So close yet so far !!!!. Review on Bheemeshwari

As my title says this place is "SO CLOSE, YET SO FAR".    Just 100 Kms from Bangalore, this place gives you a feel that you have traveled very far away from the hustle bustle of city life.

This place was recommended by a few friends, who had visited sometime last year. We decided to give a try. We were initially planning to book during the Independence Day weekend, but later realized it would be impossible to get booking. So we advanced the trip to the weekend before the Independence Day weekend.

BOOKING:

*We approached the Jungle Lodge office at MG Road for booking, but were informed that there were no booking available. One of Sales Executive informed us that we could check on the reservation status on the website https://junglelodges.com and if there were any cancellations, it would automatically show on the website.  Out of curiosity we decided to check the website for reservation and guess what the sign “Book Now” brought a smile on our face.

The only type of accommodation that was available was the “MUD HUTS” which costs Rs. 2500 /- per person per night.  The sheer excitement of getting the accommodation didn’t make us think twice about the price.  We immediately booked it. The whole process of booking online was pretty simple. Just for info there are 3 types of accommodation available in this fishing camp. The package includes acommodation, lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Tea /Coffee, rides and Taxes. It’s an all inclusive package.

GETTING THERE:The Cauvery Fishing Camp is exactly 100 Kms from Blore. We started around 8:30 AM from Blore and took the Kanakapura Road out of Bangalore. The roads are excellent and the traffic was lean. We had a pleasant ride and after traveling around 65 Kms on the Highway and after crossing Kanakpura town, we took a left towards “Sathnur”, there are enough indicators on the way guiding you to the destination.

The road gets a little worse as you proceed but are not a big deal. Guess the rains have taken toll on the road. You cross a couple of villages and reach Muttati. The Ghats start immediately after the village and the greenery is in abundance all around. The curving roads with its ups and downs make the driving so much fun. Once you cross the Ghats section, the Cauvery River is visible and the road runs parallel to the river. Exactly when our Trip meter indicated 100 kms, the resort was in our sight. It took us 3 hours to reach the Resort, of course we stopped at a lot of places to take snaps and enjoy the greenery.

AT BHEEMESHWARI:The entry into the resort is restricted, only people who have bookings are allowed into the resort. The first sight of the resort was very encouraging. The place was clean and well maintained.  As soon we confirmed our details, we were taken to a place which was like an open restaurant and served lime juice. Then after a few minutes on confirmation that the accommodation was ready, we were taken to the mud hut, which is hardly a few yards away. The sights of hammocks and tyres suspended all around the place got Gauri and my son Adhvaith all excited.

The accommodations were located among dense trees. Our accommodation was the last in the row of tents. The rooms were clean and very neatly set up. The walls were smeared with cow dung giving it an ethnic look and feel. The toilet cum bathroom were clean but was outside the room not a big deal as there is entry is from bed room itself. Just outside the room was a big net which was tied in-between two trees suspended around 3 feet above the ground. Lying on the net, watching the sky is one of the biggest stress busters that one could ever experience.

The package comes with a fixed iternary, which includes boat ride, trek. These activities are just for couple of hours and there is a lot of free time to lye on the hammock do nothing or go and play on the banks of River Cauvery.  The river around the resort is calm and it is safe to venture into the water to get your feet wet.

The meals are served at the dining area, which is called “Ghol Ghar” around 2 minute walk from our room and located on the banks of the River. At around 1.30 PM, Buffet Lunch was served. There was a good spread of veg menu and looked very hygienic. After a heavy lunch, it is impossible to keep my self awake. The sight of hammock makes one feel lazier and all you want to do is sleep.   After a quick nap, decided to pay a visit to the Ayurveda Hut run by a famous Kerala group. The rates are a little steep but who cares about a little additional expense, when u r on a holiday.

Got a head massage and facial massage done and it was awesome.  All refreshed after the massage session, it was time for the boating or coracle ride. Coracle is a small round boat made of bamboo and tar and could seat 5 people.  All passengers are asked to wear life jacket. The ride was very peaceful until we reached the rough waters around couple of Kms down stream. The ride gets exciting and scary at times. The experience is as good as a river rafting with the coracle rocking up and down like an easy chair.  The guards who maneuver the boats are very experienced people and do a great job of it. The boat ride lasted for around 40 minutes. Downstream there is a jeep waiting to pick u up and take you back to the camp. The rest of the evening is free and we decided to go and play in the river. The conditions were overcast and we would feel the tide becoming stronger and time to get out of water.

At around 7:30 in the evening there was a small camp fire that was set on the banks of the river along with a barbeque. This is the ideal setting for people who want to have a booze session. This is followed by the dinner. Like Lunch, the spread was good and we enjoyed our dinner. We were stuffed and started our slow walk back to the room. There were fireflies all around the place.  It brought back memories of childhood when we used to see fireflies in blore and made unsuccessful attempt to catch it.  Also it was a refreshing feeling to lie on the nets and watch the sky full of stars with listen to occasional animal calls. The animal calls were getting more frequent and then we decided to get into the room. The beds were very comfortable and sleep was instant.

The next morning at around 6:30 AM, bed tea/coffee is served and asked to report to the office for a trek at 7.  We decided to skip the trek because Adhvaith, our two year old son was yet to wake up and very unlikely that he would finish him morning sessions (potty etc) by then. We instead decide to go and play in the river. While we playing at the river, couple of guards were walking with a big fish (around 2 feet in length and weighing 8 kgs) on enquiry we were told the fish is the great “Mahseer” that was washed on the shore after being attacked by crocodile.  Luckily I was carrying my camera and seized this opportunity to click a couple of snaps with the great “Mahseer”. This certainly was the highlight of the entire holiday.

It was breakfast time and soon time to leave.

This weekend break was one of the most refreshing things that we had done for a long time.  We would love to get back to this place and have a great time  !!!!!