The

Bhagavathi Nature Camp

in Kudremukh, Karnataka, is situated about 23 km from the nearest town of Kalasa. This was our base for a week during our Volunteer Training Program, run by the Karnataka Ecotourism Development Board (KEDB) and Jungle Lodges and Resorts (JLR) along with the help of the Karnataka Forest Department personnel.

The camp comprises several tents with delta-roofs, on cement bases, which are very comfortably appointed, with 3 beds in each tent, an attached toiled (mine was a Western toilet), and hot water provided between 8am and 10am each day.

Tent

The generator is run from 7pm to 10pm each evening, enabling visitors to charge their various gadget and camera batteries.

Here’s how the tent looks from the front, as some of us gather for a photo:

There is a large dormitory (no separate accommodation for men and women) here. There is, however, only one toilet for 14 beds. The rates are proportionally lower:

Here’s the entrance gate; the camp itself is at a distance of 1km from here.

At a distance of 0.7 km from the camp and 0.3 km from the gate, is a point where BSNL mobiles work. As of now (May 2014) no other mobile networks are in operation here.

The watch tower, about 0.5 km from the camp, is a great feature, offering good views and sometimes a great birding experience at canopy level in the large trees nearby. It is opposite the nursery maintained by the Camp.

The classroom shamiana from the watchtower. Our classroom sessions were held in a shamiana specially put up for the occasion; though we joked that it looked like a festive wedding “pandal”, it provided the necessary space for all of us to gather, and a dark area for screening of slides. It did get a little stuffy during the very hot weather, but it was very useful indeed.

The shamiana was powered by this generator:

There is also a Guest House, at a different area:

A board indicates places of interest nearby:

Another indicates trekking “rutes”:

Many of us used the shamiana to get our gadgets charged during the daytime (this was a special occasion, generators may not be run during the day).

The kitchen was run full-time for us; for other visitors, meals can be ordered and paid for. The staff were very efficient and the food excellent. Here is a rainbow vegetables of fruits to feed all of us:

Here are the cooks, who really worked hard during our stay:

Breakfast and dinner was served in the “gol ghar” area, like other resorts in Karnataka. Lunch was served in the porch of the dormitory, and tea in the shamiana itself.

The camp is right alongside a checkdam of the Bhadra river, and it’s a great place to cool off and have fun. We only managed this, though, after our program was over, on the last day, while we waited for transportation back to Kalasa and home!

I have provided a checklist of birds, mammals and others seen during our stay, on my post,

here

A wonderful place to visit, especially if you have your own transportation!