cover; the sloppy amble of the sloth bear who seems to be consumed by his own thoughts.
Kakanakote is all about the aloofness of existence—the high spiritedness of being willing to be cut off from man-made civilization and losing yourself to the naked beauty of no-holds-barred wilderness.
To show the pluck and gumption to traverse tracks, mostly untrodden and unheard, somewhere in the foggy, misty, gruelling and unrelenting depths of the backwoods of the world.
And the names of the places inside the jungle: quaint, amusing and sometimes weird.
***
Kudresatta Halla: A place where an anti-poaching camp is situated. So named after a horse ridden by a British forest officer suddenly collapsed and died at the spot, many decades ago, presumably after a heart attack.
Nayi Halla: One of the most fascinating places to spot wildlife. On the Bandipur side of the Kabini. Hundreds of elephants roam the area in summer. And the tiger walks proud! Not to forget the packs of wild dogs and other assorted denizens of the jungle.
Masaale Betta: Where the famed last scene of the super hit film, Gandhada Gudi, starring Raj Kumar and Vishnuvardhan was shot in the early 1970s.
Sunkada Katte: A calm forest bungalow built by the British in 1905 that still exists. It is to the back of this bungalow that the small stream that lends its name to the entire jungle, Nagarahole, meanders quietly.
Kymara, where one of the remotest forest bungalows in the area exist. To spend a night there is the earthly equivalent of being in the main hall of vaikunta. Divinely mesmerizing!
Karadi Halla, where the world famous howdah elephant Drona met a tragic end, electrocuted by a high-tension wire.
Udboor Koodu (Udboor Junction), where I recently saw one of the rarest sights in all my life, three leopards on a single tree! Time: 5.23! Post-meridiem.
Balle, where an elephant camp exists.
Hanape Thodu, where an ancient tree revered by the Soligas stands tall. Bisilwadi Kere: A huge lake in the Sunkada Katte area where animals congregate to drink.
Kottige Thittu, where you will surely find crocodiles when you don’t find elephants.
Baraballe: A rocky escarpment known for bears.
Mastigudi, where most of Gandhada Gudi was shot. And in the ancient past, the spot where the thrilling Khedda operations were conducted under the aegis of the Mysore Maharaja.
Gundre: On the Karnataka-Kerala border deep inside the jungle, to reach which you’ll need a four-wheel drive jeep and a driver with well heeled guts!
Dodda Byrana Kuppe: Very much on the Karnataka side but completely inundated with a profusion of Malayalee ‘entrepreneurs’. The good, the bad and the ugly!
***
Just take off to Kakanakote.
Take off to hear the incessant chattering of grey langurs high up in the trees. The grunt of the wild boar from inside the pink flowered lantana. The rasping sounds of the gaur feeding on the lush green grass. The plaintive ‘meeeeoooow’ of the splendidly plumed peacock.
Take off to hear the flitting of the racket-tailed drongo amidst the branches. The lonely vigil of the sentinel of the skies, the crested serpent eagle. The frantic twittering of the orange tinted bulbul. And the siren like wail of the weirdly named brain fever bird from deep inside the woods.
Take off to come back refreshed, recharged, rejuvenated and rejoiced.
I do. Like I’ve been doing for 21 years on the trot!
Feel like breaking free and taking the next bus…Hope the day is not too far away
Good to know this. But then, these are few places that humans haven’t set their foot too often and spoilt them. Better not to make this public knowledge. Let the wildlife live in peace.
Sunaad;
Wow…. good to remember all 15 places, each and every place are Sakath (exotic) Jagagalu. I been visiting all those places from past 17yrs.
Great places for the wildlife lover
Not for the people who doesn’t know any knowledge of jungle.
So it’s better not any tourist guide to tell public to go there.
Santosh
Sunaad , I think places are not familiar to non-mysoreans.
Please post places which are familiar for the rest of India .
There are many non-kanndigas who visit Churumuri and might think the places are in Mars or Moon ….because this is a Global Blog
A very good list of places in the wild. I guess you need passion and some influence to get to these places. If anyone knows how to get there without influence pls. do let me know. Most of them i guess are not tourist spots.
I have only been to Sunkadakatte. Planning to go to Gundre. I have heard that Nayahalla is fabulous for spotting wild life. Had a number of opportunities but have never been there. We asked for permission to go to Kymara but they refused and i guess there are no facilities out there.
I would definitely add Kalkere, Chamanahalla and Burde Bunglow to the above list. For Burde Bunglow you definitely need a four wheel drive and kalkere during rainy season. None of the above are available for booking directly.
Recently i was trying to get to one of your recommendations (GUNDRE) – came to know it was not inside a forest. can you please let us know the details of this place.
Hi Sunaad,
You are a lucky person to have visted all those places & to be doing it for past 21 yrs is really something!!
Of the above mentioned places i have visited Gundre & stayed in N Begur.
Can you please give me the details of Kymara forest bunglow & sunkadakette forest rest house.
Thanking You
Kiran
visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/sirgsk/ to see the photos taken in Gundre,Kadabina katte anti poaching camp etc.
Hi Friends,
We are regular visitors to forest.
We are planning to book Gundre forest rest house, request you all to give me your experiences as well as suggestions.
I require the following details –
1> Do we need a Four wheel drive? TT will do?
2> How many rooms are there?
3> Have you guys spotted anything during your visit.
Thanks for your time and reply well in advance.
Regards,
Prakash
hi…this is arjun here, we have a nature lovers association named MOFA at malleshwaram, we are regular visitors of these forest areas, n have some fabulous videos of wildlife…for any collaboration u can contact me on my email-id. There r still more places to be seen in southern part of our forest.
Thank u.
Dear friends,
Hi
We happened to pass through Dodda Byrana Kuppe Wild Life Sanctuary, Balle, on our way to Mysore from Kozhikode, in July 09. There was a steady drizzle on that day. Instead of taking the safe and often travelled route via Sultan Bhatery we chose this way, without imagining what is in store for us. Soon after crossing Balle check post we realized the mistake. The road was in extremely bad shape. In fact there was no road except slush for at least twenty Km. I drive a Chevrolet Optra which has a rather low ground clearance and literally had to scrape through the bumps besides slipping and skidding in the mud and slush. The car pitched, rolled and yawed in the slush throughout the stretch right after the check post. Do not venture out into these areas during rains, more so with family, unless you are driving a 4×4 SUV which has a better road grip.
This is only to tell you that if you are thinking of driving through this stretch particularly during the rainy season, do find out about the road conditions. Do not believe the personal manning the check post; they tend to mislead you as they did to me. Find out from the villagers.
Other than the bad road, the place was wonderful. It was truly wild, far remote from civilization. You do not even get cell phone connectivity after driving for a while. If you are lucky you may spot Wild Life too. We saw a herd of Elephants, Wild Dogs, and a lone Bison. The place has a charm of its own.
If you are a lover of nature and wilderness, do pass through this stretch of forest.
Do let me know about the road conditions if you happen to pass through this region, I would love to go there once again.
Happy travelling
Dr Nooruddin Khan
Hello , looks like fun . We are planning to visit these palces next week . Any
information regarding booking of these guest houses will be of great help .