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Journey into a jungle
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The River Tern Lodge in Chikmagalur offers visitors breathtaking sights of the backwaters, birds and wildlife
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LOG CABIN-STYLED COTTAGES At the River Tern Lodge
We peered anxiously at the thick jungle undergrowth praying for an animal to emerge. Was that an elephant standing silently among the shaded trees or was that a tiger skulking among the bushes? But, that April evening, the big animals had forsaken us as we jostled about in the Karnataka Tourism Forest jeep, weaving its way through the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary.
However, we managed to soak in Nature at its pristine best as the jeep halted at open grassland rimmed by water. The green expanse of the jungle with a few spotted deer and a wild boar scuttling away into the bushes filled us with pleasure. Peacock and owl sighting might not make a jungle safari but the journey into a jungle was therapeutic enough.
Wildlife resorts are the flavour of the holiday season. The River Tern Lodge, a holiday resort and eco-tourist project of the Karnataka based Jungle Lodges & Resorts located in Chikmagalur district, is the latest entrant in the list of wildlife resorts in south India.
Its USP is its proximity to the famous Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, which is spread over 492 km and is reported to be home to 40 tigers, tuskers, leopards, giant squirrels and a bevy of birds. The resort derives it name from the River tern, a yellow billed grey and white bird with a long, deeply forked shallow tail and red legs. (The famous naturalist Ullas Karanth has estimated the avian population here to be more than 200 species)
The eight-month-old River Tern Lodge turns out to be more than a tryst with wildlife. The resort consists of ten furnished and well-equipped (warm water, neat beds and clean towels are available) log cabin-styled cottages. The cottages are strategically built on a small hillock against a scenic backdrop of water and mountains. In the evenings, as the wind gathers pace and blows fresh air into the cottages, the Bhadra river dotted with circular pie-shaped green islands seems to merge with the orange tinted sunset sky.
The backwaters are encircled by the misty Bababudangiri Mountains. The birds in the area further enhance this tableau. You can sit for hours in the cottage verandah staring at this million-dollar view.
One can watch wildlife documentaries on a small television screen at the resort's restaurant. The food, served buffet three times a day, is wholesome and comprises delicious chicken curry, sambar, phulka, river water fish fries, puri potato and omelette. The meals are part of the resort's package, which costs Rs. 1,750 per head per day.
A motorboat ride on the Bhadra backwaters is part of the package. This ride gives you an idea of the size of the Bhadra dam and a glimpse of the sheer variety of birds. We spotted the cormorant, white ibis, white necked stork and the river tern, to mention a few.
Some were lucky to spot a tiger in the area. "It was such a wonderful but scary sight to see the tiger stalking a bison. I was scared to take a photograph because the flash might distract the animal. We watched in silence as the tiger moved towards the bison and then disappeared into the bushes," recalled a tourist.
How to get there:
Chennai to Bangalore, From Bangalore it's a four and half-hour journey. Drive towards Tumkur; take the Shimoga bye-pass road at Tumkur and cross Gubbi, Arsikere, Kadur and Tarikere. After crossing Tarikere, take the left at the Kuvempu university direction board. Travel 14 km till you reach Lakkavali. At Lakkavalli, you will spot the River Tern Lodge board.
Rates: Rs. 1,750 per day. Free for children below five.
Contact: Jungle Lodges & Resorts Ltd, email: info@junglelodges.comph: 080-25597021.
KAVITHA SHANMUGAM DANIEL
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