Bheemeswari - Into The Wild

While the whole city lay slumbering, cozily curled up inside their warm blankies, thanking the blissfully exquisite Bangalore weather....we sneaked out silently....excitement of a jungle trip keeping us alert and awake ! Yup..it was 4.30 am on a sunday ! Armed with all the bare necessities of life, like water, food and snacks 😀😀, I was determined not to pit stop anywhere with human interaction...Irony of the time ! Humans scared of humans....What has the world come to....😒😒

Bheemeswari, a good patch of wilderness just 100 km from Bangalore, where River Cauvery flows vividly, creating whirlpools and small islets in its wake amidst forest full of wildlife - Yeaaa...that was our destination. We breezed through near-empty Bangalore roads - what a joy ! 😄😄😄 Bangaloreans will understand the happiness 🚗🚗

Bheemeswari lies in Malavalli Taluk, Mandya district of Karnataka and can be reached within 2.5 hours of pleasant drive through well laid roads. While driving from Bangalore, look out for the deviation on the left near Channapatna, off Mysore road. Keep your eyes wide open or you might just miss the dirty, worn out direction board. Google maps can be trusted here, completely.😉😉

After Halaguru, we enter the Basavanna Betta forest range leaving behind villages and villagers. Glide slowly once you enter the jungle road, so as not to scare away the wildlife and to feast your eyes on the greenery around. Owing to the rains in the last few days, the jungle looked lush and green. As we manoeuvred a bend, our eyes popped out ... Oh my my ! ...What a pretty amazing sight ! Peacocks and peahens in plenty....bang on the road. Before we could capture a pic, they scrambled into the forest alerted by the engine noise.... Awww....The beauty of nature.

We drove slowly feasting our eyes to the bountiful nature around displaying all shades of green. Spotted deer and several species of birds kept us company throughout. We parked the car near a small temple and ventured towards the river. But be warned - The river is infested with huge Crocs. Do not get close to or get into the water.

We explored the jungle safely, admiring creatures big and small. As the river flows over the rocks, it creates small islets and pools. We walked along the banks absorbing the serenity around us and my lil' teenager clicking innumerable pics of every insect, leaf, rock and twig she encountered. And suddenly a biggg Splaaashhh....and another ! What was that ? We strained our eyes in the direction of the sound - only to realise that there were crocodiles lazing on the small mounds in the middle of the river. They were camouflaged well and now, we have disturbed them with our presence...and Whoa...they started swimming fast towards us, with only the eyes above the water. What a sight ! My lil' girl's eyes were full of astonishment ! she was thrilled ! and why won't she be ...a thorough city-bred, she has not seen a big ant 😋

However, we moved away from the water, to the utter disappointment of the Croc 🐊🐊🐊. Huge trees with their roots snaking everywhere, with ample burrows, holes and dens for the creepy crawlies kept us occupied. We could see several chameleons, big lizards, small snakes scamper away as we walked through the dry leaves. Nevertheless to say, wear shoes that cover your feet well.

When our tummies started rumbling, we returned to the car, rolled up all the windows and opened the breakfast packets and hogged 😃 The rava ildis and spicy tomato chutney tasted heavenly. A hot ☕ would have completed the spread....fine...It has to wait until we get back home....

We drove till the end of the jungle road and turned back when we spotted some houses. Herds of deer grazing on the sides were a treat to watch. A wild boar gave us an unamused look, when we passed by. But that is not the case with the curious monkeys...They simply jump all over, peeping through the glass and displaying their acrobatic skills on the rearview mirrors... They were an excited lot...They really enjoyed our presence 😁

We spent a wonderful couple of hours inside the wild and the memories of our escapade is etched strongly in our memories. And we started our drive back home, which took little longer, for obvious reasons. And thereby ends my story !

Click here to read on my other explorations, with map links and information to help you plan one yourselves!

A note for all those who wish to watch wildlife, not only here, but wherever - start early and reach the place before sunrise for the best views. As the movement of vehicles increase, animals wander deep into the jungles for their safety.

Jungle Lodges run an adventure camp here, which is quite popular with corporate team outings. These waters are home to Mahaseer fish and angling is a popular activity here along with coracle rides. The resort was closed when we visited the place, owing to lockdown rules.