I was in Bandipur for the past 3 days to observe the forests and try my luck with any cat sightings. In a matter of 3 days we undertook 7 safaris in the hope of sighting a tiger.

We were a big team of like minded avid photographers. The eyes were exploring all bushes on way to identify the striped cat. The interest was not merely that for me as I seem to have started enjoying the ecosystem and understanding the natural habitat as a whole.

The lure of sighting a tiger is definitely thrilling but at what cost? Giving animals enough space in their habitat is extremely i

Tiger pumarks fresh in Bandipur

mportant. The sighting included a large Tusker. I can now easily decipher the differences in the physical appearance from its African counterpart.

The gaurs are massive animals but shy. Do not mistake them for their shyness as they are heavily built and can cause big damage. The mongoose and peacocks were present for us to capture them.

The big sighting for the team was a female tigress which seemed like pregnant due to its sagging belly. A trip to be remembered and cherished for a long time. No clicked images but time just went by observing the grandeur of the cat walk in its own backyard.

This week has been really good with sightings as around 8 were reported by forest guards and 3 by fellow travellers during the 3 days. The forest guards and rangers sighted a family as well. The park seems in safe hands at the moment until we hear any bad news.

The sightings were not only on land as we saw many birds in this lush green landscape after the monsoon season.

Karnataka is located on Southern India famous for its wildlife, stone architecture.

The forests of Bandipur, Nagarhole, Kabini and other national parks in the state secure the biggest population of Tigers and Leopards in India. It is wildlife photographer’s dream to come to these jungles and sighting the mighty carnivores in their habitat.

The stone architecture of Helebid, Belur or UNESCO heritage site of Hampi are a paradise for historians and architecture lovers. the places will enthrall you with you the intricate stone carving done centuries ago without the availability of sophisticated cutting tools.

The Nilgiri hills form a delicate balance in nature hosting the ecosystem for many animals, birds and amphibians. It is also popular destination for tourists for a quick weekend getaway.

I write about the different destinations I have visited in this state after staying here for several years.

Kerala is known as God’s own country, wayanad is aptly known as God’s own district.

A mist formation suspended in green valley. The slight drizzle cleaning any dirt on tea plantations. The atmospheric green color appearing a little over saturated. Clouds silhouetted with orange color from sun rise and set. A perfect heavenly setting to relax and enjoy the place unwinding myself.

This was visible after a long journey of about 8 hours which was comfortable in a luxury bus which was to cross 2 forests on way, Bandipur and Muthanga. Our journey started late around 9 am waiting at office from 6:30 am. It was a group of around 30 team members who finally came.

Reaching at around 4pm we quickly freshened up and headed to lunch tables as we were really hungry. In the last outing also, food was one thing we created problems for us. This time was little better as the group was big and we could custom order the buffet layout. A hearty meal and we headed off the unknown areas around Orchard Holiday homes into tea plantations.

Reaching the holiday resort was a mesmerizing experience. On our start from Bangalore at 9 am it was getting hot due to the month of May. On our way to wayanad, we stopped at couple of places where we started sweating. But on reaching wayanad district, it started raining and the mercury levels started falling down. The resort was right behind the Hotel Management college in Lakki ahead of Vythri.

Travelogue continues…

It was a beautiful winter day and an upcoming long weekend for a perfect weekend getaway to a close by hill station. We started the journey on Christmas day at midnight.

The destination was Ooty as the base and travel to the surrounding lesser known and unexplored places of Red Hills and the surrounding valley views. The drive to Ooty is around 300km from Bangalore and takes about 5-6 hours. We reached around 7:30 am due to the closure of roads at Bandipur national forest which remains closed from 11pm to 6 am. The wildlife in that region comes on roads and vehicles pose a threat to their habitat and hence the decision by state government.

The drive of last 50 km is through the hills and takes more than average time. There were 36 hairpin bends which were demarcated on the roads. There were also reflector mirrors to prevent any kind of accident from either side. Generally there is a view point in such places to allow visibility till far points. We reached at this place at 1350m altitude to see a milky layer of clouds just below our level. It was a nice view seeing half the mountains below this creamy layer and the top rising above it. Finally we reached the top at 1750m altitude as one of the road side boards reflected this number.

This is the setting up of an excellent 3 days ahead. Each day wil be posted as a separate blog post. stay tuned to experience the majestic and picturesque views. Restless readers can directly jump to the complete gallery here.

Day 1 experience

Day 2 experience – Red Hills

Day 3 experience

Just back from an excellent trip of Ooty and more specifically Red hills which is located around 30km from the main city.

The scenic landscape views are something which have made a photographic impression on my mind. The valley views were just breathtaking. There were many lakes which form the hill top were just majestic in the green environment surrounding them.

The photos has been published at my site on the travelmate section. You can view the complete GALLERY HERE.

A sample photo can be seen below

If you are looking to spend your holiday at this destination my experiences on different days might help you in the planning

Day 1 experience

Day 2 experience – Red Hills

Day 3 experience