An unique wedding gift to us –
one night stay at Galibore Fishing camp got us driving down to the venue on a
Saturday morning. Not far from Bangalore (100 kms) we started on our journey at
9 am after eating breakfast.
Being a weekend we reached
Kanakapura road in one and a half hour after than we resorted to asking
passer-bys for directions. There were direction signage’s 50 kms to the resort
which helped us reach the venue faster. The
last 10 kms was quite bumpy and required skillful driving on uneven mud and
pathway of stones. Since the resort is located in a jungle the natural habitat
is kept untouched.
We parked and were greeted by a friendly
staff member who welcomed us and took us to the office. After a quick hassle free
registration we were escorted to our individual cottage which overlooks the
river bank.
The camp initially allowed angling
of fishes where one could angle large masheers but the government has banned
fishing since 2011. Nevertheless the camp offers whole lot of fun activities
like Coracle rides, rafting (during season), trekking and nature walk.
There are 15 cottages which is
spacious with comfortable beds and very clean bathrooms. There are solar panels
hence there is power supply throughout the day.
A quick look around the place we
saw inviting hammocks around the place, swings not attached to metal but was
attached to tall strong trees and when you swung and looked up at the sky you
saw the sun sneaking through the wide branches of the deciduous forest. For sport enthusiasts there are badminton
rackets, volley ball and cycles available.
We were most excited to see the
rafting boats which were parked on the river bank and set our date for rafting
around 3.30pm. After a quick wash we were voraciously hungry and headed to the
Gol Ghar where a buffet lunch awaited us. The food was sumptuous and healthy
with a spread ranging from hot rotis, lots of vegetables, bowl of fruits and
dessert as well.
The camp was full and it was
delightful to see children running around exploring the swings and enjoying
nature. At sharp 3.30pm we were taken by jeep 6 kms upstream where we could
raft down. The best time to go rafting is during monsoons when the river is
full and rapids are high. We were lucky that it had rained the previous day and
Cauvery was at her mighty full (80 feet of water). Our instructors’ gave us
thorough instructions on how to navigate and use the paddles in the water. That
done we got into our rafts and set sail. The sight was one that gets itched in
your memory – cascading river flowing through dense forest and you are wading
through Mother Nature in a rubber raft – very different experience from driving
in traffic. There were high rapids the last one km stretch and it was fun going
up and down the rapids. At one point the instructors’ even made us jump into
the water so that we could overcome fear of water.
After a fun rafting experience we
had coffee and went on a different boat ride – Coracle ride. We were lucky to
spot crocodile taking in the sun – sunbathing I would call it. We were glad he
didn’t move after seeing us. We even spotted colorful Kingfisher and wild
pigeons across the bank.
As the sun set in jungle and
birds returned to the safety of their homes the guests gathered around camp
fire where we snacked on barbequed chicken and munched on peanuts.
After yet another pleasing dinner
we retired to the cottage so that we can wake up fresh and early for our nature
walk. One can opt for a mountain hike as well where you can see a beautiful
view of the forest and experience strong wind. That’s how the place got its
name – ‘ Gali’ means wind and ‘bore’ is rock. We wanted to spot animals hence
chose nature walk – our must see animal on the trip was the endangered giant
squirrel. Our guide took us to the berry tree and assured us that squirrel will
definitely come here as this was his favourite fruit. And sure enough we heard rustling
of branches and a giant squirrel jumped from tree top to reach his favourite
tree. As he munched on his breakfast we took some pictures and set off on our
walk.
We spotted colorful Kingfisher on
the river bank, a search for crocodiles didn’t leave us disappointed as we saw
one receding into the water (we only had time to take a pic of his tail as he
entered water). Further up the walk further away from us we saw a group of
spotted deer running deep into the forest. At a distance we heard the screams
of a mother bird who was protecting her chicks from a preying owl.
Our guide showed us huge pits in
the ground which he said was dug by wild boars. We saw many paw prints
belonging to boars, deer’s, also a trail mark where crocodile slid by earlier
and lot dung droppings.
After a satisfactory walk we
headed back to the cottage and gorged on heavy breakfast. After another round
of coffee we recounted our walk with fellow guests.
It was time to head back to the
grind and we reluctantly packed our bags. We agreed that this trip was relaxing
and definitely recharged us. A great trip with sweet memories just like how it
is meant to be.
Location: Kanakapura Road
Directions: Come towards
Banshankari and drive straight on Kanakapura Road towards Sangam
Tips: Carry torch which will come
handy in the night, comfortable shoes for trekking, don’t leave the cottage
unlocked as there are lot of monkeys’ who are very skillful in opening doors
http://www.junglelodges.com/galibore-nature-camp
No comments:
Post a Comment