Ruminations - Travel: Masinagudi - Wildlife Sanctuary in the foothills of Nilgiris (Tamil Nadu)

Looking for a jungle getaway, that too in the foothills of Nilgiris?
A short drive allows you to explore the beautiful hill station of Ooty as well?

Masinagudi in the Madhumalai Jungle is the right choice baby !!

Though I have been to forest reserves and sanctuaries in the norther part of India, nothing matches the beauty and excitement of sanctuaries down South- mesmerizing, unexplored and unspoiled.

There is a contiguous forest belt- Bandipur (Karnataka)- Madumalai (Tamil Nadu)- Waynad (Kerela) with unmatched plethora of flora and fauna. So in essence the same forest area is named differently across three different states.

Masinagudi is mere 250 km from Bangalore. We followed the Bangalore- Mysore- Bandipur- Masinagudi route. Took about 5 hours. To beat the traffic we started early around 5 AM .
Breakfast was bread , tomato and cheese omelette and tea prepared by me.

Bandipur entry point

Here, we have reached the Bandipur Tiger reserve. I liked the entry point, kind of blending in with the environment. Also very symbolic as this is one of the most popular tiger reserves in the southern part of the country. Also, i read that this was the erstwhile hunting ground for the Mysore royalty.

Elephant Zone

As you can see from the board this is a major elephant sighting area. We have seen them crossing the road umpteen times. Be cautious when they have their little ones along. The parents are very protective of the baby elephants. And right of road, of course , lies with the elephants !!

I simply love driving through this area..always alert as to what I could spot. With my camera in ready position...

Lo and behold..my prayers were answered with deer spotting..I always find their presence very benign and they are always ready to grace us with photo opportunities..

Here we leave state of Karnataka

Here we cross over into the state of Tamil Nadu

This is an old bridge we cross over from

Herd of elephants greet us in the state of Tail Nadu

As you can see, we have entered the Mudhumalai forest reserve. This again, is a tiger reserve.

The sanctuary is divided into five ranges – Masinagudi, Thepakadu, Mudumalai, Kargudi and Nellakota.

Masinagud- destination reached !!

We called the manager in-charge of the resort we had booked to ask for the directions.

Atlast we see the board guiding towards the Wild Inn resort- our abode for the night!

Our resort with the beautiful Nilgiris in the backdrop

Our room- on the first floor

Room with a view- beautiful balcony overlooking the wilderness

Happy to be here amidst nature

Our lunch- chicken curry and roti

We had our lunch , rested for a while took the car out for a spin. This was our first visit so we wanted to explore. But on subsequent visits I would love to curl up with a book in the afternoon.
The birds chirping outside provide such an amazing ambiance. So no switching on the TV for me in such areas.

As the sun went down we went for a small trek. There was a village nearby

Our resort looks beautiful with the Nilgiris casting a bluish hue

I was really enjoying on the swing and did not feel like going to my room

Sun has made way for the moon..time to chill and relax !

The resort was well constructed and the service was good. There was a bon fire in the night with blasting music. Not my idea of fun in the jungle . Would have still been ok if they would have wound up by 12 AM..no they continued till the wee hours of the morning. I think the management has to be a little sensitive to the fact that some people need to sleep as well.

Day breaks and we are on our way back to Bangalore..