Supa Dam Reservoir

After a stay at Kabini JLR an invitation to visit ganeshgudi didn’t tempt me assuming the place to be a luxury resort. In contrast to my thinking, Ganeshgudi turned to be a quaint little place tucked to the rim with wildlife and fun. Beautiful is this place and amazing are the people and their hospitality.

Placid backwaters of Supa Dam

A creative person’s paradise and an adventure buff’s playground Ganeshgudi has something for all. Wild life safaris, trekking, rafting, kayaking, coracle ride, nature trails make a fun packed holidays at ganeshgudi. One can lie on the hammock and spend endless hours in nature’s lap.

Old Magazine House - JLR Karnataka

The serene land of hills and water has green canopy stretched far and wide. Ganeshgudi receives very heavy rainfall and therefore thick forests. The Old magazine house, a JLR resort is one such place which would remain a nostalgia for everyone- a rustic, weather beaten setup in the deep woods, an ideal place for bird watchers.The silence of the night is intermittently broken by the cries of the wild. The barking deer, the monkeys and the wild dogs visit very near the campus. Black leopard is a beauty of this region and often spotted by localites

Ruby Throated Bulbul

A plethora of birds visit here every season. From the reds to the yellows all colored feather are ganeshgudi’s own make. An unusual setup of bamboo benches below huge fig tree is a lovely place to idle time at Old Magazine house. One can sit here for hours sipping coffee and enjoying the colored feathered beauties.

Hornbills

The supa dam is an amazing place to veil time, the blue green water of the Supa dam cast a spell and one can lose sense of time admiring it. The little huts stacked on hills and the smoke rising from their chimneys completes the countryside view.

Supa Dam backwaters

Ganeshgudi remains my favorite and I am waiting for another opportunity to be there. Make it a point to stay at the Old magazine house whenever you go there. Old Magazine house is a setup of only 5 cottages and a Dormitory, so one has to book well in advance.

For more photos of Ganeshgudi - http://www.myodysseys.com/Trips/Karnataka/ganeshgudi/ganeshgudi.html

Places near Ganeshgudi - Dandeli , Karvar

Flower bed at Kas plateau

The verdant green hills, overlooking dam water and valley, the vast stretches of pasteurs, the countryside houses, the shepherds and their flock, and the rich carpet of flower beds will be there to welcome you.

Shepherd at Yavteshwar Plateau

Kas is a huge plateau in Satara. A majestic land of flower meadows, dwindling sun and mist bathed valley . Kas plateau is 20 minutes drive from Satara city. A drive which will take you from the hum drum of the city to a countryside unexplored. The vast green lawns intermittent with the colourful flower beds is a pleasing sight to the eyes.The kas lake is crystal clear lake and s surrounded on all sides by small hills. The crystal clear waters of the lake reflect the colours of the sky .

Kas Lake

Kas can be reached through Satara. Kas is a isolated land and therefore one has to rely on private means of transport for reaching here. Kas Plateau also offers an unhindering view of the shivsagar dam reservoir. The entire region will leave you spellbound ,with layers and layers of hills and the dam water snaking between.One can idle hours sitting and enjoying the calmness of this place. A lone vehicle might frequent here once in a while.

Wild flowers at Kas Plateau

The best season to visit Kas is post monsoons for the natural exhibit of wild flowers . In monsoons the entire region is enveloped in layers of mist, but a gentle wind can make you witness the hidden beauty. A huge variety of wild flowers sprout here every monsoons and therefore is a good study ground for botanists.

Kas Plateau

Yavteshwar plateau is the plateau adjoining Kas plateau but placed at a little lower altitude.Yavteshwar plateau gives a distant view of beautiful Sajjangad fort and the shivsagar dam reservoir.

Yavteshwar Plateau

Other places that can be visited around Kas are - Sajjangad fort , Ajinkyatara fort Yavteshwar Plateau , Chalkewadi, & Thoseghar Waterfalls.

For more pictures visit - http://www.myodysseys.com/Trips/Maharashtra/Satara%20Kas/satara.html

Walking along the mist laden coffee plantations

The coorgiese welcome you for homestay which is luxurious in its own way. We prefered a homestay which was very basic one in Madikeri. Our landlady was was very down to earth and served as a good host. The rich, delicious finger smacking meals is a speciality of Coorg and I thoroughly enjoyed every morsel.The dinners were early as darkness sneaked in by late evening and so the fear of leopards. A leopard pug marks were visible near my homestay just a week before I stayed. The erriie of the night brought thousands of fireflies who displayed a wonderful performance of light.

Homestay at Madikeri , Coorg

With Nagarhole and Wynad Sanctuary so close , I was definately a part of the wilderness. The occasional rain showers and the clouds stooping low made this place look magical. A walk through the coffee plantations , sitting and idling hours doing some creative thinking was my agenda for the days I stayed here.

A spotted deer at Nagarhole Sanctuary

The bramhagiri forest range displays a beautiful frame with clouds stooping low and an evergreen forest.The bramhagiri forest range envelops the shola forest range which is a very rarely known forest type. The shola forest offers different bio-diversity and is a hot place for study & research for naturalist. The Irpu waterfalls which emerge from the Bramhagiris is a known picnic location amongst localites. Irpu waterfalls is also known as Lakshmana teertha falls.

Irpu Waterfall

The climate of Coorg is alluring. Coorg is nostalgic and one visit here will tempt you in revisiting this place.The Dubare elephant Camp , Namdroling Monastery, Nagarhole Wildlife Sanctuary and Wynad Sanctuary are some of the interestting places around Coorg.

For more photos on Coorg and nearby locations visit - http://www.myodysseys.com/Trips/Karnataka/Coorg/Coorg.html