Tag: Shimoga

Sakrebyle , Elephant rendezvous

by Leela Gopinath, posted in Karnataka

Elephants; the gentle giants , are dear to all of us ; more so to children. So when we saw our granddaughter’s excitement on seeing elephants on the screen, we decided to give her a hands on encounter with these lovable beings. That’s what led us to Sakrabyle, the elephant camp near Shimoga in Karnataka.

A 310 km drive from Bangalore and we were at Shimoga.

The drive to Shimoga

The best time to visit the camp is early morning before the crowds and the heat and so we halted overnight at Shimoga.

A preview of the elephant camp and facilities available before I get into our experiences…

Sakrebyle Elephant Camp

Maintained by the Karnataka Forest department, this camp is a forest camp for captive elephants brought here for training and rehabilitation from many places. Elephants that may have had illnesses , nutritional issues, behavioural issues like rogue elephants or those that were orphaned or abandoned are housed here in the forest camp. A dedicated team of specially trained mahouts train and rehabilitate these gentle giants.

The Forest Camp

They live inside the forest camp opposite the area where tourists interact with them. This forest area also has accomodation for tourists run by Jungle lodges and resorts. The accomodation in the Jungle lodges is very good and safari facilities are there. (Unfortunately, we could not get accomodation at this jungle lodge which would have been ideal). If you book with Jungle lodges, they take care of everything and also they bring you to the interaction area in a buggy saving you the trouble of getting the tickets etc.

The Jungle Lodge and tourists being brought to the interaction area

Every morning, the elephants are brought from the forest to the interaction area.

The elephants coming out of the forest camp

The interacion area is a large open ground with multiple activities. This area lies on the banks of the Tunga river where the giants have their bath. The most popular activity here is an opportunity to bathe the elephants under the supervision of the mahout.

Our trip

Driving down from Shimoga early morning, we reached the camp well on time to join the front of the long queue for tickets.

The counter and the long queue

As we were waiting at the ticket counter, the elephants were being brought in for their daily rituals under supervision of mahouts.

The entrance for the elephants and one of the elephants walking in

A short walk lead us to an open area overlooking the Tunga river

The open interaction area

The beautiful Tunga river

The elephant family walks to the Tunga

Ready for a bath in the Tunga river

The mahout starts the bathing process…

And we joined in….

After helping with the bathing ritual, we stood around and watched as more elephants came and went through their daily routines

Visitors watch the elephants ….

After the bath, the elephants are fed at an enclosure and visitors can also participate in the feeding of the elephants. Since we were to leave to our next destination, we did not wait for that. Elephant rides are also available from there.

Returning to our hotel in Shimoga we proceeded to Kollur for our annual pilgrimage there and then on to a fun destination near Koteshwar. The little one was all excited about her encounter with the giants and her stories continued for a few days.

Let me stop here for now .

Next week we are at coffee land. Till then, do keep your comments and feedback coming….

Jog Falls

by Leela Gopinath, posted in Karnataka

The Sharavati river in Karnataka plunges down a vertical cliff to form the famous Jog Falls or Gersoppa Falls . A beautiful waterfall specially in the monsoons, this SHOULD be in your bucket list!!

Come on…let me take you there virtually….

The Jog Falls ( just after the monsoons)

Legend of Sharavati

The Sharavati River originates at a place called Ambutheertha in Karnataka. Legend has it that Lord Ram shot at the ground with his arrow (Ambu) to quench his wife Sita’s thirst. Out poured the water (Theertha) from the earth. Since this event marked the beginning of the river , it got it’s name Sharavati where “Shara “means arrow.

The Sharavati River near Honavar where it joins the Arabian Sea

At Jog, the water drops 253 mt ; making it the third highest waterfall in India after the Nonkhalikai (Meghalaya) and Dudhsagar falls.

The fall comes down a deep chasm in four parts called Raja, Rani, Roarer and Rocket falls. This waterfall changes itself seasonally depending on the rainfall. Its true might is displayed during or just after the monsoons. The presence of the Linganamakki dam also affects the volume of water in the falls.

The falls during the dry season with much reduced waterflow

There is a viewpoint located right across the falls from where we can actually watch the falls and there is a series of steps to go down to the bottom of the falls.

The viewpoint

Enjoy the video of the falls in monsoon

The other interesting activities that can be combined with Jog falls:

Sharavati Wildlife sanctuary ,Dabbe Falls and Linganamakki Dam visits.

Sharavati Wildlife sanctuary

The Sharavati river basin is rich in biodiversity and also has the Sharavati Wildlife sanctuary.

The Sharavati Wildlife sanctuary in the Western ghats is covered with evergreen forests and grassy hilltops. It harbours rich wildlife like bison, deer, boar, jackals,leopards and the malabar giant squirrel. A visit to this wildlife sanctuary can be combined with a Jog falls visit.

Deer at Sharavati Sanctuary

Bison

Dabbe Falls :

It is about 35 kms from Sagara town. Guides are available at Muppane nature camp which is 10 kms away.

Dabbe Falls

Linganamakki Dam:

10kms from Jog falls is the Linganamakki dam. One can view the dam from a distance.

Linganamakki Dam

Travelling to Jog Falls:

The nearest airport is at Mangalore 219 kms away.

The nearest Railway station is Talaguppa 20 kms away.

Driving from Bangalore, it is 411 kms away.

Sagara and Shimoga are the nearest towns with plenty of hotels. But the best places to stay are The Mayura Gersoppa hotel run by Karnataka Tourism (bang opposite the falls with views from the rooms ) and Sharavati Adventure camp run by Jungle Lodges and resorts.

Sharavati Adventure camp

This is by far the best accomodation near Jog falls. As the name suggests, it has various adventure activities like hiking, trekking, bird watching. Besides, the views from here are beautiful with the backwaters of the Talakalale dam .Water sports activities are also available.

The Sharavati Adventure Camp

Well, that brings us to the end of this episode.

Next week, we meet up with some gentle giants; the elephants. Till then, let me say goodbye but not before reminding you to subscribe, comment or give your feedbacks.