Dandeli - Kulgi / JLR Old Magazine camp

Dandeli - Kulgi Nature camp - HORNBILL MANIA!

With our ladakh trip getting shelved because of my ill health and the sensitive situation at ladakh after the devastating cloudburst, we were looking for an alternate place to spend a quite few days in tranquil. Dandeli and Ganeshgudi were shortlisted and luckily this time we got the tents booked at the department run Kulgi Nature camp for 2 nights and 2 nights at the Old Magazine JLR camp. With a change in job, Nag was out of this trip and it was me, guru and raja doing this trip this time.

We left by night 9 and took the NICE highway to join Tumkur road near Nelamangala and being a weekday traffic was not high and it was a smooth sailing. The ride in the Figo was really good and with the NH4 being in excellent condition, the ride was just blissful with the mandatory small breaks in between. I woke up only when Raja had stopped as he was feeling sleepy at the Bankapura toll gate after Haveri, it was around 4am by this time. I took over the driving now and we took the Mundgod-Kalghatgi-Haliyal-Dandeli route that would save around 40+kms of driving if we avoid the NH4 but instead we took 2 additional hours as there were absoultely no roads at all to drive till Haliyal. It was a slow and bumpy ride till Haliyal that joins the state highway from there to Dandeli.

The first job we did at Dandeli was to pacify our hungry stomachs and we then went to the forest department timber depot to collect our permission letters to stay at the Kulgi camp. As we had sufficient time we strolled around the place hoping to sight some hornbills but luck evaded us and then we drove towards the Kulgi camp to get the much needed rest. Rains were persistent all through and it was more of a companion from daybreak with breaks in between and it was a wonderful sight seeing everything lush green. We were very happy to find out that other than us there were no occupants at the Kulgi camp. The tents were clean and neat and we are impressed by the maintanence of the department. Wonderful weather, cozy tents, cook to cook your food, drizzles now and then and importantly no mobile network coverage, what else do you need!

Yes, there is no mobile network coverage at Kulgi camp and you have walk outside the camp to get a feeble signal on BSNL mobile, no coverage of other networks whatsoever. As we had got tents, the bathrooms were common ones outside at a distance, common for all tent users, was surprised to see them clean and neat! Had food, took rest for some time and then we walked to the watch tower opposite to the camp in the interiors which is supposed to be a good place for birding. In the rains, bird life is usually subdued and all that we got to see were some huge spiders on the walls and domesticated buffalloes around. With nothing else to do we were just lazing around whaling our time enjoying the good weather. Post sunset, playing carrom, sipping hot tea and waiting for dinner was all that we could do! Post dinner SLEEP! (after 7pm, there is no difference whether its 8, 9 or 10 and with nothing to do sleep is the only option!) :)

Next day morning we had arranged for a trek and the guide was informed to come at 6:30am. 8am and no signs of him, we got heckled and cancelled the trek and instead we drove towards the backwaters where elephants are frequently sighted during summers. Nothing much to do here too and we walked around for some time and then came back to Kulgi village circle, had tea and then back to the camp and again to the watch tower area.
Post lunch took some rest and rains were persistent now and around 5pm went back to the Kulgi village circle to have some chai. Here was our first sighting of the Malabar Pied hornbills and that made us active and follow them tree by tree. Being very overcast and the couple perched high atop a tree, it was difficult and mostly had to admire them and their beauty through the eyes.

Next day, we went on a safari ride in the park very well knowingly we wouldnt encounter anything, but still... Nothing to expected during rains as all routes except 1 are closed. Back to the camp, after the breakfast we spotted a Red vented bulbul having his breakfast. He had a grasshopper in his mouth, bang it again and again on to the ground till it was in pieces and finally gobbled it. Weird laws of nature! As we were about to leave, we got to see the Malabar giant squirrels 3 of them in one tree and 2 on the same branch.

From Kulgi camp as we had to go to Ganeshgudi JLR camp, we took the longer route via Dandeli as we planned to visit the timber depot again. At the timber depot, Malabar Pied hornbills were everywhere and in huge numbers and we were running around everywhere chasing them!

Jungle Mynah, Pompadour green pigeons, Vernal hanging parrots, Sunbirds all made their presence felt that too near 1 single tree that had lots of berries and flowers! It was a real treat and we never realized how time passed by... 

I would rather let the photos speak for themselves on what o great time we had birding at the timber depot yard in Dandeli.

JLR- The Old Magazine House - Ganeshgudi
From Dandeli we proceeded towards Ganeshgudi where the Jungle Lodges & Resorts " The Old Magazine House" camp is located. From Dandeli, the JLR camp is about 32kms on the state highway which is a pleasure to drive. We were greeted by rain and it was our constant companion for the next 2 days. We were again very happy to know that there were no guests other than us that brought a big smile on our faces. The staff were also more or less the same we had met last year with Parshuram leading the staff. Inspite of intermittent rains, evening time we visited the backwaters of the Supa reservoir that extends miles together. Few persistent birds were hovering around for food and the rains never had an intention to go. Back at the camp, carrom and hot snacks kept us occupied until dinner time. You get the best treatment when there are no other guests and we just love it ;). Cozy beds, chill weather outside and time to snore with a plan to wake up early and hope the sun is out alteast the next day.

Next morning we decided to go near the bridge and catch some hornbills in flight. Rains delayed our departure and slowly the sun started showing himself throwing out the morning light. Midway enroute at the Ganeshgudi bus stand circle, we stopped as we could see few hornbills around. It was here, there, front, back all around on all possible trees and this made it difficult for us to shoot. Handheld shooting with the 100-400 lens is still an issue for me as slight imbalance creeps in and the shot blurs off, Im trying hard to avoid this trying different angles and capturing multiple shots.

The Malabar Pied hornbill, Malabar Grey hornbill, Jungle Mynah, Imperial Green Pigeon, Vernal hanging parrot, Pompadour green pigeon, White cheeked barbet, Sunbirds all were in plenty and made their presence felt. We had no luck near the bridge area and could not even spot a single hornbill over there. Mixed luck you can say!

More walks yielded no luck as the conditions being very overcast but soon we were able to spot couple of Malabar Giant Squirrels feeding on the roadside trees. An evening drive yeilded some more of the birds out to dry themselves as the rains had taken a break.

We checked out the next day early morning as we had drive back home the 500 kms and rest for the night. Enroute at Dharwar, we picked up kilos of the famous Babusingh Thakurs Dharwad Peda to relish upon.

Bird checklist:

Malabar Pied Hornbill

Malabar Grey Hornbill

Imperial Green Pigeon

Pompadour Green Pigeon

Vernal Hanging Parrot

White cheeked Barbet

White rumped Shama

Ruby throated Bulbul

Yellow browed Bulbul

Purple rumped Sunbird

Lotens Sunbird

Green bee eater

Red Wattled Lapwing

Grey Wattled Lapwing

Small blue Kingfisher

White breasted Kingfisher

Stork billed Kingfisher

Jungle Mynah

White rumped Munia

Brahminy Kite

Black winged Kite

and many others...

Route to Dandeli from Bangalore:

Bangalore - NH4 - Tumkur - Chitradurga - Davanagere - Ranebennur - Haveri - Hubli bypass - Dharwad bypass - Haliyal - Dandeli / Ganeshgudi (as of today excellent road condition).

Alternate route: Bangalore - NH4 - Tumkur - Davanagere - Haveri - Bankapura toll - Mundgod - Kalghatgi - Haliyal - Dandeli / Ganeshgudi (from Bankapura toll to Haliyal, roads are in dire straits and not advised to take this route during the night).

Accomodation: Kulgi Nature camp - 08284 231585

JLR Old Magazine House - Ganeshgudi - http://www.junglelodges.com/

Care for the nature and the nature cares for you!

Ganeshgudi - JLR Old Magazine House camp

Read the Part I here... Ganeshgudi – A wonderful getaway place

A place we would have rued missing. As per our Anveshane II plans, Ganeshgudi was not even in our thinking, but last minute glitches made me call JLR and enquiring for bookings at Ganeshgudi JLR. As we were / are budget conscious and Ganeshgudi is the only place where dormitory bookings are available we booked four beds for 2 nights at 900/- per person through the online booking portal www.junglelodges.com.

We were 4 of us travelling in our Alto car and the previous day we checked into State lodge @ Dandeli town with the intention of safari / bird watching there. Rains throughout the day marred our plans; still we did some birding @ the department Timber Yard (Forest office) and also the safari in the Dandeli Anshi Tiger reserve irrespective of the rains. Hornbills were a pleasure to watch in the timber yard but no sightings in the reserve, only rains and rains.

3rd Oct 2009 - We checked in to Jungle lodges at Ganeshgudi after driving the 35 odd kms from Dandeli, the road stretch was ok if not great! The place, environment, surroundings cast a spell on us as soon as we landed there and the warm welcome extended spiced up our moods to no end. Being a weekend the bookings were full and ours were the last 4 beds booked there. Rains were plying intermittently with no respite and instantly we decided on relaxing and enjoying if the same weather continued, meanwhile we were getting news of floods marooning Karnataka which was a worrying factor.

After a heavy tasty lunch, birding was the only activity we did around the place carrying an umbrella wherever we went. We walked around the place and on to the main road till we were tired and got some good shots of the sunbird couple over there. Evening time it was a good meeting over tea with few of the other nature lovers who were camping there and exchanges of ideas on photography tips and bird ID’s. The Black Panther sighting was the hot topic for discussion. In this camp, Tarantula giant spiders (I hope the naming is right) and a Scorpion family are residents near to the walk way and they are primarily nocturnal. So carrying a huge torch, using the flash and capturing them on the cameras was the routine in the evenings. The aura is such that after 6 pm, it gets so dark and with absolutely no vehicular movement to disturb your ears, and as we are been used to honking and traffic all day, you feel like you are in heaven! The day ends by 6pm when darkness engulfs and there is nothing to do except gulping down KF or savage on the dinner served.

--> Tarantula spider above; Scorpion below <--

4th Oct 2009 - eventful day – The rains had slightly let up in the morning after lavishing the entire night and we could see the bright sun poking in between the trees assuring us of some bright day and time for activities. We drove till the bridge across the Supa River for some bird watching (mainly for the hornbills) and yes we got to see the Malabar Pied flying just above our heads crossing the stream. The big Black Eagle too made its presence felt with a distant sighting only. Near the bridge, there is a small path leading to the rafting point through an estate, we just walked through the path for some distance and birding was very eventful there with many to see and lots to hear.

--> Fairy Blue Bird above; Malabar Pied Hornbill below <--

We rushed back for the breakfast (how can we ever miss it) and all the other guests were leaving, and so @ lunch time, we only 4 of us were there as guests (Also new bookings for the day was cancelled because of the incessant rains and floods that was creating havoc everywhere). With nothing to do, we chose to walk or rather trek around the JLR camp on a path nonexistent with the able guidance of the JLR staff Joma. He was such a wonderful person having a keen interest in bird watching, guiding and helping us all along the way. Salutes to the senior citizen!

--> Yellow browed Bulbul above <--

At his age he was so agile and full of zeal and enthusiasm and he could quickly spot the birds hearing the calls among the greens with precision and we would just be searching where where! May his tribe increase and wish to have more of his guidance and expertise on our next visit to Ganeshgudi. Again heavy meal and some rest, later in the evening we went near the Supa dam area and walked around the banks for some good Hornbill sightings. But rains, rains and rains marred our plans, still we walked around the banks and finally came back retiring for the day. Around the campus are, the Malabar Whistling Thrush was stalking me through the evening but unfortunately never ever got to see it!

5th Oct 2009 - The last half a day at this wonderful place and we were already convinced we had to be here back soon. Our initial idea of Rafting at Ganeshgudi was out of the window because of rains and water not being released from the Supa dam. Birding in the rain was not that fun as they tend not to come out and managing your cameras and umbrella together is a tough task, and the happiest ones are the leeches who relish rains and they are practically everywhere. After a good hot cup of tea we chose to be driven to the backwaters and the viewpoint nearby. One of the viewpoints is on the roadside that offers an endless view of the water everywhere, and we got to know that 4 rivers join into the backwaters. Supa dam is the second largest in the state and has got a huge catchment area of 1057 sq. kms and it serves as a storage area for 4 other dams constructed at lower heights. So water is released only when the 4 dams need them and rafting is possible only then! Being adventurous we chose to walk amidst the dense growth to a watch tower in the middle of nowhere overlooking the backwaters. The sight was simply amazing, greenery all along one side and water on the other as far as you can see. Leeches, Wood spiders and many others were present all along the way and it was a good walk amongst the dense Western Ghats range.

Came back and were treated to a royal mouth watering breakfast and later we bid goodbye to the team who were so courteous, generous and hospitable. But one thought that ringed through my mind all along was – Why are there no dormitories in other JLR properties? Thanks to Joma, Pundalik, Praveen, Mohan (regret I can’t recollect all the names!) for making our stay a memorable one.

The list of our sightings went something like this…1.Malabar Pied Hornbill 2.Malabar Trogan 3.Malabar Whistling thrush (only calls) 4.Indian Grey Hornbill 5.Purple Rumped Sunbird 6.Loten’s Sunbird 7.White Cheeked Barbet 8.Orange Minivets 9.Racket tailed Drongo 10.Rose ringed Parakeet 11.Weaver bird 12.Golden Flameback Woodpecker 13.Green Pigeon 14.Indian Robin 15.Brahminy Kite 16.Black Eagle 17.Yellow Wagtail 18.Golden fronted Leafbird 19.Oriental white eye 20.Heart spotted Woodpecker 21.White breasted Kingfisher 22.Swift 23.Red Whiskered Bulbul 24.Tarantula spider 25.Scorpion 26.Yellow browed Bulbul 27.Fairy Bluebird 28.Giant Wood Spiders and more...

Part III continued here...

Care for the nature and the nature cares for you!