[abirnale]

Some background for this thread:
You may have come across this ownership thread on XUV7OO AWD Car #TheRedSparkle on our forum accessible at this link:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...55-000-km.html

#TheRedSparkle takes us to places we have seldom thought of - the stories of those travels and a lot of non-automobile pictures end up going to the ownership thread. So now, the plan is to post a separate thread for a trip worth its weight for a separate thread. The summary and car pictures will still go to the ownership thread - with some exceptions of pictures that are worth duplicating on both threads (but that should be a rare thing!)

And in the places to visit around Bangalore, the Jayamangali Blackbuck Reserve features often with not much details on this place except these two threads that pop up when you perform a title search:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ml#post3617786 (Wanderlust Traveller: Madhugiri Fort & Jayamangali Blackbuck Reserve)

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route...ml#post5202013 (Bangalore - Madhugiri - Jayamangali Black Buck reserve)

Hence decided to pen down a separate thread for this half-a-day trip for Bangalore folks.

Important notes for repeating this trip:
There is some good information on this page in case you are interested: https://tumkurameen.blogspot.com/200...denahalli.html

The key details to note are:

• It's a notified forest reserve area with all rules and regulations that apply to forest reserves minus commercial setups.
• The roads up to the entrance to the forest reserve are top shape - country roads, villages around, slow speeds recommended.
• There are no decent restaurants around the reserve - the closest is towards Devanhalli or Madhugiri.
• It will be hot if you aren't there before 8:30 am or after 5 pm. The chances of sighting blackbucks are near zero when the sun is beating you down.
• You can take your vehicle inside the reserve, and drive through mud roads without diverting to unmarked roads or getting into no-drive zones (not clear marking).
• Entry doesn't need any permissions, tickets, or similar formalities. There will be some forest rangers doing random patrolling - or the villagers in the area can guide you in case required. Most section has network coverage and you should be able to at least make or receive calls.

I planned my drive such that we entered the main area of the reserve by 7.45 am. It was the perfect light and not very hot for a March morning! As days pass, this will become super hot. The best time IMHO to visit this reserve is in December - January. Or visit after some rain in July.

And uneventful drive and return from the reserve for a sumptuous lunch at home is easily possible!

Now with these handy details, some pictures to complete the rest of the story in following post!

[abirnale]

You can park the car near to watch towers made for viewers - climb up and see around!



Make sure that you do not drive the car on grasslands: there could be reptiles that you might run over



If you are lucky, you will find a lot of birds:





The usual finds are - Drongos, Peacocks, Bee Eaters, Shrikes, Bulbuls, Spotted Doves, and Parakeets. You may see raptors too - we sighted a vulture gliding in an area.

The main attractions are though: Blackbucks (not the kaala paisa )



















These are shy animals - won't easily be seen on the roads unless you are super quiet in the reserve. A good 8x42 Binocular is recommended to carry along if you want to see them from a distance and enjoy them doing things candidly!

That was all for now - this visit can be made a full-day trip if you are game to visit nearby lakes/ or other places listed in this great thread:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route...bangalore.html (Cool Drives within 150 km from Bangalore)

Thanks for reading! See you soon with another #TheRedSparkle Story.

[KarthikK]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Stryker]

Ah lovely! The head on photo of the male Blackbuck with the Egret in attendance is just too good. Worth a frame, IMHO. Must be getting quite hot out there now and very dry too.

Been a couple of years since I visited Jayamangali. Got lost last time round, tracking a fox that was playing hide and seek with us. My XUV (still had it then, I wouldn't dare take the BMW to those places ) ended up with several scratches while trying to get out of the dense bushes with thorns. As you mention, there is no clear marking of no go zones and I took a wrong turn somewhere on the barely visible tracks.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by abirnale

Hence decided to pen down a separate thread for this half-a-day trip for Bangalore folks.

Fantastic report! Thanks for penning this down and for sharing useful information about this place.

The photographs are lovely! Very nice to see you enjoying your photography too in addition to driving your Red Sparkle! Cars and photography naturally go together. It is always awesome to see such reports combining the two.

I would say the blackbucks there are lucky to get a sighting of your famous Red Sparkle :-)

Looking forward to many more photography logs from you!

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by Stryker

Ah lovely! The head on photo of the male Blackbuck with the Egret in attendance is just too good. Worth a frame, IMHO. Must be getting quite hot out there now and very dry too

…..
several scratches while trying to get out of the dense bushes with thorns. As you mention, there is no clear marking of no go zones and I took a wrong turn somewhere on the barely visible tracks.

Thanks a ton - have seen your tiger clicks on our forums, they are legendary! I hope to keep learning and getting better at photography. Yes, my car has a lot of scratches - it doesn’t bother me anymore. Within the first week of getting car, I forayed into narrow trails off kanakapura into farms and never bothered to treat external like I used to do my old XUV5OO. This one will proudly carry the battle-scars!

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Fantastic report! Thanks for penning this down and for sharing useful information about this place.

The photographs are lovely! Very nice to see you enjoying your photography too in addition to driving your Red Sparkle! Cars and photography naturally go together. It is always awesome to see such reports combining the two.

Thank you AD! Your guidance on photography and tips are amazing - it has helped over years to click the cars, birds and everything in between. Your words of encouragement means a lot. Thanks again. I hope to keep bringing travel stories worth the separate thread with lot of pictures outside of my ownership thread to our readers.