Bhadra Wildlife Santuary

Situated 38 kilometers from the Chikmagalur town, very much still in Karnataka is the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary. A must-see sightseeing place it offers wildlife lovers a truly unforgettable experience. A habitat for diverse flora and fauna, it lays nestled in the Western Ghats, spanning an impressive 490 sq km expanse. The Bhadra River flows across the landscape interrupting the lush, green forests and whistling soothingly. This is how it got its name, from the river.

It is elevated 750-1875 meters above sea level. Am absolutely stunning sight is the lofty hill range surrounded by lush, green vegetation on all sides. Dry deciduous and moist forest make up most of the vegetation.

In 1998 it was declared as the 25th Project Tiger of India and boasts of a substantially high tiger population. Endangered species like the Malabar Giant Squirrel and orangutan are housed here. It is also a habitat for reptiles like the Indian Rock Python and the King Cobra. Other animals found here include wild dog, barking deer, elephant, sloth bear, porcupine, wild boar, mouse deer, gaur, black leopard, spotted deer, sambar, common langur, jackal, jungle cat, black panther, common palm civet, bonnet macaque, small Indian civet, slender loris, pangolin, flying squirrel, leopard cat, rusty-spotted cat, ruddy mongoose, stripe-necked mongoose, otters.

Painted bush quail, southern green imperial pigeon, ruby-throated pitbull, red spurfowl, shama, grey junglefowl, Malabar Trogon are some of the 300 avian fauna that frolic in the lands of the sanctuary.

The crimson rose butterfly, bamboo tree brown, blue pansy and yamfly are the butterfly species that flutter around Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary.

Over here there are more than 120 species of trees that are grown. Interspersed with dry deciduous trees, moist deciduous trees and semi-evergreen trees and these serve as a natural habitat for various avian fauna. Jagara, a giant teak tree estimated to be around 300 years old is a main attraction of the sanctuary. Commonly observed species include kadam, thaasal, simpoh, rosewood, fig tree, indigo, jalari, crepe myrtle, teak, Indian laurel, kindal, white teak, toddy palm, Ceylon oak, axle wood.

Lakkavali and Muthodi are the 2 main reserves in this area. Standing at a whopping 1875 m, Kallahathigiri is the highest peak in the sanctuary.

There is a wide array of activities that one might indulge in such as rock climbing or trekking along the 3.5 km trail or a jeep safari or bird watching or even water sports at river Bhadra like boating and island camping.

As exciting as all of this sounds, there are a few things to be kept in mind like the poor mobile connectivity in some areas due to the density of the forests. The surrounding areas have several cell network towers with good service across Chikmagalur.

The on-site medical facilities team has been well trained in physical injuries but the nearest hospital is 15 km from the sanctuary.

Do not forget to take protective items like mosquito or insect repellent and a cap or sunglasses with you. Another fantastic idea is a pair of binoculars as birds and even animals hide in trees or away from the trail the jeeps tread on making them harder to spot.