Bhadra Tiger Reserve – A Photographer's Delight -
Tranquil waters, twittering birds, lush greenery, multi-hued butterflies, adventurous safaris, calming sunsets and amazing photographs are the few things that come to my mind as I reminisce our latest escapade to Bhadra Tiger Reserve, over the weekend.
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Did'nt We Tell You Tranquil Waters:-)
Located just 297 km from Bangalore in the Chikmagalur district of Karnataka, the wild life sanctuary and the River Tern lodge, run by Jungle Lodges and Resorts, can be reached in 5-6 hours by road. You will need to drive towards Tumkur. Take the Shimoga bye-pass road at Tumkur and cross Gubbi, Tiptur, Arsikere, Kadur, Birur, Tarikere. After crossing Tarikere, take the left to Lakkavalli. From here you will find sign boards to the River Tern Lodge, which is about 4 km away.
At River Tern lodge, a Jungle Lodges property. The accommodation is situated right next to the Bhadra river, close to both Bhadra Tiger Reserve and Bhadra dam. All cottages offer a picturesque view of the river and the Babubudangiri hills beyond. The cottages are comfortable with attached baths and individual balconies offering this vantage view, where you can just raise your legs and relax.
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Cottages at River Tern lodge facing the Bhadra river
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Early morning view from our cottage
The resort gets its name after the River Tern birds that congregate here in large numbers, on a nearby island, during the breeding season. The calmness of the waters, the surrounding hushness with just the sounds of nature audible and a radiant sunset to watch, while sipping a cup of tea make the location a perfect place to bond with nature and count your blessings. Perfect bliss!
http://www.junglelodges.com/index.php/resorts/river-tern-lodge.html
The package offered includes accommodation, all meals, Jeep Safari, Boat safari, Forest Entry Fees, Camera Fees & Taxes. The place offers some water sports too at an additional cost.
This holiday has nature and only nature to offer. Besides relaxing in your cottage with no TV and newspaper to catch up on, you have two major things to do here. Take a jeep safari into the Bhadra Tiger Reserve and a boat safari on the Bhadra river.
The safaris are conducted at pre-designated hours every morning and evening. Since we were staying there for two nights we went for the jeep safari twice and boat safari once.
Jeep Safari
We left for our first adventure at 4.30 PM with a naturalist accompanying us in an 8 seater jeep. The terrain is a little rough as the approach roads are dirt roads.
Our first sighting was a kingfisher bird perched high on a tree on our way to the Tiger Reserve. We got really excited and were looking forward to an eventful day. But alas! That was not to be. After going up and down in the forest for about 2 hours our only sightings were Spotted deer, Sambar deer, Gaur, Malabar squirrel and a Crested Serpent Eagle. Slightly disappointed we returned to our cottages to be greeted by a resplendent sunset that raised our spirits again and we decided to take the jeep safari again the following evening.
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Spotted Deer
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Malabar Squirrel
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Sambar Deer
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Crested Serpent Eagle
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Gaur
While I backed out at the last hour having been let down umpteen numbers of times in the past, others in the gang did not lose hope and ventured again on the jeep safari. For my brother, who was out on such a holiday for the first time, it turned out to be a memorable experience. For this time they were rewarded for their patience and were graced by the presence of a Leopard, walking down the road with a majestic gait. They followed the big cat for a while till it was dark and difficult to see it anymore. The group returned to the lodge super excited and in high spirits. Even the staff at the hotel was highly excited about the fact that a Leopard had been sighted, a rare occasion.
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The majestic Leopard
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In a Playful Mood
If you don’t mind being woken up early at 6 AM, then you must go for the boat safari that leaves at 6.30 AM. Early mornings are the perfect time to catch a glimpse of the wide variety of birds in the area. Since we were visiting in the non-breeding season River tern birds were not in abundance but we got to see a few in flight. Some of the other avian species we saw were White-throated Kingfisher, Cormorants, Peacock, Barbet, Brahminy Kite, Swallows, Wagtails and Osprey. You can return to a hearty breakfast after a 2 hour trip.
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The river in its morning glory
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Our waiting boat
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White throated Kingfisher
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Cormorants taking off
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River Tern bird
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The beautiful Peacock
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Brahminy Kite
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Swallows
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Osprey also known as fish hawk
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Wagtail
Water Sports
Having enjoyed our jeep and boat safari a couple of us decided to enjoy some water sports, available at the resort for an additional cost. At Rs. 250 per person for an hour of water trampoline and kayaking it was time for some fun. Though strenuous and exhausting for the not so fit ones, it was lot of fun for the audience.

Water trampoline

Kayaking
On our way to River Tern lodge we stopped at Kamat’s just outside Tumkur for breakfast. After this there are not many options available except tender coconut vendors or local tea stalls for break.
On our way back we took our lunch break at Planters Court in the Chikmaglur town. Nothing fancy about the hotel but good food. After Halebid on way to Bangalore you will find some options like Kamat’s, Café Coffee Day etc. for dinner.
Chikmagalur
Having enjoyed our stay immensely at River Tern lodge we left on the third day after breakfast. On our way back we decided to return via Chikmagalur, the coffee town, and take a detour to Halebid, for the benefit of my mother and brother who hadn’t seen it before.
The drive through Chikmagalur is scenic as both sides of the road are lined with coffee plantations. On the way we came across a beautiful coffee shop situated inside a coffee estate and we decided to take an unplanned halt.

A coffee shop in Chikmagalur on our drive back

Water lilies on the way
Closure
With nothing to do but just spend some quality time with your friends and family and admire beauty around you River Tern lodge on Bhadra river makes it an ideal holiday spot. Our daughter summed up the trip in one sentence when she asked us…” can we not go to school and office from here daily?”
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2 Comment
Hi Dileep, As per the naturalists at the reserve summers are the best time to spot the big cats as they are more likely to visit the water bodies. So May-June should be worth trying.
I want to watch a tiger in bhadra reservior. Which season is better to watch the tiger.