Dubare Elephant Camp - Karnataka

Published in "Discover India"

Far From the Madding Crowd

Nothing can parallel the joy of romancing with the waters, whether waltzing under a heavy downpour or plunging into the beach waters riding the lashing waves that come one upon the other in huge successions. And here in Dubare, not to let go this aqueous pleasure, we prepare ourselves for rafting on the Cauvery. Initially our heart is in our hands as we hear out the instructions and don our safety gear – life jackets, head gear and all. Oars in hand, taking our position in the rafts, six to one excluding our expert, we areready to battle the rapids. Following a slow and comforting start, we suddenly find ourselves, (I guess I’ve let my imagination run wild, this being my first attempt at the rapids), deep in the arms of an ocean, much to the amusement of my young nieces and nephews. We have a whale of time fighting the frothy rapids, bobbing up with the swell now and floating now with the simmering river. A good two hours later, we groggily alight from our rafts, hair disheveled, eyes red and a roaring belly.

Welcome to Jungle Lodges Dubare Elephant Camp, in the heart of Coorg or the Kodagu District of Karnataka, 30 km away from Madikeri (formerly Mercara) its headquarters. The resort, set in rustic environs in a small island formed by the Cauvery River, in the midst of lush deciduous trees, boasts ten cottages that are modest in décor and offer modern conveniences to make one’s stay comfortable. Away from the humdrum and frenetic pace of urban life, Dubare is a welcome haven, an unpretentious luxury for the bone and brain-weary. 

We warm to the sounds of the jungle even as the gurgling Cauvery provides the background score to this soothing symphony that we city dwellers have ceased to listen. Birds in a medley of colors and sizes add to the rhythm as they soar and scoop down to their perch on the thick foliages. The place, as are several other spots in Coorg, is flooded with leeches in addition to other slinking, scuttling creatures that could give the faint-hearted a wee jolt initially. Soon we realize we have become one with them, even if it means getting those sensationless-pricks from them every now and then. As we continue to explore the verdant sprawl, we leave trails of oozing blood, the only evidence that our newfound friends have taken due advantage of our cordiality and feasted on us.

The shutterbug in me, for a change, refuses to click away at Dubare. I feel I’d rather soak in, breathe in if possible, the primeval beauty of the place, of its entrancing environs and capture its essence in my heart and soul rather than on the lens. I am content just to be, mesmerized by the rare silence except for the ambient sounds of the jungle. I greedily inhale lungsful of fresh air as I bask in the glory of my surrounds.

Of the several elephant camps spread throughout Karnataka, Dubare enjoys the place of pride historically. When the Maharajahs held sway over Mysore Dubare served as the training grounds for the pachyderms that are the centre of attraction during the renowned and spectacular Mysore Dussehra festivities. 

The elephants, the major crowdpullers at Dubare, are full of fun and frolic, but mind you they are certainly creatures of the times. Yeah, these gentle giants demand to have their privacy too, scampering away to catch some solitary moments, away from the madding crowd that showers too much attention on them. Wisps of clouds drift through the sky causing the sun to play hide-and-seek as we begin our interactions with the huge mammals. We have a trained naturalist tell us just about everything that we wish to known about these animals. Under their supervision, we bathe them, their skin feeling rough under our ‘delicate’ palms, even as they drench us with trunks full of water. It is then time to serve them a breakfast of bananas and sugarcane. With a graceful swish of their trunks they devour these along with coconuts tossed by the mahouts. As we joyfully complete these ‘chores’, it is time for the elephant safari. 

Riding the elephant, we snake our way through winding tunnels of foliaceous trees that display their green garb in every shade and variation. Our mahout tells us that if we are lucky we could spot some wild creatures, at least the bison and sambhar deer if not the prized larger jungle dwellers, the tiger and its other feline family. Lady Luck, however, chooses not to favour us. But we are treated to a visual feast in the species of birds that we get to see – kingfishers, woodpeckers, patridges and more. We are so overwhelmed by the avian dramatics above, that we stash away our digital companions as if by reflex action and simply drink in the rare, awe-inspiring histrionics that nature unravels before us.

We wind up the day watching a film show at the Gol Ghar that doubles up as a restaurant serving mouth-watering South and North Indian delicacies, mostly vegetarian. We unfortunately miss the campfire due to the incessant drizzle but repair for the day with a sense of fulfillment.

 

Activities that are worth pursuing apart from the Elephant Interactions and rafting down the Cauvery:

Guided Treks in the neighbourhood

Mountain Biking

Pleasure fishing

Rock Climbing

Bird Watching with naturalists

Rafting Season: From mid-June to mid-September during the monsoons

The rafting starts near Dubare and concludes at a distance of 11 km at Kushalnagar, Madapattana..

Factfile

Getting There :

By Road: 250 km from Bengaluru and takes 6 hours to reach. Good motorable roads for most part of the journey. Bengaluru – Ramanagar – Mandya – Mysore bypass – Hunsur bypass – Kushalnagar – Dubare.

By Rail: Mysore is the nearest railway station, 114 km away from Coorg.

Tariffs and Packages:

(Per Person Per Night on Twin Sharing): Rs.2250. The package includes stay, breakfast, lunch and dinner; elephant interaction, jeep safari into the Dubare forest, coracle ride, bird watching, trekking and taxes. Children under 12 accompanying parents get 50% discount.

Elephant Activities: Rs.300 per person.  This includes interactive experience with camp elephants, elephant ride and tea.

Day Visit: Rs.700 per person Package includes Lunch, Tea/Coffee, coracle ride, guided trekking, elephant ride, camera fees and taxes.

Reservations:
Mailing: Jungle Lodges & Resorts Ltd., back of Shrungar Shopping Centre, 2nd floor, near India Coffee House, M. G. Road., Bangalore 560001 Phone: 080/2559-7021/24/25;

Website: www.junglelodges.com