[trishulpani]

A long weekend and a perennial itch to travel are perfect recipe for - well, traveling. A spur of the moment decision to check out Galibore Nature Camp operated by JLR. https://www.junglelodges.com/resort/...camp/#packages. We've been to a Jungle Lodges and Resorts (JLR) property before so a comfortable accommodation, good food and a great experience was expected. This time Galibore delivered on this and more.

The plan

: Booked a Tent package for 3 of us (kid, wife and myself) for 1 night stay at Galibore. Booking was done a week prior through their online booking portal. Booking experience was swift and without errors. Received pre-confirmation and final confirmation of booking within minutes.

Route

: Followed Google Map ( HAL Old Airport Road -> NH44, NH48, NH948 Kanakapura-Sangam Road -> Turn right at KSRTC Bus Stop, Sangama onto Sangama - Mutthatthi Road ).

Packing

: Comfortable summer wear (no bright colors as advised on JLR FAQ list), a light jacket, raincoats, water resistant shoes/ slippers, a small torch, a binocular, extra batteries, phone chargers including a solar one, some OTC medicines. We had 1 mid size backpack for each, a food bag containing snacks for the kid, water bottles and some cash for emergency expenses. Additionally, a tyre inflator, first aid kit and an umbrella are permanent residents in my car's boot.

Travel

: Google maps showed about 3.5 hrs, but we usually start way ahead of time to compensate for bathroom breaks, food stops or any delays due to traffic or unforeseen factors. The check-in at the camp was at 1.00 PM, so we started at about 8AM on Sunday 30th, 2022.

Traffic was light to medium most of the route and wasn't anything much to write about - except for the last 7.5km (more on this soon).

We stopped at Kamat Upchaar https://goo.gl/maps/nJVanuf5mwUCLyuWA for breakfast at around 9.40 am. It was crowded initially, but thinned out once a tourist bus full of folks left. Wait time was around 10-15 mins before we could grab a seat.



Menu at Kamat Upchaar:



Butter Thatte Idly (most likely their most popular dish) was out of stock so we had to be content with Mangalore Bun, Pineapple Kesari Ghee Bath, Poori Saagu, Masala Dosa, Coffee for the adults and warm Badam milk for the kid.
All the items were very tasty and was a great on the wallet too!

Road had some nice views:




We had to enter our details at the Cauvery-Sangam sanctuary entrance:


The remaining road was uneventful - till we reached the point at Sangama where the dreaded ~8km offroad stretch begins.

On the way, I received a call from camp staff confirming whether we were on our way. He asked us for ETA and asked to call back on the number in case we needed any help. Was a good gesture to say the least.


A word of caution: At Sangama, there's a sneaky right turn we need to take to enter the camp road. There were a couple of guards charging 30/- for parking which we needn't have paid since we had booking for Galibore and we weren't parking at Sangama anyway. We realized this after we had already paid but there was no way they'd return the money.

It was all off-road from this point on, even having a few shallow stream crossings and extremely bad for the underbody of your car unless you have an SUV. I had to be really careful and there was a real chance that my car would get stuck / stalled. To add to that, there's no mobile signal the entire stretch of that trail and there was no way I could ask help from the camp staff if we did get stuck. If it had been raining, I'd have made an U-turn - there was no way I was going to make it. About 1 km remaining, I reached a point where it truly seemed I couldn't make it. I stopped the car and went out to check the road ahead. I was even thinking of walking the rest of the way and asking camp staff to make alternate parking arrangement. Luckily, I noticed someone else coming down the road and that too in a Toyota Yaris. That provided some relief and he assured me that it's ok to drive on. I did drive on, but scraped the underbody of my car - still not sure if there were any major damage and will need a thorough inspection once I have the time.

And that folks, the max off-roading am willing do in a Santro. I wasn't trying to think about the return journey though

We finally made it on time, checked-in and the staff were very welcoming. They provide welcome drinks (cold lemon water) and explained all the whole itinerary once again. Tents allotted, they helped us with our bags and once we entered our tent, we were again by ourselves, enjoying the view and ready to have lunch!

Camera trap images of wild life at the sactuary - however, please don't expect to see any of them in the flesh:



The "tents" are more than just tents. They are huge 1 Bedroom houses built on a solid foundation and also have a strong permanent overhead protection. They seem to built strong enough to withstand a lot of natural abuse.


Post freshening-up, we headed for lunch promptly at 1.30 pm at Golghar - a literally round structure that houses the restaurant area. Food was very tasty no matter what you choose (both veg and non-veg). In fact, there were many more options for vegetarians.





The only thing to be cautious about eating there are the monkeys - and boy are there a lot of 'em. Personally we didn't like the fact that they had to be shoo-ed away or threatened with a stick. After all, we were encroaching on their habitat and not the other way round!

Post lunch, there was a break of about 2 hrs that we used to loiter around within the campus and in general, relax or laze around in the numerous hammocks and rustic swings. Met a few friendly folks, exchanged a few laughs and enjoyed the view of Cauvery - the gentle sound of the river soothing any worries I had about reaching the camp.

Tea/Coffee was ready at 4.30pm which was to be followed by Coracle ride. I won't spoil the fun my mentioning any specific details here. However, suffice to say, you'd get your money's worth with this activity alone.
They will assign one staff per family per coracle so that you get to enjoy a serene and a very primitive way of rowing down the Cauvery river for about 3 kms. You can spot some exotic birds and or alligators - be sure to carry your binoculars.



Did I mention they row downstream (of course, they cannot do the same upstream) and the return journey is in a Bolero 4x4 camper on which you can stand in the open and enjoy the ride back? That was a surprise addition and thoroughly enjoyed the experience!

The sun had almost bid good bye for the day and by the time we returned, we could see the campfire being set. The barbecue stand was setup right beside it. The campfire was surrounded by chairs and tables (2/3/4 chairs and a table) to accommodate all family sizes which was very thoughtful of the staff. They also set up lanterns (yes, the one that runs on oil and wick ) as natural night light. They lit the campfire and started the barbecue. Thankfully there wasn't any loud music to ruin the experience. I just wish they turned off all the artificial lights from the tents and other sources to provide a more natural experience. As soon as the announcement was made about barbecue being ready, there was huge queue (expected ) which we decided to wait out. Once it thinned out, we went for our turn and to our surprise they had cold drinks!




Next up - dinner at 8pm!

Again, excellent food and even though we were almost full from the barbecue, we just couldn't stop ourselves from at least trying out the items on offer!



Fish kebab (local pomfret fry) was served a little later - hence a second photo



We took a stroll after finishing dinner and would have spent some more time to ease digestion but the kid was too tired and we decided to retire by 10pm after setting an alarm to get up and get ready by 5.30 am next morning.

Next day morning was a bliss. Waking up to the sound of Cauvery, chirping birds and complete silence otherwise, is an experience that will be most appreciated by city folks.

After having coffee/tea, we were ready for a Jungle trail walk. There was also an option for a short hike but we decided not to go with that since we didn't think our kid would keep up pace - and in retrospect, we were right when we spoke to a few people who did go on the trek.

The jungle/river walk was peaceful and informative. Saw some beautiful flora and fauna, learnt about some medicinal herbs and plants. My kid thoroughly enjoyed playing in a medium size stream of water. She did accidentally fall in the pool of water but she was having great fun!



The walk took about an hour / hour-15 mins. We returned to camp in time for breakfast. Again, lots of options for breakfast and they were making dosa on order too!



And just like that, post breakfast, our trip was over. Time to leave - a message not at all well received by the kid.

We had already packed our bags and the staff again helped us carrying them to the parking lot. We paid the remaining dues, exchanged a few pleasantries and left with a promise to return soon!

I prayed hard to the Thar God(yes - the vehicle, not Thor) to bless my wheels with enough capacity to navigate the return journey - the 8 kms I now dreaded so much. Seems to have worked since am writing this travelogue from the comfort of my home with no issues to report so far with the car.

P.S.

Galibore is perhaps less known among other Nature camps operated by JLR - but if you like a semi-rustic experience and have a weekend to spare - do give it a try - you won't regret it

[ObsessedByFIAT]

I too visited a JLR property called The Old Magazine House in Dandeli last week with family.
It was a great experience! The food and overall hospitality was excellent!
My son got interested in bird watching as the resort offers an excellent setup for bird watchers.

JLR has many properties in Karnataka and seems they are offering a unified experience.

[shashanka]

Wonderful write-up, trishulpani - crisp prose and lovely photos, specially of the food fare on offer at the various points. Being a foodie myself, I delply appreciate this point!

Your mention of the off-roading bit would be recieved with a sigh of relief by other Santro owners - it is a sturdy car and well worth the investment.

Thanks again

[trishulpani]

Originally Posted by shashanka

Wonderful write-up, trishulpani - crisp prose and lovely photos, specially of the food fare on offer at the various points. Being a foodie myself, I delply appreciate this point!

Your mention of the off-roading bit would be recieved with a sigh of relief by other Santro owners - it is a sturdy car and well worth the investment.

Thanks again

Yep - what's a journey without food, right ? And completely agree on the Santro. For a small family and for quick 200-300km outings, it does a surprisingly good job!