We did this 2 days 1 night road trip to the River Tern Lodge - that is part of the Jungle Lodges & Resorts near Lakkavalli - during the independence day week-end last week.
Amidst the western ghats of India, the River Tern Lodge of Jungle Lodges & Resorts is located on an attractive hillock, right at the edge of and overlooking the Bhadra River and Dam, and adjoining the Bhadra Tiger Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary. Overall the trip was very exciting and the location of the resort simply superb.
As usual I got the due regular service done for my car 2 days before the trip, so it was a good drive all through.
We took the following route both up and down: Bannerghatta road, NICE road, Tumkur road, Tumkur, Gubbi, Tiptur, Arsikere, Banavara, Kadur, Birur, Tarikere, Lakkavalli. Bangalore to Tumkur is NH-4. Tumkur to Tarikere is NH-206, a.k.a. Bangalore-Honnavar (or BH) road. The one-way distance from Bangalore to Lakkavalli is 288 KM. Our onward drive took 7 hours end-to-end, including a breakfast stop and other minor photo click slowdowns.
Here is an active Google map you can click and browse through.
Click here to View a Larger Map on Google Maps page
Given below is a quick run down of our onward drive schedule on 13/Aug/11 (Sat.).
06:25 AM - Departure from Bommanahalli.
06:40 AM - Fuel topped up at Bannergatta road.
07:05 AM - Entered NICE road toll gate at Gottigere; big rush and hence a long queue.
07:35 AM - Exited from NICE road on to Tumkur road, and drove towards Tumkur on NH-4.
08:40 AM - Stopped at Kamat Upachar on the left hand side, about 10 KM before Tumkur, for breakast.
09:00 AM - Started from Kamat Upachar, continued on NH-4.
09:10 AM - Right after the toll-gate at Tumkur entrance, turned left on to by-pass road, drove all the way and turned left to get on NH-206, and drove towards Gubbi.
09:40 AM -Passed Gubbi.
10:05 AM - Passed the overhead rope-cart Heidelberg Cements (formerly Mycem / Mysore Cements) operating across the road at Ammasandra / Adityapatna.
10:50 AM - Passed Arsikere. Roads are narrow and bad from Arsikere to Banavara. Some widening work is in slow progress though.
11:55 AM - Passed Kadur.
12:10 PM - Passed Birur.
12:40 PM - Passed Tarikere. After the exit arch at the other side of Tarikere, turned left towards Lakkavalli.
01:15 PM - Reached River Tern Lodge.
The River Tern Lodge
'River Tern' is the name of a bird in the 'tern' family, and is said to be residing along rivers. It is also said that they can be sighted during summer time in this area. Rightly, we did not spot even one during out 20+ hour stay here.
The way the River Tern Lodge is designed and laid-out spread across two hillocks and connected by a wooden bridge across the flowing Dam water under it, is its speciality. The cottages are all on the slopes of the hillocks, with balconies overlooking the water in the Dam. During our stay, there was gushing winds channeling through between the hillocks that caused continuous waves in the Dam water, making it appear like a sea shore. The sound of water all the time on top of the ambience here is the icing on the cake. If you are staying in a cottage on the main hillock itself where the reception and dining hall (named Gol Ghar) are located, then you are surely missing out. If you stay in a cottage on the second hillock, then you got your money's worth. Crossing the wooden bridge over the water every time, and climbing up and down the winding foot paths and steps amongst the dense trees in the slopes, all those make you enjoy the unique setting here. Though, we heard some people complaining that it is too far to walk from the cottage to the dining hall etc. - surely, they did not see the speciality of the place!
There are no TVs, telephones, newspapers, etc. in the cottage. They do have a water heater, a/c (added recently), and an electric kettle with complementary coffee, tea, sugar sachets for helping ourselves.
At River Tern Lodge also, Jungle Lodges & Resorts, as per their standard norm in all their other outfits in Karnataka, offer 'per-person package' that includes 1-night stay, three meals (lunch, dinner, breakfast - all buffet), open-jeep safari in Bhadra wildlife sanctuary, boat safari on the Bhadra river cum reservoir, etc. A range of water sports are available at extra cost.
The schedule at River Tern Lodge is something like this:
Day One
12 noon - Check-in
01:30 p.m. - Lunch
04:00 p.m. - Safari briefing with Tea / Coffee
04:30 p.m. - Drive to Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary
07:30 p.m. - Wildlife film show
08:30 p.m. - Campfire and Barbecue
09:30 p.m. - Dinner
Day Two
06:00 a.m. - Wake-up call, Tea / Coffee
06:30 a.m. - Guided trekking or Boating
09:30 a.m. - Breakfast
11:00 a.m. - Check-out
The water based activities such as sailing, kayaking, water cycle, water trampoline, water sea-saw are subject to weather conditions and are offered at extra cost.
Cottage was superb. Food was great. Safaris were exciting and memorable. Being a peak monsoon season, we were worried about rain, but, luckily for us, on those 2 days it only drizzled a couple of times. That actually made the already cool ambience, simply fantastic!
Pictures of River Tern Lodge
(Click on the images to see a larger version)
Open-jeep safari at the Bhadra wildlife sanctuary
In the 1-day package, you have a jeep safari and a boat safari. You are allowed to choose which safari you want do in the evening and which one the next morning. We chose the jeep safari in the evening.
The driver alone comes with us. It is a open jeep on all sides. Safari drive is about 25 KM up and down. After a long drive among surroundings of common trees you start seeing some forest. The driver said we cannot sight any animals at this time of the year due to monsoon rains and the animals stay deep inside the forest. He said they had sighted bears, elephants and tigers too during summer time - and they even stand just a few meters from the jeep, and even cross the drive path too - right in front of the jeep. Also, just 3 weeks before our trip, we had been reading a lot of news on paper in Bangalore that there were 3 leopards causing trouble to the residents in the very Lakkavalli surroundings of this Bhadra wildlife sanctuary. We have been keen to see some animals.
It is a bumpy ride, complicated by the very mushy, soggy soil due to the rains. But the 4-wheel-drive turbo engine of the Mahindra jeep came out winners thumbs-up without getting stuck anywhere. We did sight quite a few deers, couple of black-faced languors, peacocks, a sambar and a gaur. He also stopped at a 100-year old hunters' lodge at a spot deep in the forest that was interesting. There were lot of leeches. Some of the co-passengers were stuck with it! Upon out arriving back at the resort we even saw leeches crawling on the bonnet of the jeep. A short spell of rain towards end of the safari added chillness to the budding night. Our jeep safari trip started at 4:10 PM and completed by 6:30 PM.
Pictures of the jeep safari
(Click on the images to see a larger version)
The boat safari on the Bhadra reservoir adjoining the western ghats
The morning boat safari schedule is at 6:30 AM. So we need to get ready early in the morning, have tea or coffee at the dining hall and walk straight to the boat. Life jackets are provided. Our boat's name was Sea Eagle, a slightly bigger one than the second boat named Osprey.
Initially I was wondering why they call it a 'safari', but at the end the true meaning was very evident. We were taken by huge surprise when we saw the vast river / reservoir body that opened up into several remote islands of the western ghats covered by forests.
The boat safari was a highlight of our trip. The other special was the lone boatman who took us. He surely loved nature. He screened the far away trees through his binoculars and drove the boat towards sections where he spotted birds and animals. During our safari, he showed us Brahminy Kites, Ospreys, Cormorants, Kingfishers, Swallows, Peacocks, Deers and Wild Boar. He explained about every bird and about the surrounding to the tourists. He also stopped the boat at some far place for a few minutes - completely surrounded by water - The sound of silence was, very, very loud!
As the boatman went far away into the sprawling water space, the stillness, silence, and pristine serenity was simply breathtaking to say the least. The entire water and nearby green islets were so, so clean, with absolutely no littering - It made us feel so very pleased.
Our boat safari started at about 6:40 AM and completed by 8:45 AM. The early timing of the day was perfect. We had a wonderful weather and the sunshine was just adequate for grabbing some great photographs. It turned cloudy towards the later part, and there was a mild drizzle for a moment and then it cleared up instantly. I clicked several scenic special frames with my tiny Sony Cybershot DSC-W320 camera. As we went on and on, and around, in that huge water world, taking twists and turns, we could view some of the scenic settings from a few different angles and backdrops. The mix and match combinations of water, sky, hills, trees, branches, shades, reflections, sunlight, sudden wind / waves - I could get all of them in to my picture frames in different views. I clicked a lot of pictures - all on the move. In spite of the boat's wobbling, listing and rocking on water, most of the pictures came out impressively.
Pictures of the boat safari
(Click on the images to see a larger version)
Attractions during the drive on the highways
During the drive from Bangalore to Lakkavalli and the return trip as well, we had plenty of agricultural attractions to watch and admire. The Tiptur / Arsikere surroundings are very famous for Coconut and Arecanut farms and all their associated industries. Also there are sunflowers, bajra, grapes, paddy, castor, corn and so on. I could click pictures of most of them.
(Click on the images to see a larger version)
Return route
We started from the resort at 11:25 AM on Sunday. We stopped at 'Masala Dhaba' just after Birur at 12:45 PM to pick up some packed fried rice to eat on the go. After we crossed Tumkur by-pass road, once we got back on to the Bangalore highway (NH-4), we stopped at the other Kamat Upachar that is on the left hand side itself at 4 PM for snacks and coffee. We reached home at 6 PM via NICE road and Bannerghatta road.
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Amidst the western ghats of India, the River Tern Lodge of Jungle Lodges & Resorts is located on an attractive hillock, right at the edge of and overlooking the Bhadra River and Dam, and adjoining the Bhadra Tiger Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary. Overall the trip was very exciting and the location of the resort simply superb.
As usual I got the due regular service done for my car 2 days before the trip, so it was a good drive all through.
We took the following route both up and down: Bannerghatta road, NICE road, Tumkur road, Tumkur, Gubbi, Tiptur, Arsikere, Banavara, Kadur, Birur, Tarikere, Lakkavalli. Bangalore to Tumkur is NH-4. Tumkur to Tarikere is NH-206, a.k.a. Bangalore-Honnavar (or BH) road. The one-way distance from Bangalore to Lakkavalli is 288 KM. Our onward drive took 7 hours end-to-end, including a breakfast stop and other minor photo click slowdowns.
Here is an active Google map you can click and browse through.
Click here to View a Larger Map on Google Maps page
Given below is a quick run down of our onward drive schedule on 13/Aug/11 (Sat.).
06:25 AM - Departure from Bommanahalli.
06:40 AM - Fuel topped up at Bannergatta road.
07:05 AM - Entered NICE road toll gate at Gottigere; big rush and hence a long queue.
07:35 AM - Exited from NICE road on to Tumkur road, and drove towards Tumkur on NH-4.
08:40 AM - Stopped at Kamat Upachar on the left hand side, about 10 KM before Tumkur, for breakast.
09:00 AM - Started from Kamat Upachar, continued on NH-4.
09:10 AM - Right after the toll-gate at Tumkur entrance, turned left on to by-pass road, drove all the way and turned left to get on NH-206, and drove towards Gubbi.
09:40 AM -Passed Gubbi.
10:05 AM - Passed the overhead rope-cart Heidelberg Cements (formerly Mycem / Mysore Cements) operating across the road at Ammasandra / Adityapatna.
10:50 AM - Passed Arsikere. Roads are narrow and bad from Arsikere to Banavara. Some widening work is in slow progress though.
11:55 AM - Passed Kadur.
12:10 PM - Passed Birur.
12:40 PM - Passed Tarikere. After the exit arch at the other side of Tarikere, turned left towards Lakkavalli.
01:15 PM - Reached River Tern Lodge.
 |
| NICE road entry, Gottigere - Jam |
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| On NICE road |
 |
| Kamat Upachar before Tumkur |
 |
| Brick factory after exiting from Tumkur (on NH-206) |
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| Nice Church, before Gubbi on NH-206 |
 |
| Passing MyCem / Heidelberg Cement rope-cart |
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| Single track road between Arsikere and Banavara - Widening work |
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| At Kadur - Still 49 KM to Bhadra Wild Life Sanctuary |
 |
| Railway crossing, after Birur |
 |
| Mild drizzle at the railway crossing |
 |
| Turned left to Lakkavalli after Tarikere exit arch, River Tern Lodge 14 KM |
 |
| Almost there. River Tern Lodge on that hillock... Dam on the other side |
 |
| To give you a high level overview of the locality (Click to see full view) |
The River Tern Lodge
'River Tern' is the name of a bird in the 'tern' family, and is said to be residing along rivers. It is also said that they can be sighted during summer time in this area. Rightly, we did not spot even one during out 20+ hour stay here.
The way the River Tern Lodge is designed and laid-out spread across two hillocks and connected by a wooden bridge across the flowing Dam water under it, is its speciality. The cottages are all on the slopes of the hillocks, with balconies overlooking the water in the Dam. During our stay, there was gushing winds channeling through between the hillocks that caused continuous waves in the Dam water, making it appear like a sea shore. The sound of water all the time on top of the ambience here is the icing on the cake. If you are staying in a cottage on the main hillock itself where the reception and dining hall (named Gol Ghar) are located, then you are surely missing out. If you stay in a cottage on the second hillock, then you got your money's worth. Crossing the wooden bridge over the water every time, and climbing up and down the winding foot paths and steps amongst the dense trees in the slopes, all those make you enjoy the unique setting here. Though, we heard some people complaining that it is too far to walk from the cottage to the dining hall etc. - surely, they did not see the speciality of the place!
There are no TVs, telephones, newspapers, etc. in the cottage. They do have a water heater, a/c (added recently), and an electric kettle with complementary coffee, tea, sugar sachets for helping ourselves.
At River Tern Lodge also, Jungle Lodges & Resorts, as per their standard norm in all their other outfits in Karnataka, offer 'per-person package' that includes 1-night stay, three meals (lunch, dinner, breakfast - all buffet), open-jeep safari in Bhadra wildlife sanctuary, boat safari on the Bhadra river cum reservoir, etc. A range of water sports are available at extra cost.
The schedule at River Tern Lodge is something like this:
Day One
12 noon - Check-in
01:30 p.m. - Lunch
04:00 p.m. - Safari briefing with Tea / Coffee
04:30 p.m. - Drive to Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary
07:30 p.m. - Wildlife film show
08:30 p.m. - Campfire and Barbecue
09:30 p.m. - Dinner
Day Two
06:00 a.m. - Wake-up call, Tea / Coffee
06:30 a.m. - Guided trekking or Boating
09:30 a.m. - Breakfast
11:00 a.m. - Check-out
The water based activities such as sailing, kayaking, water cycle, water trampoline, water sea-saw are subject to weather conditions and are offered at extra cost.
Cottage was superb. Food was great. Safaris were exciting and memorable. Being a peak monsoon season, we were worried about rain, but, luckily for us, on those 2 days it only drizzled a couple of times. That actually made the already cool ambience, simply fantastic!
Pictures of River Tern Lodge
(Click on the images to see a larger version)
 |
| Entrance |
 |
| Parking lot |
 |
| Information Board |
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| Information Board (contd.) |
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| Agenda & Animals sight record |
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| Winding steps |
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| Connecting bridge between the two hillocks |
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| On the bridge |
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| View from the boat |
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| View from the footpath steps |
 |
| There are the cottages |
 |
| No. 15, where we stayed |
 |
| View from the room |
 |
| The balcony |
 |
| Taken from the boat - We are on the bottom row, 2nd from right |
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| The two hillocks and the wooden bridge - viewed from the boat |
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| Inside the cottage |
 |
| Relaxing in the balcony |
 |
| Drizzling outside |
 |
| Wet |
 |
| Waiting for the drizzle to stop |
 |
| Tea and the drizzle! |
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| Gol Ghar - The Dining Hall |
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| Lunch |
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| Camp fire in the evening |
 |
| Tandoor getting ready - Tandoori Chicken for Dinner |
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| Books, souvenirs in the dining hall |
 |
| Foot path steps by night - While going for dinner |
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| Moonlit view of the other hillock and cottages |
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| Dinner |
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| Dinner - Dessert was yummy! |
 |
| 6 AM |
 |
| Breakfast |
 |
| Breakfast |
 |
| Breakfast |
 |
| 22 degrees C at 9:23 AM on 14-Aug-11, Sun. |
 |
| The water sports bay |
 |
| Kayaking |
 |
| Rain coming from far away! |
Open-jeep safari at the Bhadra wildlife sanctuary
In the 1-day package, you have a jeep safari and a boat safari. You are allowed to choose which safari you want do in the evening and which one the next morning. We chose the jeep safari in the evening.
The driver alone comes with us. It is a open jeep on all sides. Safari drive is about 25 KM up and down. After a long drive among surroundings of common trees you start seeing some forest. The driver said we cannot sight any animals at this time of the year due to monsoon rains and the animals stay deep inside the forest. He said they had sighted bears, elephants and tigers too during summer time - and they even stand just a few meters from the jeep, and even cross the drive path too - right in front of the jeep. Also, just 3 weeks before our trip, we had been reading a lot of news on paper in Bangalore that there were 3 leopards causing trouble to the residents in the very Lakkavalli surroundings of this Bhadra wildlife sanctuary. We have been keen to see some animals.
It is a bumpy ride, complicated by the very mushy, soggy soil due to the rains. But the 4-wheel-drive turbo engine of the Mahindra jeep came out winners thumbs-up without getting stuck anywhere. We did sight quite a few deers, couple of black-faced languors, peacocks, a sambar and a gaur. He also stopped at a 100-year old hunters' lodge at a spot deep in the forest that was interesting. There were lot of leeches. Some of the co-passengers were stuck with it! Upon out arriving back at the resort we even saw leeches crawling on the bonnet of the jeep. A short spell of rain towards end of the safari added chillness to the budding night. Our jeep safari trip started at 4:10 PM and completed by 6:30 PM.
Pictures of the jeep safari
(Click on the images to see a larger version)
 |
| Entry to Bhadra wildlife sanctuary |
 |
| Too bad |
 |
| Deers |
 |
| The jeep |
 |
| The route |
 |
| Getting deeper |
 |
| Too too bad |
 |
| Gaur |
 |
| Inside the forest area |
 |
| Returning |
 |
| Hunters' lodge - Said to be 100+ years old |
 |
| Leeches |
The boat safari on the Bhadra reservoir adjoining the western ghats
The morning boat safari schedule is at 6:30 AM. So we need to get ready early in the morning, have tea or coffee at the dining hall and walk straight to the boat. Life jackets are provided. Our boat's name was Sea Eagle, a slightly bigger one than the second boat named Osprey.
Initially I was wondering why they call it a 'safari', but at the end the true meaning was very evident. We were taken by huge surprise when we saw the vast river / reservoir body that opened up into several remote islands of the western ghats covered by forests.
The boat safari was a highlight of our trip. The other special was the lone boatman who took us. He surely loved nature. He screened the far away trees through his binoculars and drove the boat towards sections where he spotted birds and animals. During our safari, he showed us Brahminy Kites, Ospreys, Cormorants, Kingfishers, Swallows, Peacocks, Deers and Wild Boar. He explained about every bird and about the surrounding to the tourists. He also stopped the boat at some far place for a few minutes - completely surrounded by water - The sound of silence was, very, very loud!
As the boatman went far away into the sprawling water space, the stillness, silence, and pristine serenity was simply breathtaking to say the least. The entire water and nearby green islets were so, so clean, with absolutely no littering - It made us feel so very pleased.
Our boat safari started at about 6:40 AM and completed by 8:45 AM. The early timing of the day was perfect. We had a wonderful weather and the sunshine was just adequate for grabbing some great photographs. It turned cloudy towards the later part, and there was a mild drizzle for a moment and then it cleared up instantly. I clicked several scenic special frames with my tiny Sony Cybershot DSC-W320 camera. As we went on and on, and around, in that huge water world, taking twists and turns, we could view some of the scenic settings from a few different angles and backdrops. The mix and match combinations of water, sky, hills, trees, branches, shades, reflections, sunlight, sudden wind / waves - I could get all of them in to my picture frames in different views. I clicked a lot of pictures - all on the move. In spite of the boat's wobbling, listing and rocking on water, most of the pictures came out impressively.
Pictures of the boat safari
(Click on the images to see a larger version)
 |
| Ready for the boat safari |
 |
| Yes, the life jackets! |
 |
| The Dam from the water side |
 |
| The Dam from the downstream side |
 |
| Ready, start... phut-phut-phut-phut-... |
 |
| The other boat named Osprey |
 |
| Vast area of water and adjoining islands of western ghats |
 |
| Shining sun rising fast |
 |
| Calm and focused |
 |
| Many many adjoining islands of western ghats, all forest-laden |
 |
| Contrast in visual treats |
 |
| Stunning combo of the sky, the greenery, the water, the reflections |
 |
| More combos of nature into a single frame |
 |
| Sudden assembly of cloud cover |
 |
| Resting birds amidst serene scenery |
 |
| The sunshine added a complete different outlook |
 |
| Art by nature |
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| More water spread area, more birds, more islands |
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| Silky water |
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| Silent tranquility |
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| Never ending art by nature |
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| Birds' paradise |
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| Silky reflection |
 |
| Full green |
 |
| Oil painting? |
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| Another one |
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| What to say? |
 |
| Caught special! |
 |
| Pristine peace |
 |
| Still |
 |
| See the decorative knurling on water? |
 |
| See the distant sun lit spot? |
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| Boatman was very involved in searching for birds |
 |
| Impressive |
 |
| Perfect frame? |
 |
| Jayanth caught me |
 |
| Another lonely bird there |
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| Sea Eagle is the name of our boat |
 |
| Coracle fishermen returning with their catch - Buyers waiting eagerly |
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| We are back too |
Attractions during the drive on the highways
During the drive from Bangalore to Lakkavalli and the return trip as well, we had plenty of agricultural attractions to watch and admire. The Tiptur / Arsikere surroundings are very famous for Coconut and Arecanut farms and all their associated industries. Also there are sunflowers, bajra, grapes, paddy, castor, corn and so on. I could click pictures of most of them.
(Click on the images to see a larger version)
 |
| Coconut groves, Paddy farms |
 |
| Coconut coir / husk and shell, collected, kept ready to sell |
 |
| Coconut parts being transported |
 |
| Coir industry |
 |
| Another coir industry |
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| Coconut broom sticks being transported |
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| Arecanut farms - Mysterious cable coils in every farm |
 |
| Sunflower - Unlucky, they never faced us |
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| Bajra / Kambu / Sajje |
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| More Bajra |
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| Some more Bajra |
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| Lucky we spotted a Grape farm |
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| Castor farm |
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| Drying corn - for milling |
Return route
We started from the resort at 11:25 AM on Sunday. We stopped at 'Masala Dhaba' just after Birur at 12:45 PM to pick up some packed fried rice to eat on the go. After we crossed Tumkur by-pass road, once we got back on to the Bangalore highway (NH-4), we stopped at the other Kamat Upachar that is on the left hand side itself at 4 PM for snacks and coffee. We reached home at 6 PM via NICE road and Bannerghatta road.
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Really amazing blog Raj :)
ReplyDeletePeople who visit your blog would definitely like to visit that place. Excellent snaps and detailed info at every step!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletevery informative... Thanks. This will be very helpful for us as we are planning to be there very soon
ReplyDeleteThanks, nice to hear that Surya Praveen
ReplyDeleteAmazing writeup and extrordinary snaps man. Thanks a lot for taking us to this tour at free of cost :)
ReplyDeleteI stay in the same place but I have never been to this resort... plaining to go there in june 1st week.. I would not stay there, but I would just visit for while n do some kayaking or photoshoot :-)
ReplyDeleteHey Raj, can you share the contact number of this resort on ehtesham@hotmail.co.in?
ReplyDeleteVery Well written post, thoroughly enjoyed it. Bhadra Maruti Temple is really amassing place. You can also check my post at Bhadra Maruti Temple Khuldabad at http://www.touristsafari.com/temples/bhadra-maruti-temple
ReplyDeleteExcellent write up! Useful for people who're planning at stay at the River Tern Lodge!
ReplyDelete