We are covering here top 10 one day wildlife getaways (vacation or holiday or picnic spots) from Bangalore – that are at a driving distance from Bangalore where you can drive to and get back the same day. I will cover all of top 10 wildlife spots in 3 parts, with this covering the top 3 spots and the next 2 ensuing blogs covering the next 3 and the next 4 respectively!!

The first three are covered here. The next three follows:

4. Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary

Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area located in the Mandya, Chamarajanagar and Ramanagara districts of Karnataka. The Cauvery River passes through its midst. It was established in 1987. The Sanctuary spans an area of 1027.535 square kilometers. On its east, it adjoins Dharmapuri forest division of Tamil Nadu state. The central and eastern parts of the sanctuary are well forested, Hogenakkal falls (Smoking rock in Kannada), Mekedatu (Goat’s leap), Sangam (The point where the Arkavathi river joins the Cauvery) and Muthathi (The religious place where lord Anjaneya temple is situated) are of cultural, historical and tourist interest. The eastern part of the sanctuary is completely bounded by the state of Tamil Nadu. After the reorganization of the Forest department, separate wildlife division has been formed to manage the sanctuary with Deputy Conservator of Forests, being posted at Kanakapura. Four wildlife ranges have been created under this division i.e. Kanakapura, Hanur, Caudally and MM Hills wildlife ranges.

Distance from Bangalore: 104 kms or approx 2 hrs and 30 minutes

How to get there: Either you take the Nice road, exit to Kanakapura Road, pass Kanakapura to Malavalli and exit towards the Bheemeshwari and sign boards are there. It is around 26 kms from Malavalli; Or Take the Mysore Road to Channapatna and take a left turn towards Malavalli/Halagur. Turn off at Halagur, and go down the Halagur – Muthathi road. On the way you will come across direction boards to  Bheemeshwari or Galibore or Muthathi.

(Google Map Coordinates:  12.313067, 77.280594)

What to do there? Since the area of the sanctuary as a whole is highly undulating with hills and valleys the major activity of ecotourism is trekking in the jungle.  Wildlife Safari, Trekking, Coracle ride, Bird Watching, Day Visit, Nature Walk, Elephant Rides, Kayaking, Mountain Biking, Water Rafting etc.

Wildlife: Mammals that are spotted around the Camp include leopard, elephants, wild pigs, sambar, spotted deers, the highly endangered grizzled giant squirrel, Malabar giant squirrel and jackals. Reptiles that can be sighted are marsh crocodile, turtles (Leith’s Softshell Turtle, an endemic species is found in these waters), chameleon, python, cobra, russell’s viper and banded krait. However, the Mahseer fish is the main attraction of the waters of River Cauvery. Over 200 species of birds have been identified around the camp. Among the water-based birds, you can spot the grey-headed fishing eagle, spot billed duck, small pied kingfisher, black-bellied river tern, osprey, and many more. There are also a number of rare land-based birds such as the honey buzzard, tawny eagle, pied crested cuckoo, etc.

Best Time to Visit: August to March

Places to Stay: This is a one day trip from Bangalore but to get the maximum experience better to book a daylong package with the below or if required stay back for a night:

1. Galibore Nature Camp by Jungle Lodges – Coracle Ride, Trekking, Nature Walk, Bird Watching, Rafting (Approx. 100kms from Bangalore)
2. Bheemeshwari Nature and Adventure Camp by Jungle Lodges – Trekking, Coracle Ride, Bird-Watching, Mountain Biking, Zipline, Rafting, Kayaking, Parallel Walk/Rope Walk (Approx. 100kms from Bangalore)
3. Bush Betta Fishing Camp, Kanakpura (Seasonal & not open round the year – please check with them)

There are some forest department accommodations too: 1. Muthathi  – one inspection bunglow, one loghut, two cottages and one dormitory; 2. Gopinatham Forest department – there is one old IB of having two rooms for accommodation.

Nearby Spots: Shivanasamudra, Talakad, Somanathapura, Srirangapatna, Kokrebellur Bird Sanctuary, Sangam, Galibore Fishing Camp, Bheemeshwari, Muthathi and Sangama, Mekedatu of Kanakapura Wildlife Range, Hogenakkal falls and Gopinatham in M.M.Hills Wildlife Range. Gopinatham, a village about 12 kms away from Hogenakkal Falls is a picturesque location having a big lake in the valley portion of towering hills.

(To know more details of the destination, & for a complete listing of all resorts along with all attributes, contact info, to book and also to know nearby spots and lot more, register for the app “WildTrails of India” at [email protected])

5. Kaggaladu Bird Sanctuary

The Kaggaladu Bird Sanctuary is the second largest painted storks sanctuary in South Asia, right after Kokkare Bellur. The place is a must visit for bird watchers, as the beautiful birds can be seen nesting in the region all through the peak season. The season starts in February and runs through till August. In August you can see the remaining few birds, or as the locals say, the lazy birds!

Kaggaladu is a village in the Sira Taluk of Tumkur District, and it is located around 130 km from Bangalore and is a mere 3-hour drive. Do make this visit during a weekend for a delightful experience in nature watching birds roosting.

Distance from Bangalore: 136 kms or approx. 2.15 hrs drive on the Bangalore-Tumkur highway.

How to get there: Take the Bangalore Tumkur (same as Bangalore-Pune or NH4) Highway, cross Tumkur & Sira and reach Tavarekere (this is approx 19kms from Sira on the same highway) and at Tavarekere take an exit towards Gajjarahalli/Badakanahalli and the sanctuary is just 7.5 kms from the highway (from Tavarekere) on this road.

(Google Map Coordinates:  13.813963, 76.858371)

What to do there?  You will get to see the birds ofcourse dotting almost all of the trees in the village. Don’t forget to take your camera.

Wildlife: Painted Storks, Grey Herons, Blackbucks and Great indian bustard (very rare). It has been observed that, many birds of the foreign origin also migrate to Kaggaladu during the nestling season

Timings:  No special timings as it’s a village and you can go any time but try to be early in the morning and leave early. Even early evenings are good.

Fee: No fee as it’s a village.

Best Time to Visit: February to August

Where to Stay?: You can wrap this up easily in a day from Bangalore but if you wish to stay overnight, unfortunately there are no lodging at this tiny village, and you have to stay over either at Tumkur or Sira.

Nearby Spots: The Kallambella Wetland, where you can see the beautiful and elegant waterfowl, The Seebe Temple at the village of Seebe, The distinctive Mughal architecture of the Mughal period, in the town of Sira

(To know more details of the destination, & for a complete listing of all resorts along with all attributes, contact info, to book and also to know nearby spots and lot more, register for the app “WildTrails of India” at [email protected])

6. Ramanagar Vulture Sanctuary

Karnataka’s only vulture sanctuary is present near Ramnagar at Ramadevara pada and has up to 25 critically-endangered Long-billed vultures (Gyps indicus). The 346.41 hectares of hillock area, part of a reserve forest, was declared a sanctuary on January 30, 2012 and chain-link fencing was done. The hill gets its name from the temple dedicated to Lord Rama which is situated atop this hill. The hill Ramadevara pada, along with Savandurga was one of the shooting locations for David Lean’s A Passage to India. Small door like grottoes were made in the rock to resemble caves. It was also in this region that the path-breaking Hindi movie, Sholay, was shot.

Distance from Bangalore: 54 kms or approx 1.5 hrs drive on the Bangalore-Mysore highway.

How to get there: Take the Bangalore Mysore Highway, cross Bidadi and reach Ramanagara town. This is approx. 6km from Ramnagar town. (You should see sign boards in Ramanagar town) (From the town drive towards Majid Road and from there turn towards Railway Station Road; turn right to merge into MG Road, slight right onto NH 275 – pass the DC office – and turn left to Ramdevra Pada Bus stop and the destination is on the left)

(Google Map Coordinates:  12.755738, 77.300038)

What to do there?  You will get to see the birds on the hillock. Don’t forget to take your camera.

Wildlife: Endangered long billed Vultures

Timings:  No special timings as it’s a village and you can go any time but try to be early in the morning and leave early. Even early afternoons to evenings are good.

Fee: No fee as it’s a hillock near the village .

Best Time to Visit: Round the year

Where to Stay?: You can wrap this up easily in a day from Bangalore but if you wish to stay overnight, you have to stay over at Ramanagara.

To get the detailed info of the place, best season & time to visit, how to get there, safari details / boating/ trekking details, list of animals/birds you can expect to see there , entry/camera fees, and of course all of the accommodations nearby, please download the app or send us an inquiry:

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