A Masinagudi Weekend

Our trip to Masinagudi started on a Saturday morning at 6:30 AM.

The route we took from Bangalore to Masinagudi was the Kanakapura – Malavalli – Nanjangud – Begur – Gundlupete – Bandipur – Mudumalai – Masinagudi.

We stopped for breakfast at the Saviruchi Restaurant just after entering Malavalli town.

As we entered Bandipur, it was already nearly mid-day. We came across herds of deer and troops of monkeys.

We were checked at the crossing into Mudumalai by the forest guards to see if we were carrying any single use plastics with us. Vehicles with commercial plates are required to pay a ‘green tax’ during entry based on the size of the vehicle.

We reached Bamboo Banks Farm, our place of stay and checked in. We had our first close encounter of wildlife when a Malabar Giant Squirrel visited us and kept us company during our lunch while it munched on the flowers of a rain tree.

After lunch, we were taken on a tour of the property by our host Mr.Zerasp Kothavala in his 4X4 Gypsy. He explained to us the different species of birds with their subtle differences such as the collared and spotted doves, the different kinds of sparrows, shrikes and drongos. The property was used for agriculture which is once again getting back on track after the pandemic.

During the tour, we got to see langurs, boars, more spotted deer and peacocks.

The name Bamboo Banks is attributed to these giant bamboo trees found on the property.

We had some delicious dinner and spent some time by the bonfire that was setup by the staff at the resort.

That night as we walked back to the room after dinner, these super cute guys were relaxing by our room and the minute they saw us, they were super alert and just froze to observe. The photo isn’t great though as we didn’t use the flash and this is all my phone’s night mode could do. I like it though 🙂

The next morning, we went to a small temple on a hill called Vibhuti malai. The temple can be reached by either trekking up a path, which a grandmother who was herding some goats, guided us to or by hiring a 4X4 jeep.

The trek is probably a better experience as it allows you take stops and soak in the views better than zipping up to the top in the jeep.

The views from the top of the temple were beautiful as was the temple and its serene vibe.

We returned to the B&B after a nice cup of tea at the bottom of the hill.

After lunch, we decided to try our luck at the Mudumalai for the safari.

Unfortunately, we were just a bit too late and we settled for the feeding time at the Theppakaadu Elephant Camp. There were peacocks and wild boars roaming about the grounds where the elephants were lined up to be fed. Apparently, each elephant is assigned a particular handler who remains responsible for it until the handler retires.

The star of the show was a baby elephant that was fed sugarcane shoots and rice balls.

On the way back, we saw a little bear cub that was foraging in the grass for its breakfast.

We made our way back to the B&B for a nice dinner. Our host told us that the best way to see wildlife was to make an early start and get into the Mudumalai checkpost, which remains closed between 9:00 PM and 6:00 AM. That way, one could still sight animals that had made their way out of the forests and closer to the road during the night.

The ride through Mudumalai

The next morning, we took this advice and decided to club the Bandipur safari with this trip as well. We started at 5:30 AM from the B&B and after an early morning tea break in Masinagudi town, we headed out to the check-post and into the jungle road. The first animal we saw were the majestic gaurs or Indian Bison that were grazing on either sides of the road.

A little way past them, we sighted some elephants that were a sight to behold. We saw about 6-7 elephants soaking in the morning mist. Many peacocks and chitals bade us goodbye as we once again entered Bandipur from Mudumalai and we reached Bandipur by 7:00 AM.

The Bandipur Safari

If one’s opting to go on a jeep safari (on either a Gypsy or a Camper), it’s best to book online at least 48 hours in advance. It’s highly unlikely you will be able to get tickets at the counter for the jeep safari. The bus safari however, can be booked online and tickets can be had offline (depending on the season) and is a safer bet. The bus ride takes you back to the old safari reception which is 7 km away from the safari parking area and then further for another 15 minutes along a road on which KSRTC buses ply as well, after which the actual safari starts.

Other than a jungle fowl, we weren’t lucky enough to spot any new animals apart from the ones we saw on our way to Bandipur from Mudumalai. We saw none of the big cats that Bandipur is famous for – tigers and leopards. Spotting big cats on a safari is a matter of luck as groups immediately before and after us had spotted a tiger crossing the safari path!

The bus dropped us off at the start point after roughly 90 minutes. On our way back, we had breakfast at the Pugmark Restaurant at Mel Kammanahalli. We then made our way back to Masinagudi where we bought some Silver Cloud tea served in our B&B, which we’d become quite fond of.

Bamboo Banks time again!

We spent the rest of the day at the B&B with the kids playing in the pool. That evening, when we were waiting for the dinner to be served, our host informed us that a wild elephant had been sighted in the vicinity of the property and that we would be dropped off at our cottage on a jeep rather than let us walk to it after our dinner, for our safety. We heard crackers being set off to ward off the elephant from civilization and we could hear some deep trumpeting from the elephant.

We heard the next morning that the elephant had passed through where we were staying as it made its way back into the forest during the night and had broken some branches of tamarind trees in the property as it had passed through it. We went on a final early morning trip from the B&B to the Gudalur checkpost to see if we’re able to sight any wildlife.

Unfortunately, we spotted no animals other than the Theppakaadu and Abhayaranyam camp elephants as they made their way back from their morning baths. One memorable encounter we had during this trip was a peacock that was quite curious and unperturbed even when it was only at an arm’s length away.

Back to Bangalore

We headed back to the B&B for breakfast and starting at 11:30 AM, made our way back to Bangalore following the same route we had taken to Masinagudi, including a stopover for lunch at Saviruchi in Malavalli. We were accompanied by heavy showers almost all the way till Kanakapura and reached Bangalore at about 6:00 PM.