It was the craving for a getaway that lured us to Biligiriranga Hills in Chamarajanagar district, known as a miniature hill station on the undulating hills connecting the mountain ranges of the Eastern and the Western Ghats. BR Hills is a nature lover’s paradise, blessed with salubrious climate, an unparalleled amount of biodiversity and an abundance of forestry harbouring and nurturing varied species of wildlife and birds.
How did we go?
Driving from Bengaluru early on Saturday morning, we hit the Bengaluru-Mysore highway. BR Hills is around 200 km from the city. We stopped at Bidadi and had delicious ‘thatte idli’ for breakfast. After a detour, we proceeded on Kollegal road towards the hills. The ghat section started after we crossed Kollegal. We travelled through the pristine forests and by noon, reached the summit where the resorts and homestays are located.
Where did we stay?
We checked in at the Shwethagiri Homestay, within the sylvan environment of a coffee and areca nut plantation. We could get a panoramic view of the hills and valleys from the balcony. A muslin-like cloak of snow-white mist engulfed the hills, making them look like white hills true to their name ‘Biligiri’.
What did we do?
We took a short walk through the plantation, enjoying the pure air and the pleasant chilly weather. Coffee flowers were blooming here and there. In the evening, we proceeded to the wildlife sanctuary. We took a jeep safari ride and got our money’s worth. The narrow jungle road wound itself in a serpentine fashion through the thick forests over hills and valleys, over miniature virgin streams gushing across the road in some parts. We noticed small yet beautiful waterfalls created by the jungle streams cascading from a higher level to a lower level. We were lucky to get repeated sightings of several groups of spotted deer and also spotted small barking deer.
A few wild boars darted across our path, a prominent huge male among them with an unmistakable short white tusk. At another turning, a huge sambar stag suddenly came into view, raising its head majestically above the tall grass, with a grand display of its giant antlers spread in perfect symmetry like a crown on its head. Unfortunately, we could not see any elephants, tigers or panthers. Our disappointment turned into bliss as we reached the base camp and saw a congregation of 50 to 60 spotted deer. At night, dinner was served in the open, around a campfire. The next morning we visited the Ranganathaswamy shrine on the highest peak of the hill, which filled us with immense bliss. For us, BR Hills seemed to be the perfect place for a peaceful and rejuvenating sojourn in nature’s lap.
(The author can be contacted at k.avkarun@gmail.com)
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Published 31 May 2017, 14:50 IST